SAN DIEGO -- El Cajon resident Debbie Berger was shocked when she was denied a credit increase from American Express.

"I was floored, flabbergasted. I have very good credit. My FICO score is 784. I have never missed a payment, and I pay off my American Express monthly," said Berger.

When she received an offer in the mail for 1.9 percent APR on one of her American Express cards, Berger jumped at the chance to consolidate her debt onto one card.

However, when she called to request a credit limit increase on her card, she was shocked at what she was told.

"The person that I was speaking to said, 'We're declining you because your mortgage is with Bank of America,'" said Berger.

Berger said the American Express representative explained Bank of America mortgage clients had a history of defaults and foreclosures.

Berger said that has nothing to do with her.

"I have never missed a mortgage payment -- ever. And my history with Bank of American is just excellent. I think whether I get credit or not should be based on my history, not the history of my mortgage company," said Berger.

American Express said Bank of America is not the problem and that their decisions are primarily based on a cardholder's overall debt level relative to their financial resources.

An American Express representative told 10News: "If we reference a credit risk associated with a mortgage loan, it refers to the service of a loan being from a sub-prime lender."

Berger said she doesn't have a subprime loan and feels her credit history and FICO score speak for themselves.

This is not the first time American Express has been accused of profiling.

Atlanta resident Kevin Johnson said he had his credit limit cut by American Express.

He was told in writing that his credit was being cut because "Other customers who have used their card at establishments where you recently shopped have poor repayment history with American Express."

Johnson has since created a Web site called newcreditrules.com, where he posts news about the credit card industry.

He said he has received thousands of e-mails from people like Berger, who share the same story of consumer profiling.

Only one state, Maryland, has introduced legislation aimed at stopping consumer profiling.

There is talk of introducing similar legislation on a federal level to prevent companies from using where a customer shops or the company with which he or she has a mortgage to adjust contract terms.