Amex FR - GIANT PAIN...but made it through.

[UncleB]

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@Remedios wrote:
Ok, can someone explain to Amexless person how is this FR, when tax documents were not requested?
Please delineate FR vs. IV for me


OP, sorry you had to deal with this

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It's a FR (Financial Review) since they locked the accounts/prevented new charges until he complied with their requirements, which are usually but not always tax documents. 

IV (income verification) is also usually tax documents (4506-T), but it can be ignored without anything bad happening (you probably won't get the CLI, of course).

If a FR is ignored (whatever the requirements, tax documents or otherwise) the accounts are often closed.

[Remedios]

Thank you @UncleB

[CreditInspired]

Thanks @remedios for asking the question. I was confused too.

And thanks @uncleb for a straightforward, concise answer.

Greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

No idea why the tax documents weren't requested... Maybe because of the shutdown? Or it being around tax season? Possibly just because some random reason we'll never know. I have a feeling the fact it was an authorized user (not me) and that it was flagged for a reason other than inability to pay or unusual spending that triggered it also played into it.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
No idea why the tax documents weren't requested... Maybe because of the shutdown? Or it being around tax season? Possibly just because some random reason we'll never know. I have a feeling the fact it was an authorized user (not me) and that it was flagged for a reason other than inability to pay or unusual spending that triggered it also played into it.

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You kept your cool and handled it well! Sure paid for you to stay the course and check in to ensure the matter didn't get lost in their system or some black hole in Amex! Seems to me you were well interrogated and tried very hard to be compliant . This AU thing seems to occur from reading other forum posts. Sometimes I get confused, some of my lenders even offer incentives to sign AUs to my accounts ... yet, I read on and see the havoc it may cause (will leave the sleeping dog lay)

[longtimelurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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Sometimes I get confused, some of my lenders even offer incentives to sign AUs to my accounts ... yet, I read on and see the havoc it may cause (will leave the sleeping dog lay)

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Well, this is like anything else credit related.   Signing up AUs will hopefully cause more overall usage, generating swipe fees.   Pay bills with your card, same thing.    And everything is rosy until the issuer decides that after all, they don't like what you are doing!