Consumer complaint received 2024-06-11
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (TX)

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, IA XXXX Subject : Formal Complaint and Request for Expedited Investigation : FCRA Violations by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and Credit Reporting Agencies Dear CFPB , I am writing to formally dispute the inaccurate and unfair reporting of my credit information by XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and the associated credit reporting agencies ( XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX XXXX. Despite my diligent efforts to resolve these issues directly with the parties involved over the past year and a half, the inaccuracies remain unresolved, causing significant harm to my creditworthiness and financial stability. 

# # Background and Disputed Accounts XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Account XXXX Account Number : XXXX ) - **Original Creditor : ** XXXX XXXX Bank - XXXXCurrent Ownership XXXX XXXX Initially managed by XXXX XXXX XXXX subsequently transferred to XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and now erroneously reopened by XXXX XXXX XXXX despite prior dispute resolution XXXX 
- **Account Status : ** Closed, {$3900.00} written off. 
- **Key Issues : ** Multiple charge-off listings, inconsistent reporting dates, and failure to properly investigate disputes. 

# # # XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX Account ( Account Number : XXXX ) - **Original Creditor : ** XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXStatus XXXX ** Account information disputed by consumer, claimed to meet FCRA requirements. 
- **Key Issues : ** Reappearance of previously deleted information, inaccurate reporting, and inconsistent data. 

XXXX XXXX Specific Violations XXXX. **Reappearance of Previously Deleted Information** - **Violation : ** FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. **Failure to Properly Investigate Disputes** - **Violation : ** FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation.

3. **Reporting Inaccurate Information** - **Violation : ** FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. **Failure to Mark Account as Disputed** - **Violation : ** FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 3 ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 3 ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. **Reinsertion of Deleted Information Without Notification** - **Violation : ** FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. **Multiple Listings of the Same Account** - **Violation : ** FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ) - **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. XXXX*Inconsistent and Conflicting Charge-Off Dates** - **Violation : ** Inaccurate and inconsistent reporting of charge-off dates across different credit reports. 
- **Relevant Law : ** FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) and FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ). 
- **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

XXXX. XXXX*Multiple Charge-Off Listings and Inaccurate Balance Reporting** - **Violation : ** Reporting a closed account with a charge-off multiple times and inaccurately reflecting the balance. 
- **Relevant Law : ** FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ). 
- **Potential Compensation : ** Up to {$1000.00} per violation. 

# # Total Requested Compensation - **Statutory Damages : ** {$8000.00} - **Actual Damages ( Emotional distress, lost opportunities, financial hardship ) : ** {$100000.00} - **Punitive Damages : ** {$100000.00} **Total Potential Compensation : ** Approximately {$200000.00} # # Supporting Case Precedents XXXX. **XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) : ** The court awarded damages for reappearance of previously deleted information and failure to notify the consumer. Total compensation was approximately {$100000.00}. 

XXXX. **XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) : ** The court ruled in favor of the consumer for failure to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, awarding {$10000.00}. 

XXXX. **XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) : ** The court awarded statutory damages and punitive damages for reporting inaccurate information, totaling approximately {$50000.00}. 

# # Request for Expedited Investigation Given the ongoing harm caused by these inaccuracies, I request an expedited investigation by the CFPB. Under **FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ** and ** 623 ( b ) **, credit reporting agencies and furnishers are required to investigate consumer disputes and report the results within 30 days. Despite this, my disputes have not been resolved within the permissible timeframe. 

# # Relevant FCRA Violations XXXX. **Failure to Reinvestigate Disputed Information within Required Timeframe** - Violation of **FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) **. 

XXXX. **Failure to Notify Furnishers of the Dispute** - Violation of **FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 2 ) **. 

XXXX. **Failure of Furnishers to Investigate the Disputed Information** - Violation of **FCRA XXXX ( b ) **. 

XXXX. **Failure to Provide Timely Notice of Results of Reinvestigation** - Violation of **FCRA XXXX ( a ) ( XXXX ) **. 

# # Request for Relief Given the severity of these violations and the substantial impact on my financial well-being and employment opportunities, I request the CFPB to : XXXX. Investigate these practices thoroughly and ensure the immediate deletion of the inaccurate information from all my credit reports. 
XXXX. Award statutory damages of {$1000.00} per violation. 
XXXX. Award actual damages for emotional distress, lost work opportunities, and financial hardship amounting to {$100000.00}. 
XXXX. Award punitive damages to deter future noncompliance, amounting to {$100000.00}. 

The ongoing inaccuracies on my credit report have caused significant financial harm, hampering my ability to secure essential financing and transportation. This has notably affected my ability to travel to necessary work locations, such as festivals for my employment with a beef jerky company, directly resulting in missed job opportunities. 

# # Enclosures XXXX. **Copies of Credit Reports Highlighting Discrepancies** - This includes reports from XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX showing XXXX and inaccurate data. 
XXXX. **Previous Dispute Correspondences with XXXX and Other Credit Bureaus** - Documentation of my diligent efforts to resolve this issue. 
XXXX. XXXX*A Comparative Analysis Showing Discrepancies Across Different Reports** - Highlighting inconsistencies in reporting dates, charge-off listings, and account statuses. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Your assistance is crucial in rectifying these injustices and restoring my financial integrity. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX