Consumer complaint received 2019-09-13
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I am submitting this complaint directly to you because CFPB has direct oversight over the Credit Reporting Agencies. XXXX, XXXX, and Equifax have allowed a charged-off account scheduled for automatic removal XX/XX/XXXXXXXX to remain on my credit report past the 7-year deadline governed by FCRA 605. XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  unlawfully re-aged this charged-off account # XXXXxxxx to estimated month and year of XX/XX/XXXX. 
This debt is from my XXXX XXXX XXXX Credit Card Number XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, opened XXXX, expiration date XX/XX/XXXX. The charged-off and closed date of the account is documented on my credit report as XX/XX/XXXX. I am aware that XXXX as the original creditor does not appear once the account is charged-off and closed because the debt was sold to a collection agency. XXXX XXXX XXXX is the new debt owner. I made some payments to XXXX. This payment activity does not constitute a new debt and change the original charge-off date by the original lender. It is incontestably a continuation of the original debt. Federal law requires collection agencies to carry over the original delinquency date so that any collection account is deleted at the same time of the 7-year period charged-off account. It is a violation of law for a collection agency to report and treat a charged-off and closed account as newer. XXXX added a second charge off date of XX/XX/XXXX to make the charge-off appear more recent. In XXXX, I disputed this information with XXXX  via phone, stating XXXX intentional re-aging this account and referred to the original creditors charged-off date of XX/XX/XXXX listed on my credit report. XXXX contacted XXXX and XXXX verified the information. I made an additional call back to XXXX to rebut the verified information and again referred to the original charge-off date of XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX advised me that only the creditor could remove this from my report. FCRA 605 holds the Credit Reporting Agencies and the creditors responsible for complying with the law, but that law has been defiled. I do not intend to engage more of my time with the other two reporting agencies while my credit report continues to be damaged, knowing my efforts would generate the same result as with Transunion. I do not intend to engage any time with XXXX XXXX XXXX   because of the they have recertified outright deceptive information as of XX/XX/XXXX. Further, XXXX XXXX   XXXX is reporting a second charged off date of XX/XX/XXXX. This malicious, illegal reporting has caused me immeasurable injury. 

American consumers deserve to be protected by the FCRA 605 law, and should not have to deal with the irresponsible reporting concomitant with automatic removal of charged-off and closed accounts. Creditors should be prohibited from submitting re-aged information to the CRAs that extends the 7-year period. Per FCRA 605. Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports [ 15 U.S.C. 1681c ] ( a ) Information excluded from consumer reports. Except as authorized under subsection ( b ) of this section, no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information : ( 4 ) Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. ( c ) Running of Reporting Period ( 1 ) In general.The 7-year period referred to in paragraphs ( 4 ) and ( 6 ) of subsection ( a ) shall begin, with respect to any delinquent account that is placed for collection ( internally or by referral to a third party, whichever is earlier ), charged to profit and loss, or subjected to any similar action, upon the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the commencement of the delinquency which immediately preceded the collection activity, charge to profit and loss, or similar action.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation