Consumer complaint received 2024-02-09 00:00:00
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.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
per the FCRA as a federally protected consumer, I am now opting out of any & all authorization i the consumer may have given written, unwritten, verbal & non verbal per 15 USC 6802 Obligations with respect to disclosures of personal information, 313.7 Form of opt out notice to consumers ; opt out methods, with said company U.S. Department of Education ( ED XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Nelnet ) with regards to furnishing my account data to the consumer reporting agencies. 


15 U.S. Code 1681b - Permissible purposes of consumer reports ( a ) In general Subject to subsection ( c ), any consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report under the following circumstances and no other : ( 1 ) In response to the order of a court having jurisdiction to issue such an order, a subpoena issued in connection with proceedings before a Federal grand jury, or a subpoena issued in accordance with section 5318 of title 31 or section 3486 of title 18.

( 2 ) In accordance with the written instructions of the consumer to whom it relates.

( 3 ) To a person which it has reason to believe ( A ) intends to use the information in connection with a credit transaction involving the consumer on whom the information is to be furnished and involving the extension of credit to, or review or collection of an account of, the consumer ; or ( B ) intends to use the information for employment purposes ; or ( C ) intends to use the information in connection with the underwriting of insurance involving the consumer ; or ( D ) intends to use the information in connection with a determination of the consumers eligibility for a license or other benefit granted by a governmental instrumentality required by law to consider an applicants financial responsibility or status ; or ( XXXX ) intends to use the information, as a potential investor or servicer, or current insurer, in connection with a valuation of, or an assessment of the credit or prepayment risks associated with, an existing credit obligation ; or ( F ) otherwise has a legitimate business need for the information ( i ) in connection with a business transaction that is initiated by the consumer ; or ( ii ) to review an account to determine whether the consumer continues to meet the terms of the account.

( G ) executive departments and agencies in connection with the issuance of government-sponsored individually-billed travel charge cards.

( 4 ) In response to a request by the head of a State or local child support enforcement agency ( or a State or local government official authorized by the head of such an agency ), if the person making the request certifies to the consumer reporting agency that ( A ) the consumer report is needed for the purpose of establishing an individuals capacity to make child support payments, determining the appropriate level of such payments, or enforcing a child support order, award, agreement, or judgment ; ( B ) the parentage of the consumer for the child to which the obligation relates has been established or acknowledged by the consumer in accordance with State laws under which the obligation arises ( if required by those laws ) ; and ( C ) the consumer report will be kept confidential, will be used solely for a purpose described in subparagraph ( A ), and will not be used in connection with any other civil, administrative, or criminal proceeding, or for any other purpose.

( 5 ) To an agency administering a State plan under section 654 of title 42 for use to set an initial or modified child support award.

( 6 ) To the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX as part of its preparation for its appointment or as part of its exercise of powers, as conservator, receiver, or liquidating agent for an insured depository institution or insured credit union under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act [ 12 U.S.C. 1811 et seq. ] or the Federal Credit Union Act [ 12 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. ], or other applicable Federal or State law, or in connection with the resolution or liquidation of a failed or failing insured depository institution or insured credit union, as applicable.

( e ) Election of consumer to be excluded from lists ( 1 ) In general A consumer may elect to have the consumers name and address excluded from any list provided by a consumer reporting agency under subsection ( c ) ( 1 ) ( B ) in connection with a credit or insurance transaction that is not initiated by the consumer, by notifying the agency in accordance with paragraph ( 2 ) that the consumer does not consent to any use of a consumer report relating to the consumer in connection with any credit or insurance transaction that is not initiated by the consumer.

( 3 ) Response of agency after notification through system Upon receipt of notification of the election of a consumer under paragraph ( 1 ) through the notification system maintained by the agency under paragraph ( 5 ), a consumer reporting agency shall ( A ) inform the consumer that the election is effective only for the 5-year period following the election if the consumer does not submit to the agency a signed notice of election form issued by the agency for purposes of paragraph ( 2 ) ( B ) ; and ( B ) provide to the consumer a notice of election form, if requested by the consumer, not later than 5 business days after receipt of the notification of the election through the system established under paragraph ( 5 ), in the case of a request made at the time the consumer provides notification through the system.

pursuant the said U.S. Code & CFR codes U.S. Department of Education ( ED XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Nelnet ) is clearly violating my consumer right to privacy & to OPT OUT per 16 CFR 313.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers ; opt out methods.

313.7 Form of opt out notice to consumers ; opt out methods.

( a ) ( 1 ) Form of opt out notice. If you are required to provide an opt out notice under 313.10 ( a ), you must provide a clear and conspicuous notice to each of your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice must state : ( i ) That you disclose or reserve the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party ; ( ii ) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and ( iii ) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right.

( 2 ) Examples ( i ) Adequate opt out notice. You provide adequate notice that the consumer can opt out of the disclosure of nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party if you : ( A ) Identify all of the categories of nonpublic personal information that you disclose or reserve the right to disclose, and all of the categories of nonaffiliated third parties to which you disclose the information, as described in 313.6 ( a ) ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) and state that the consumer can opt out of the disclosure of that information; and ( B ) Identify the financial products or services that the consumer obtains from you, either singly or jointly, to which the opt out direction would apply.

( ii ) Reasonable opt out means. You provide a reasonable means to exercise an opt out right if you : ( A ) Designate check-off boxes in a prominent position on the relevant forms with the opt out notice ; ( B ) Include a reply form that includes the address to which the form should be mailed ; or ( C ) Provide an electronic means to opt out, such as a form that can be sent via electronic mail or a process at your web site, if the consumer agrees to the electronic delivery of information ; or ( D ) Provide a toll-free telephone number that consumers may call to opt out.

( iii ) Unreasonable opt out means. You do not provide a reasonable means of opting out if : ( A ) The only means of opting out is for the consumer to write his or her own letter to exercise that opt out right; or ( B ) The only means of opting out as described in any notice subsequent to the initial notice is to use a check-off box that you provided with the initial notice but did not include with the subsequent notice.

( iv ) Specific opt out means. You may require each consumer to opt out through a specific means, as long as that means is reasonable for that consumer.

( b ) Same form as initial notice permitted. You may provide the opt out notice together with or on the same written or electronic form as the initial notice you provide in accordance with 313.4.

( c ) Initial notice required when opt out notice delivered subsequent to initial notice. If you provide the opt out notice later than required for the initial notice in accordance with 313.4, you must also include a copy of the initial notice with the opt out notice in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically.

( d ) Joint relationships.

( 1 ) If two or more consumers jointly obtain a financial product or service from you, you may provide a single opt out notice, unless one or more of those consumers requests a separate opt out notice. Your opt out notice must explain how you will treat an opt out direction by a joint consumer ( as explained in paragraph ( d ) ( 5 ) ( ii ) of this section ).

( 2 ) Any of the joint consumers may exercise the right to opt out. You may either : ( i ) Treat an opt out direction by a joint consumer as applying to all of the associated joint consumers; or ( ii ) Permit each joint consumer to opt out separately.

( 3 ) If you permit each joint consumer to opt out separately, you must permit one of the joint consumers to opt out on behalf of all of the joint consumers.

( 4 ) You may not require all joint consumers to opt out before you implement any opt out direction. 

( XXXX ) XXXX. If XXXX and XXXX have a joint credit card account with you and arrange for you to send statements to XXXX 's address, you XXXX do any of the following, but you must explain in your opt out notice which opt out policy you will follow : ( i ) Send a single opt out notice to XXXX 's address, but you must accept an opt out direction from either XXXX or XXXX. 

( ii ) Treat an opt out direction by either XXXX or XXXX as applying to the entire account. If you do so, and XXXX opts out, you XXXX not require XXXX to opt out as well before implementing XXXX 's opt out direction. 

( iii ) XXXX XXXX and XXXX to make different opt out directions. If you do so, ( A ) You must permit XXXX and XXXX to opt out for each other; ( B ) If both opt out, you must permit both to notify you in a single response ( such as on a form or through a telephone call ) ; and ( C ) If XXXX opts out and XXXX does not, you XXXX only disclose nonpublic personal information about XXXX, but not about XXXX and not about XXXX and XXXX jointly. 

( e ) Time to comply with opt out. You must comply with a consumer 's opt out direction as soon as reasonably practicable after you receive it.

( f ) Continuing right to opt out. A consumer may exercise the right to opt out at any time.

( g ) Duration of consumer 's opt out direction.

( 1 ) A consumer 's direction to opt out under this section is effective until the consumer revokes it in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically.

( 2 ) When a customer relationship terminates, the customer 's opt out direction continues to apply to the nonpublic personal information that you collected during or related to that relationship. If the individual subsequently establishes a new customer relationship with you, the opt out direction that applied to the former relationship does not apply to the new relationship.

( h ) Delivery. When you are required to deliver an opt out notice by this section, you must deliver it according to 313.9.

( i ) Model privacy form. Pursuant to 313.2 ( a ) of this part, a model privacy form that meets the notice content requirements of this section is included in appendix A of this part.

Lastly, In accordance with the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, it has come to light that U.S. Department of Education ( ED ) XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Nelnet ) has not appropriately credited my with dividend payments and interest derived from my Treasury Coupons for certificates of indebtedness. Per 15 U.S. Code 1666d. Treatment of credit balances Whenever a credit balance in excess of {$1.00} is created in connection with a consumer credit transaction through ( 1 ) transmittal of funds to a creditor in excess of the total balance due on an account, ( 2 ) rebates of unearned finance charges or insurance premiums, or ( 3 ) amounts otherwise owed to or held for the benefit of an obligor, the creditor shall ( A ) credit the amount of the credit balance to the consumer 's account ; ( B ) refund any part of the amount of the remaining credit balance, upon request of the consumer ; and ( C ) make a good faith effort to refund to the consumer by cash, check, or money order any part of the amount of the credit balance remaining in the account for more than six months, except that no further action is required in any case in which the consumer 's current location is not known by the creditor and can not be traced through the consumer 's last known address or telephone number.

Further...

12 CFR 1026.13 - Billing error resolution.

( 2 ) Adverse credit reports prohibited. The creditor or its agent shall not ( directly or indirectly ) make or threaten to make an adverse report to any person about the consumer 's credit standing, or report that an amount or account is delinquent, because the consumer failed to pay the disputed amount or related finance or other charges.

( 3 ) Acceleration of debt and restriction of account prohibited. A creditor shall not accelerate any part of the consumer 's indebtedness or restrict or close a consumer 's account solely because the consumer has exercised in good faith rights provided by this section. A creditor may be subject to the forfeiture penalty under 15 U.S.C. 1666 ( e ) for failure to comply with any of the requirements of this section.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation