Consumer complaint received 2025-10-31 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding ongoing, willful violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act ( FACTA ), and Metro 2 compliance standards by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Despite multiple lawful disputes submitted on XX/XX/XXXX, these credit bureaus continue to report inaccurate, unverifiable, and contradictory information across my credit profile. 

I have repeatedly exercised my rights under 15 U.S.C. 1681i and 1681s-2, yet all three bureaus have failed to conduct proper reinvestigations or provide verifiable documentation supporting the accuracy of the disputed accounts. Instead, they continue to maintain data that directly conflicts between each bureaus reports, proving a lack of uniformity, accuracy, and lawful verification under FCRA Section 607 ( b ). 

XXXX. XXXX Account XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  ( XXXX XXXX Account ) XXXX XXXX This account is being reported with multiple conflicting statuses across the three bureaus. 

Equifax lists it as Paid / Current with a XXXX balance yet simultaneously reflects a charge-off notation. 

Experian reports the same account as Charge Account Paid but includes late payments after closure. 

TransUnion shows Settled Less than Full Balance, which conflicts with the Paid / Current status on the other two reports. 

These contradictions are clear violations of FCRA Section 607 ( b ) and Metro 2 field uniformity requirements, which mandate that furnishers maintain accurate, complete, and consistent data across all CRAs. Reporting late payments after the balance was XXXX  is factually impossible and artificially damages my FICO payment history. 

Despite formal disputes, none of the bureaus produced original signed contracts or timestamped activity logs verifying the accounts accuracy. The ongoing publication of unverifiable data constitutes negligent and willful noncompliance under FCRA 1681n and 1681o. 

XXXX. XXXX Account XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  ( Credit Card ) XXXX XXXX  This account shows multiple violations of FCRA and Metro 2 compliance : All three bureaus report different last payment dates, different charge-off dates, and inconsistent High Credit and Credit Limit fields . 

Late payments are reported after the charge-off date, which is legally impossible once the account is closed. 

The account continues to report as Charged Off and Derogatory simultaneously, even though Metro 2 standards prohibit dual status coding. 

These discrepancies show that the furnisher and credit bureaus failed to conduct a lawful reinvestigation under 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ). The data is incomplete and misleading, harming both my utilization and payment history scoring categories. As this tradeline can not be verified through original documentation or consistent Metro 2 coding, the only compliant action is permanent deletion from all three reports. 

XXXX. XXXX Account XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ( Installment Loan ) XXXX XXXX  Experian and TransUnion have both confirmed deletion of this account after determining it was unverifiable as of XX/XX/XXXX. However, Equifax continues to report it as a charged-off, derogatory account with a XXXX balance, directly violating FCRA Section 607 ( b ) which requires uniformity of data accuracy across all CRAs. 

By retaining and re-publishing an account that two other major bureaus have already removed for lack of verification, Equifax is engaging in willful noncompliance and negligent retention of unverifiable data under Section 611 ( a ) and 15 U.S.C. 1681i. This ongoing misrepresentation negatively impacts my creditworthiness and creates false impressions of indebtedness that no longer exist. 

XXXX. XXXX XXXX  Account XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ( Collection ) XXXX XXXX  This tradeline is riddled with factual and procedural violations : The account is simultaneously reported as a Collection and a Charge-Off, which can not coexist under Metro 2 format requirements. 

The reported Date Opened ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and Charge-Off Date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) conflict chronologically. 

TransUnion is the only bureau still reporting it, while Equifax and Experian have either removed or marked it unverifiable. 

There is no evidence of a valid chain of assignment, no documentation proving ownership, and no proof of permissible purpose under 15 U.S.C. 1681b. The lack of verifiable payment history and contradictory chronology demonstrates a complete failure of lawful verification under Section 611 ( a ). This account must be deleted from all systems due to the inability of any party to validate its authenticity or accuracy. 

Regulatory Violations Summary Across all tradelines and bureaus, the following consumer protection provisions have been violated : FCRA 607 ( b ) Failure to maintain maximum possible accuracy FCRA 611 ( a ) Failure to reinvestigate disputed information and provide verifiable evidence FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) Furnishing information known or should be known to be inaccurate FCRA 623 ( b ) ( 1 ) Failing to correct or delete information found to be inaccurate after dispute Metro 2 Compliance Manual Violations in Account Status, Payment Rating, and Date of Status fields These reporting failures have caused measurable damage to my credit reputation, denied credit opportunities, and significant emotional distress due to repeated disregard of federal law. 

Requested Resolution I am requesting that the CFPB direct Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to : Permanently delete the disputed tradelines ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX  XXXX and XXXX ). 

XXXX an internal compliance audit of their Metro 2 reporting processes. 

Provide written confirmation and updated credit disclosures reflecting the deletions. 

If the CRAs or furnishers can not produce original signed contracts, accurate payment records, and verifiable timestamps of activity, they are legally obligated to remove these accounts in full under FCRA 611 ( a ). 

Summary Justification The continued reporting of unverifiable and inconsistent data after lawful disputes constitutes willful disregard for consumer rights and federal standards. These violations directly harm my FICO scoring by distorting payment history, utilization, and derogatory mark calculations. 

Given the repeated failure to comply, I am requesting CFPB intervention to enforce permanent deletions, regulatory penalties, and supervisory review to prevent further violations of federal credit reporting law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief