Consumer complaint received 2025-02-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Complaint Against Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and Other Consumer Protection Laws To Whom It May Concern, I am filing this formal complaint against Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for their ongoing failure to comply with federal consumer protection laws. These credit reporting agencies ( CRAs ) have engaged in deceptive, negligent, and unlawful reporting practices that have severely impacted my creditworthiness. Despite my repeated disputes, they have failed to uphold their legal obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and other federal regulations. The following violations require immediate investigation and corrective action : 1. Inaccurate Late Payment Reporting The CRAs have failed to ensure that late payments are reported accurately, violating : 15 USC 1666b Payments must be credited on the date received. The CRAs have allowed creditors to misreport timely payments as late.

15 USC 1637 ( b ) Creditors are required to provide clear and accurate statements. Inaccurate late payment reporting violates this provision.

15 USC 1681s-2 Data furnishers must ensure the accuracy of information provided to the CRAs and correct any inaccuracies. 
15 USC 1681i The CRAs are required to reinvestigate and correct or delete inaccurate or unverifiable information. 

Despite multiple disputes, the CRAs have refused to remove inaccurate late payments, which continue to harm my credit profile. 

XXXX. Failure to Remove Unverified Collection Accounts The CRAs have reported collection accounts without proper validation, violating : 12 CFR 1006.34 ( c ) Debt collectors must provide consumers with clear validation of the debt before reporting it.

12 CFR 1006.6 ( c ) Consumers have the right to limit communication regarding disputed debts, yet the CRAs continue to report unverifiable accounts.

15 USC 1681e ( b ) CRAs must follow reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy in consumer reports.

15 USC 1681s-2 ( a ) Information that can not be verified must be deleted. 

The CRAs have failed to conduct proper investigations into these disputed accounts, allowing unverified and potentially fraudulent debts to remain on my credit report. 

3. Improper Reporting of Charge-Offs The CRAs have continued to report charge-offs that are either settled, discharged, or no longer legally reportable, violating : IRS 1099-C Cancellation of Debt Once a creditor has discharged a debt and issued a 1099-C, it should no longer be reported negatively.

15 USC 1666b Payments must be applied correctly, and errors in reporting charge-offs must be corrected.

15 USC 1681i CRAs must reinvestigate and delete inaccurate charge-offs.

15 USC 1681s-2 Data furnishers must ensure that charge-offs are reported accurately and in compliance with the law. 

Charge-offs that have been resolved or exceed their reporting limits remain on my credit file despite my disputes, causing undue harm. 

4. Unauthorized Hard Inquiries The CRAs have reported hard inquiries that I did not authorize, violating : 15 USC 1681b ( 2 ) A consumers credit report may only be accessed with their explicit written consent.

15 USC 1681 ( q ) Unauthorized access to a consumer report is a federal offense.

15 USC 1681c-2 Consumers have the right to block fraudulent inquiries resulting from identity theft. 

I have requested removal of these inquiries, yet they remain on my report, affecting my credit score unfairly.

5. Failure to Follow Proper Reinvestigation Procedures Under 15 USC 1681i, CRAs are required to conduct a thorough reinvestigation of disputed information. However, the CRAs have failed to properly investigate or have simply verified inaccurate information without sufficient evidence.

Additionally, 15 USC 1681 ( a ) ( 1 ) Sec. 2 states that transactions and experiences that do not meet the standard for reporting should not be included in a consumer report. The CRAs are reporting outdated, unverifiable, and erroneous information that should no longer impact my credit profile. 

6. Willful Noncompliance with Federal Law The CRAs failure to correct these violations demonstrates willful noncompliance, which is a direct violation of 15 USC 1681n. Under this statute : If a CRA willfully fails to comply with FCRA requirements, they are liable for actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.

The CRAs have continued to report inaccurate information despite my repeated disputes, indicating deliberate disregard for federal law.

Requested Resolution I demand that the CFPB take immediate enforcement action against Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for their violations of federal law. Specifically, I request the following corrective actions : Immediate deletion of all inaccurate late payments. 
Removal of all unverified collection accounts that lack proper validation. 
Deletion of charge-offs that have been resolved, discharged, or reported past the legal limit.

Removal of unauthorized hard inquiries.

A full reinvestigation of all disputed items in accordance with 15 USC 1681i.

Penalties and corrective measures for willful noncompliance under 15 USC 1681n.

These ongoing violations have caused me financial harm, including denials of credit, increased interest rates, and reputational damage. If the CRAs do not correct these issues, I will seek further legal action to protect my rights. 

Please confirm receipt of this complaint and provide guidance on the next steps. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. 







XXXX Filters TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account # XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2300.00} {$2300.00} {$0.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$690.00} {$690.00} {$690.00} Closed Date -- -- -- Account Rating Open Open Open Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Miscellaneous Banks Bank Credit Cards All Banks Account Status Open Open Open Payment Status Current Current Current Creditor Remarks -- -- Credit card Amount in H/C column is credit limit Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$29.00} {$29.00} {$29.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Account Type Credit Card Credit Card Credit Card Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$750.00} {$750.00} {$750.00} XXXX XXXX Filters TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2200.00} {$2200.00} {$1800.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$2200.00} {$2200.00} {$2200.00} Closed Date -- -- -- Account Rating Open Open Open Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Bank Credit Cards Bank Credit Cards All Banks Account Status Open Open Open Payment Status Current Current Current Creditor Remarks Dispute resolved ; reported by grantor Account was in dispute - now resolved - reported by subscriber. 
Account previously in dispute - now resolved by data furnisher Credit card Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$25.00} {$68.00} {$68.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Account Type Credit Card Credit Card Credit Card Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$1800.00} {$1800.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account # **** XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2800.00} {$0.00} {$2800.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$2800.00} {$2800.00} {$2800.00} Closed Date XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Account Rating Derogatory Derogatory Derogatory Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Bank Credit Cards All Banks All Banks Account Status Closed Closed Closed Payment Status Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Creditor Remarks Charged off as bad debt Dispute resolved ; reported by grantor Account was in dispute - now resolved - reported by subscriber. 
Unpaid balance reported as a loss by the credit grantor. 
Charged off account Accounts closed by credit grantor Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$2800.00} {$2800.00} {$2800.00} Account Type Credit Card Credit Card Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$2500.00} {$2500.00} $ XXXX Filters TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2800.00} {$0.00} {$2800.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Closed Date XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Account Rating Derogatory Derogatory Derogatory Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Bank Credit Cards Bank Credit Cards Bank Credit Cards Account Status Closed Closed Closed Payment Status Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Creditor Remarks Charged off as bad debt Purchased by another lender Purchased by a another lender. 
Unpaid balance reported as a loss by credit grantor. 
Charged off account Account transferred or sold Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Account Type Credit Card Credit Card Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$2400.00} {$2400.00} $ XXXX Filters TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account # XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2200.00} {$0.00} {$2200.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$2200.00} {$2200.00} {$2200.00} Closed Date XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Account Rating Derogatory Derogatory Derogatory Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Credit Unions Credit Unions Credit Unions Account Status Closed Closed Closed Payment Status Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Creditor Remarks Charged off as bad debt Profit and loss write-off Unpaid balance reported as a loss by the credit grantor.

Charged off account Credit card Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$2200.00} {$2200.00} {$2200.00} Account Type Credit Card Credit Card Credit Card Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$2000.00} {$2000.00} {$0.00} XXXX Filters TransUnion Experian Equifax TransUnion Experian Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$160.00} {$160.00} {$100.00} Last Verified XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Closed Date XX/XX/XXXX -- -- Account Rating Paid Paid Paid Account Description Individual Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Complete Department Stores - Clothing Miscellaneous Department and Variety Stores Complete Department Stores - Clothing Account Status Closed Closed Closed Payment Status Current Current Current Creditor Remarks Canceled by credit grantor Account has been closed due to inactivity. 
Closed or paid account/zero balance Accounts closed by credit grantor Original Creditor -- -- -- Payment Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- -- Past Due Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} {$0.00} Account Type Charge account Charge account Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$100.00} {$100.00} {$0.00}

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief