Consumer complaint received 2025-01-20 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
SYNOPSIS ISSUE : On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX  XXXX ( XXXX ) reported to the credit bureaus that myself and my husband were over 120 days late on a mortgage payment. However, despite multiple requests beginning XX/XX/XXXX ( 22 months ago ) for XXXX to prove they have such a mortgage for us, they have never provided documentation which includes our signature to validate their claims. The documentation they have provided includes a fake squiggle for one of our signatures and something that appears like a typed signature for the other. They allege they are servicing a valid mortgage under our name for {>= $1,000,000} or {>= $1,000,000} or {>= $1,000,000}. Depending on the credit bureau details, the amount they allege varies. 
Due to XXXX 's report to the credit bureaus, our credit reports each reflect mortgage payments which are more than 120 days past due, with a late payment beginning XX/XX/XXXX ( 10 months ago ). This resulted in a credit score decrease from XXXX to XXXX for myself and XXXX to XXXX for my husband. 

PREVIOUS REPORT TO CFPB This was reported to CFPB via USPS Certified Mail with the request for CFPB to intercede and assist, since XXXX had not responded with a valid agreement. This included the complaint and evidentiary documentation. The CFPB report was USPS Article # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and was signed by XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX at CFPB, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
A copy of the complaint was also provided to XXXX with USPS Article # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and was signed for by XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, FL XXXXA second copy of the complaint was provided to Nevada Consumer Affairs with USPS Article # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and was signed for by XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, NV XXXX. 

Since we have not received any response from XXXX or the CFPB since filing our complaints in XX/XX/XXXX, this is a follow-up request. 

REFUSAL OF ELECTRONIC FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS WITH REQUEST FOR ALL MORTGAGE DOCUMENTATION TO BE MAILED, NOT ELECTRONIC SINCE XXXX It is relevant, overall, that we have always requested to receive documentation via mail and have not approved electronic mail from XXXX or any other mortgage company. This is because our experience with XXXX in XXXX resulted in countless denials of receipt of messages which were electronically sent, so we have not authorized any electronic communications since then about finances. 

DETAILED EVENTS On XX/XX/XXXX we received a letter from XXXX XXXX  XXXX ( XXXX ) stating that they were taking over a mortgage from XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX  ). We immediately requested proof of this takeover, because we had a previous mortgage with XXXX which resulted in both ( 1 ) a previous complaint filing to CFPB which they never responded to ( ID # XXXX ), and ( 2 ) a Texas class action lawsuit we qualified for, regarding excess and fraudulent fees being applied as a matter of XXXX business XXXX that XXXX lost and had to pay fines. We lack confidence in anything XXXX does as a matter of business given our previous experience, and their lack of historical response or action. 

We called immediately on XX/XX/XXXX out of concern that this was fraud, and requested a copy of a signed mortgage, with our signature, to be provided as proof of this. We were advised that XXXX would provide us the documentation and would also activate a forbearance through XX/XX/XXXX to provide time to resolve any outstanding questions. Despite our request to have documentation mailed to us as stated in any and all financial agreements we have, XXXX refused to do so. XXXX emailed documentation on XX/XX/XXXX which did not include any evidence of a signed mortgage agreement. At each of XXXX and XXXX PT on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX sent us an email with the same subject line of " Document Request '' and an attachment of a single monthly statement image from a different mortgage company. XXXX was unable to explain how this was supposed to prove they had a valid mortgage servicing agreement for a loan under our name. 
Following additional phonecalls and letters to XXXX repeating the request for documentation with our signatures to prove they had a loan in our name, XXXX sent us a letter on XX/XX/XXXX stating " We have received your notice of error/request for information and are reviewing the information you have provided. Please allow up to 30 days ( excluding legal public holidays, XXXX, and Sundays ) for a response. We appreciate your patience while we conduct this research on your account. '' However, we did not receive any additional documentation. Rather, the next letter we received from XXXX, dated XX/XX/XXXX states " We have assigned a single point of contact on your loan that is available to assist in your current mortgage needs. ". They did not provide any documentation proving there is a mortgage to service. 

Because we failed to hear anything from XXXX, we believed the issue was resolved and XXXX had corrected their error and removed our name from their files. We did not receive any mail, phone calls or credit bureau updates until receiving an automated voicemail in XX/XX/XXXX ( 14 months after receiving the letter from XXXX that they would respond in 30 days ) which stated that it was time to plan the forbearance plan exit. 

As a point of clarification, the XXXX suggestion to add a forbearance was to provide XXXX time to resolve the situation by XX/XX/XXXX. This was XX/XX/XXXX, 10 months after the forbearance was to expire. 

We sent a letter including XXXX pages of evidence to prove our assertions ( emails, copies of letters ) in XX/XX/XXXX to each of XXXX, CFPB and Nevada Consumer Affairs. These were sent via USPS Certified Mail to remove any option to deny receipt. We have all signed receipt cards dated XX/XX/XXXX for XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX for CFPB and XX/XX/XXXX for Nevada Consumer Affairs. In this letter, we requested, once again, that XXXX provide us with signed proof of an active mortgage with them, because we have not had a mortgage with XXXX since selling a prior house in XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, we received a letter from XXXX stating " We have received your correspondence and appreciate your patience while we review your inquiry. We will provide a written response upon completion of our review. '' However, that was the last piece of correspondence we have been sent from XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, we received an alert from XXXX XXXX, credit monitoring service, that XXXX reported 10 late payments which are now more than 120 days past due. The amounts alleged vary between {>= $1,000,000} and {>= $1,000,000} and {>= $1,000,000} depending on the bureau and the screen in XXXX XXXX. This report dropped our credit scores from XXXX and XXXX to XXXX and XXXX, respectively. 

REQUEST FOR ACTION Since we have had XXXX rounds of written request for proof of loan, including our first outreach within 30 days of notice from XXXX that they took over our loan, plus countless phone calls, we request that CFPB force XXXX to remove any and all assertions that they have a mortgage for us, including the reports to the credit bureaus. XXXX has twice acknowledged, in writing, receipt of our request for proof. However, each time they committed to provide a followup with the requested proof and never did. 
This appears to be fraud, similarly to XXXX 's application of excess fees to mortgages- including our own - back in the XXXX. We further request CFPB review this situation and apply appropriate penalties to XXXX for this type of predatory, unproven assertion that they have a loan which they can not prove exists.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation