Consumer complaint received 2025-07-25 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: IL

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Illinois, XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX To : Experian, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, TX XXXX Subject : Formal Dispute of Charged-Off Account and Demand for Removal Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) To Whom It May Concern : This letter serves as a formal dispute under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq., regarding a charged-off account currently appearing on my consumer report. The continued reporting of this account violates multiple provisions of federal law and is causing substantial and unjust harm to my financial standing and credit reputation. 

Account Details XXXX XXXX XXXX Account Number : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Date of First Delinquency : XX/XX/XXXX Type of Error / Basis for Dispute : Inaccurate balance Incorrect payment history No permissible purpose Account sold but still reporting Legal Basis for Dispute and Demand for Deletion Under FCRA 1681c ( a ) ( 4 ), adverse information such as a charge-off may not be reported beyond seven years from the date of the first delinquency leading to the charge-off. If the item exceeds that limit, its continued publication is unlawful and must be removed immediately.

In addition, FCRA 1681e ( b ) requires that consumer reporting agencies maintain maximum possible accuracy in all data reported. If any information regarding this charged-off account is inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable, it must be corrected or deleted without delay.

Furthermore, under FCRA 1681i ( a ), you are required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation upon receiving notice of a dispute. I demand that you initiate a full reinvestigation and provide written verification from the original furnisher, not merely rely on automated systems such as XXXX 

In XXXX XXXX TransUnion XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Cir. XXXX ), the court affirmed that CRAs have a non-delegable duty to perform reasonable investigations when a consumer disputes an item. Failing to do so constitutes negligent or willful noncompliance, actionable under 15 U.S.C. 1681n and 1681o.

My Demands I hereby demand the following within 15 calendar days of receipt of this letter : Immediate deletion of the disputed charged-off account from my consumer file.

A full summary of your reinvestigation procedures and results.

Written confirmation that the item has been permanently removed, or a detailed explanation of your decision, including documentation from the data furnisher used to verify the account.

If you are unable to verify this account with original, documented evidence, you are legally obligated to remove it from my report.

Notice of Intent If you fail to comply, I will file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ), and I reserve the right to initiate civil litigation under the FCRA. This includes seeking actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, and attorneys fees for willful and/or negligent noncompliance.

Govern yourselves accordingly. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX Last Four Digits of SSN : XXXX Date of Birth : XX/XX/XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief