CLI Denial from Citi

[Curious_George2]

I have two Citi cards, a Custom Cash and a Costco. I give the CC a few hundred dollars per month in grocery spend, but the Costco card is mostly sock-drawered because its rewards aren't usually useful to me. I have been requesting, and receiving, CLIs on both cards every six months, like clockwork, for a few years. Until this week. 

On the day my Costco card became eligible to request a CLI, I did what I always do and submitted the request via their mobile app, with all reports frozen. Instant denial! They said a letter would follow and the next day I can view the letter in the Documents section of the app. Here are their reasons:

"We're unable to approve your request for the following reason(s):
• Low purchase activity on your card in recent months
• High unutilized credit line amount on your credit card
• High unutilized credit line(s) on your other credit card(s) according to your bureau
information"

It's all true. 4 transactions on this card in the past 6 months, at around $100 each. Currently using $0 of this card's $19,500 limit. Utilization across all cards is 1%, with several cards at zero. 

I certainly can't fault their reasoning. But these things haven't stopped them from giving me CLIs before. My profile hasn't changed significantly, but this is the first time they have denied me in a while. Could this be a sign that Citi is becoming a little more reluctant to give out large, unused limits?

[CreditCuriosity]

Citi will be more restrictive on CLI's as been slashing lines on existing card members for low usage in recent weeks although just took a call to keep CL once reviewed by UW team..  Posted in CC section of forum so this isn't suprising.

[FlaDude]

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@Curious_George2 wrote:

I have two Citi cards, a Custom Cash and a Costco. I give the CC a few hundred dollars per month in grocery spend, but the Costco card is mostly sock-drawered because its rewards aren't usually useful to me. I have been requesting, and receiving, CLIs on both cards every six months, like clockwork, for a few years. Until this week. 

On the day my Costco card became eligible to request a CLI, I did what I always do and submitted the request via their mobile app, with all reports frozen. Instant denial! They said a letter would follow and the next day I can view the letter in the Documents section of the app. Here are their reasons:

"We're unable to approve your request for the following reason(s):
• Low purchase activity on your card in recent months
• High unutilized credit line amount on your credit card
• High unutilized credit line(s) on your other credit card(s) according to your bureau
information"

It's all true. 4 transactions on this card in the past 6 months, at around $100 each. Currently using $0 of this card's $19,500 limit. Utilization across all cards is 1%, with several cards at zero. 

I certainly can't fault their reasoning. But these things haven't stopped them from giving me CLIs before. My profile hasn't changed significantly, but this is the first time they have denied me in a while. Could this be a sign that Citi is becoming a little more reluctant to give out large, unused limits?

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Sorry about your denial, but it baffles me that issuers in general have been as generous as they have been based on my own experience and from what I've read here. With bustout fraud being a concern, if I were a lender I would see absolutely no reason to give someone a CL more than ten times their normal (or maybe max) monthly spend. They are just exposing themselves more to fraud with no real benefit to them. Synch for one has been agressive about CLD'ing unused accounts and closing them too. 

[CorpCrMgr1]

Sorry you weren't approved.

[Curious_George2]

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@FlaDude wrote:

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@Curious_George2 wrote:

I have two Citi cards, a Custom Cash and a Costco. I give the CC a few hundred dollars per month in grocery spend, but the Costco card is mostly sock-drawered because its rewards aren't usually useful to me. I have been requesting, and receiving, CLIs on both cards every six months, like clockwork, for a few years. Until this week. 

On the day my Costco card became eligible to request a CLI, I did what I always do and submitted the request via their mobile app, with all reports frozen. Instant denial! They said a letter would follow and the next day I can view the letter in the Documents section of the app. Here are their reasons:

"We're unable to approve your request for the following reason(s):
• Low purchase activity on your card in recent months
• High unutilized credit line amount on your credit card
• High unutilized credit line(s) on your other credit card(s) according to your bureau
information"

It's all true. 4 transactions on this card in the past 6 months, at around $100 each. Currently using $0 of this card's $19,500 limit. Utilization across all cards is 1%, with several cards at zero. 

I certainly can't fault their reasoning. But these things haven't stopped them from giving me CLIs before. My profile hasn't changed significantly, but this is the first time they have denied me in a while. Could this be a sign that Citi is becoming a little more reluctant to give out large, unused limits?

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Sorry about your denial, but it baffles me that issuers in general have been as generous as they have been based on my own experience and from what I've read here. With bustout fraud being a concern, if I were a lender I would see absolutely no reason to give someone a CL more than ten times their normal (or maybe max) monthly spend. They are just exposing themselves more to fraud with no real benefit to them. Synch for one has been agressive about CLD'ing unused accounts and closing them too. 

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I completely agree with you. I'm not angry. Just sharing my datapoint. 

[keekers]

Sorry for the denial.

[SouthJamaica]

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@Curious_George2 wrote:

I have two Citi cards, a Custom Cash and a Costco. I give the CC a few hundred dollars per month in grocery spend, but the Costco card is mostly sock-drawered because its rewards aren't usually useful to me. I have been requesting, and receiving, CLIs on both cards every six months, like clockwork, for a few years. Until this week. 

On the day my Costco card became eligible to request a CLI, I did what I always do and submitted the request via their mobile app, with all reports frozen. Instant denial! They said a letter would follow and the next day I can view the letter in the Documents section of the app. Here are their reasons:

"We're unable to approve your request for the following reason(s):
• Low purchase activity on your card in recent months
• High unutilized credit line amount on your credit card
• High unutilized credit line(s) on your other credit card(s) according to your bureau
information"

It's all true. 4 transactions on this card in the past 6 months, at around $100 each. Currently using $0 of this card's $19,500 limit. Utilization across all cards is 1%, with several cards at zero. 

I certainly can't fault their reasoning. But these things haven't stopped them from giving me CLIs before. My profile hasn't changed significantly, but this is the first time they have denied me in a while. Could this be a sign that Citi is becoming a little more reluctant to give out large, unused limits?

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I'm sure everyone is more reluctant to give out large unused limits. Larger limits require larger loan loss reserves, which count as an expense, lowering reported profitability.