Unnecessary 7 year sentence!

I have banked with Absa since 1995, with all my salaries being paid into this bank ever since. This week, after applying for a credit card online - with no update from their credit card department after 3 days of applying - i had to take an initiative to call them myself for an update. Finally they told me they declined my application due to a Cheque account that went to their Collections Department 7 years ago - even though that account was paid off and paid up letter issued 7 years ago, but i am still being sentenced by the same bank not to get any credit card after 7 long years of settling the account, and 22 years of loyalty - which means nothing to them i guess. No one has even bothered to call and ask me if the account has been paid or not and if i have a settlement letter or not, they just decline and don't even notify the client. What's the use of being loyal to a bank that doesn't care about the long serving customer?