Compelled to respond

[jnydc]

Are CCC compelled to respond to an app in a certain amount of time?

I app'd GEMB on for their Banana Republic product 10/15, regretted it because I am rebuilding and don't think I need it if it will be a low limit card, but got a message that they needed more time to review my app.

Fast forward to 11/1, I called them and while at first the CSR couldn't find my app...I assured her that I had, and the date of the hard pull on my CR and she found it somewhere but said that they were still processing the app and I should find out soon.

Well we are now nearly done with November (11/25) and I have sill not heard one thing from GEMB.  What gives?  Has anyone else ever had such an experience.  Should I just let it go, should I contest the hard pull?

[Anonymous]

No, there's no deadline that compels a card issuer to reply within a certain timeframe. However, if they deny you, they do have to provide you with the denial reasons, and the name of the CRA that they used (if they used information from your credit report to deny you). So, as long as they're still "considering", I think you're stuck...

Honestly, it sounds to me as though your application may have gotten lost or something. I've never heard of GEMB taking so long for an approval. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen-- I've just never heard of it. Strange.

I'm thinking that you might try contacting the GEMB Corporate HQ and asking them (nicely) to recode the hard INQ as a soft INQ given that your application was lost and that you'd like to move forward with other applications without a wasted hard INQ. I think that would either a) inspire them to get a decision to you immediately, or b) do what you ask if they have no evidence of an application.