Consumer complaint received 2025-08-01 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account status incorrect
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
Despite XXXXXXXX XXXX assertion in a response to my complaint that I was properly notified of the 60-day delinquency, I firmly dispute this claim. I was never properly notified by mail that repayment was restarting after the pandemic-related forbearance period. No mailed communication was received at my current address, even though USPS forwarding was in place at the time and should have redirected any notices regardless of any previous address on file. My household placed an official mail forwarding request during our move from my previous residence, so I should have received all correspondence.

Furthermore, I am subscribed to USPS Informed Delivery, which confirms that I did not receive any delinquency notice from XXXX on or around XX/XX/XXXX, despite their claim. The only piece of mail I received on that day was unrelated and from XXXX ( likely concerning a XXXX balance ), which I can confirm with documented proof including a timestamped email. That unrelated tuition balance is actually the reason I am temporarily not enrolled in school, stemming from financial hardship.

Additionally, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 7 ), loan servicers are legally required to provide written notice by mail at least 30 days prior to furnishing negative credit information to a consumer reporting agency. XXXX claims they fulfilled this obligation, but my USPS Informed Delivery records and physical mail logs clearly demonstrate otherwise. If they failed to send the required notice by mail, then their credit reporting is not only procedurally invalidit is unlawful.

I never intended to miss any payments. Had I been properly notified in a timely fashion, I would have acted immediately, which is supported by my actual behavior. As soon as I discovered the delinquency, I consolidated my loans, submitted an Income-Driven Repayment ( IDR ) application, and have now been approved for XXXX XXXX monthly payments. I would not have been placed under a default plan due to financial hardship, and had I been able to attend school, I would have been covered under in-school deferment.

This is not an isolated occurrence. XXXX has a documented history of servicing failures that mirrors the issues in my case : In XXXX, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) sanctioned XXXX  for misleading student loan borrowers, including by falsely telling them they could not access certain repayment options and misrepresenting the terms and benefits of loan forgiveness. The CFPB required XXXX to correct their practices, notify affected borrowers, and pay a civil penalty. 

In XXXX, the U.S. Department of Education penalized XXXX for failing to send timely billing statements to hundreds of thousands of borrowers, which resulted in a suspension of more than {$160000.00} in federal payments. These actions clearly establish a pattern of negligence and mismanagement, and they cast further doubt on the accuracy and legality of XXXX claim in my case.

Given this pattern of regulatory violations, I believe my case is part of a broader, systemic issuenot a one-off error. I acted in good faith and submitted my IDR application as soon as I learned of the loans status. I am now on a {$0.00} payment Income-Based Repayment ( IBR ) plan, which further proves that I would not have defaulted or missed payments had I been properly informed.

This situation is severely affecting my life and future, including my ability to secure stable housing and continue my education. My credit reports from all three bureaus reflect multiple negative entries directly linked to this erroneous
delinquency report from XXXX, and it is the primary factor harming my credit.

I am respectfully requesting that this delinquency be fully removed from my credit reports as the negative entry was unlawfully reported without the required advance notice and under circumstances that clearly reflect neither neglect nor bad faith on my part.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation