I guess I never updated this. After lots of back and forth with NFCU it turned out they made a big mistake. Basically, sent me an erroneous approval message. Luckily it never pulled my credit. It was just an instant denial because even though my two cards are closed, they still have balances...so it counts as 3 cards (they allow a max of 3). They explained I can reapply once one of my closed cards is paid in full.
Good news, my secured card finally graduated. I got a small increase so my new limit is $2000. Overall, I’m satisfied.
