Consumer complaint received 2021-03-15
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: MI
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: Was not notified of investigation status or results

Complaint:
I have had a recent drop in my credit score which I believe to be due to information changes made by XXXX XXXX that aren't warranted. I pay off my credit card balances before the end of each period and do not expect to see a change for this type of activity and understand that not all credit reporting bureaus reward you for this. My concern is that XXXX XXXX is continuing to provide information that has a punitive result while I am paying an amount off in collections. My other two accounts with them are in good standing. On XX/XX/XXXX Equifax dropped my credit score and while communicating with Equifax their agents had explained that any inquiries about information on my credit file had to be addressed directly with the creditor. During my investigation I came across data on my credit file with XXXX XXXX that prompted me to contact the company directly. An associate of XXXX XXXX advised that XXXX XXXX had entered a request to have my credit file deleted regarding the account ending XXXX. I have not requested any of my account history to be deleted from my credit file. Removal of credit history from my credit file would harm my credit score greatly. There is a note on my Equifax account that recent activity includes missed payments being removed from my XXXX XXXX Accounts. Also, the account ending XXXX did not seem to be calculated in my XX/XX/XXXX score. The card ending XXXX defaulted due to non-payment and was paid in full last summer : however the status remains open and the card is restricted. As far as I know the restriction status is not being reported to the bureaus. According to XXXX XXXX I can keep this account open until I contact them to close out the account. Understanding that this would hurt my credit score I have opted to leave the account open for now. On XX/XX/XXXX Equifax made comment on their website that my eldest credit card was less than a year : which is true only if account ending XXXX is not counted. I did enter a dispute with Equifax on XX/XX/XXXX and the resolution was found on XX/XX/XXXX. After calling XXXX XXXX, information was provided by the XXXX XXXX Agent on how to submit my dispute ( letter is attached ). My dispute only mentions the account in need of correction as far as I could tell at that time, which was XXXX due to the last date of reporting. The response from XXXX XXXX from my my previous dispute mentions that there was no reporting of this account as late. It mentions one of multiple calls on XX/XX/XXXX where I was misquoted as stating that XXXX XXXX is not reporting my account : when indeed the calls were about the lack of payment history for the account in collections. I was later made aware the account in collections will reflect paid in full and not to expect an update in monthly payments on my credit file. At the time of my initial complaint Equifax was missing this information on the visible page, but did indeed have record of the account, which is how I was able to present a dispute with them internally. A copy of my Equifax Credit Report for the XXXX account dated XX/XX/XXXX is attached. Data can be used to tell an accurate story and paint a picture to yield an outcome : the credit score is not just a calculation. The weights and measures are based on how the information is reported as well. My credit score has dropped 25 points and a review of all changes suggests the following ; the report of late payments stopped with XXXX  when XXXX XXXX stopped reporting which was in XX/XX/XXXX. Late payment history has not been removed preventing potential lenders from viewing my true Risks, and notes regarding the re-opened dispute. In addition, Equifax deducts points from your credit file when a dispute is sent through to them from the creditor. I have seen this before on my husband 's account. As of XX/XX/XXXX XXXX  XXXX added these notes " CONSUMER DISPUTES REINVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS. '' I have not received any communication from XXXX XXXX regarding the investigation being re-opened yet these notes were placed on my credit file. The account ending XXXXis closed with a written off balance. I have made payments as agreed since entering into a collections agreement. The last report of a balance was on XX/XX/XXXX showing a balance less than the debt at the time collections started. The original balance of the account was {$1900.00}. All other notes to my credit file on XX/XX/XXXX. were reports of being paid as agreed or positive. My score has dropped 25 points and XXXX XXXX  XXXX  activities are the only possible negative interactions. I have provided PDF 's of the other activity reported on the same date as well. 

Prior Consumer Case : CFPB Case : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Case :

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation