Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account information incorrect
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
XXXX  and Equifax are both reporting a late payment associated with XXXX ( Account XXXX. XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ), dated XX/XX/year> * *, despite the fact that this account is clearly marked as Paid & Closed with a XXXX Balance and XXXX Past Due. This is not just a minor reporting errorit is a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and a blatant failure of both credit bureaus to uphold their federally mandated responsibility to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of consumer credit information. 

The XXXX tradeline at issue is not an open, delinquent, or unresolved debt. It has been paid in full. It is closed. There is no balance, no open obligation, and no delinquencyyet both XXXX  and Equifax continue to attach a derogatory late payment notation to it. That late payment is damaging, misleading, and completely unjustifiable in light of the current status of the account. There is no legitimate basis under the law for a consumer to be punished by outdated derogatory data on an account that no longer carries any risk or unpaid liability. 

According to 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer reporting agencies are required to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information they report. Reporting a late payment on an account that is fully paid, closed, and reflects a XXXX balance is not only inaccurateit is reckless. It reflects either a complete lack of verification with the data furnisher or a negligent internal system that allows outdated derogatory data to persist even after an account has been resolved. Whether due to systemic failure, database mismatch, or reporting latency, the continued presence of a late payment on this closed account violates the fundamental principle of credit reporting : fairness based on factual and current information. 

I disputed this late payment directly with both XXXX  and Equifax. I provided a clear explanation that the account was satisfied in full, showed no remaining balance, and should not carry any derogatory remarks. In return, I received an empty, formulaic response stating that the information had been verifiedyet no documentation was provided to support that conclusion. There were no billing statements. No account history logs. No communication from XXXX. Just a hollow one-line verification response, which clearly indicates that no meaningful reinvestigation was conducted. This is a direct violation of 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ), which requires both XXXX  and Equifax to conduct a timely and reasonable reinvestigation of any item a consumer disputes. Without documentation or any substantiating data from the original creditor, a mere affirmation of accuracy does not fulfill the legal standard of reasonable. 

The presence of this inaccurate derogatory remark is harming me in very real and ongoing ways. Ive faced multiple credit denials, inflated interest rate offers, and excessive scrutiny from lenders who see this late payment and assume risk that simply does not exist. Ive had to delay financial decisions, miss out on favorable terms, and waste hours trying to explain that this is not an open or unpaid debt. It is deeply frustrating and emotionally draining to be penalized for an account that I responsibly closed and paid off. This is not a reflection of riskthis is a reflection of failure by the very agencies entrusted to protect consumers from misinformation. 

The worst part is that this is not the result of my actions, but the failure of XXXX  and Equifax to cleanse their files of obsolete or unsupported data. This derogatory mark continues to linger not because it is valid, but because both bureaus are content to ignore their duty under the law to verify disputed information before damaging a consumers financial credibility.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief