Consumer complaint received 2025-09-25 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint with the CFPB regarding Equifax ( the consumer reporting agency ) and the following furnishers for violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically 15 U.S.C. 1681s2 ( a ) ( 7 ) ( notice of negative information ) : Furnishers : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). 

Factual Background Under FCRA 1681s2 ( a ) ( 7 ), a financial institution that reports negative information ( e.g. delinquencies, defaults, late payments ) about a consumers credit to a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( such as Equifax ) must provide a written notice to the consumer before ( or within XXXX days after ) reporting that information. This notice must clearly inform the consumer that the negative information will be furnished to a credit bureau, giving the consumer an opportunity to dispute or resolve the debt first. 

In my case, each of the above furnishers placed a negative tradeline on my Equifax credit report without providing me the required advance notice. Specifically, Equifax shows the following derogatory accounts : XXXX XXXX XXXX Opened XX/XX/XXXX ; Balance {$2100.00}. 
XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Opened XXXX XXXX, XXXX ; XXXX {$26000.00}. 
I never received any written notice from any of these companies at least 30 days prior to their reporting of negative information to Equifax. Because of this, none of the above furnishers complied with the FCRAs notice requirement. In turn, Equifax has continued to publish this adverse information without having any record that the consumer was properly notified in advance. This ongoing publication of potentially non-compliant information itself frustrates the purpose of the notice rule. 

15 U.S.C. 1681s2 ( a ) ( 7 ) ( A ) ( sometimes cited as FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 7 ) ) explicitly requires a written notice to the consumer when negative credit information is reported. As the statute states : If any financial institution that extends credit furnishes negative information to [ a credit bureau ] regarding credit extended to a customer, the financial institution shall provide a notice of such furnishing of negative information, in writing, to the customer. 

The law further specifies that this notice must be given before, or no later than 30 days after, the negative information is furnished to the agency. The Federal Trade Commissions guidance for furnishers confirms this timeline : a creditor must provide the notice either before [ it ] furnish [ es ] the negative information or within 30 days of furnishing it. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure consumers are warned of impending negative credit reports and can dispute any debt first. 

Because none of the listed furnishers gave me any such notice, each violated this statute. Equifax, as the recipient of the reports, has thus received information that was reported in violation of FCRAs notice rule. Even though the law imposes the notice duty on furnishers, Equifax should not profit from or continue to publish information that was potentially reported unlawfully.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief