Consumer complaint received 2025-07-29 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:
XXXX XXXX reported multiple late payments on my credit report on XX/XX/year>, even though I qualified for a XXXX XXXX monthly payment under an income-driven repayment ( IDR ) plan. I was automatically put on a standard repayment plan even though my FAFSA SAR reflects no income for the XXXX year as well as XXXX, along with my wage & income IRS form reflecting this . I was never properly notified by mail that repayment was restarting after the federal student loan forbearance period. Notices were only sent to an outdated XXXX email address that I no longer access due to security concerns. No mailed communication was received at my current address, even though USPS mail forwarding was active and should have redirected any federal correspondence. Therefore, regardless of any previous address in XXXX 's system, I should have received all mail correspondences for the loan repayment. 

Because these are federal student loans serviced on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, I reasonably expected and am entitled to receive official communications through the U.S. Postal Service. My household had an official USPS mail forwarding request in place during our move, which remained active at the time. Therefore, I should have received any physical notices regarding loan repayment obligations. Relying solely on an outdated email address does not meet the communication standards expected of a federal loan servicer handling critical government-backed obligations. Had the notification of repayment been mailed properly to my current address, I would have properly addressed the loan repayment. 

I only became aware of the missed payments when I saw a sudden drop in my credit score by XXXX, bringing my score from XXXX to XXXX on XX/XX/year>. As soon as I realized what happened, I immediately applied for an IDR plan and forbearance. I was approved for both including a XXXX XXXX  monthly payment and subsequently consolidated my loans. All of my accounts are now current and in good standing, and I have not missed any payments since taking corrective action. 

Despite these efforts and my documented financial hardship at the time which included temporarily not being able to attend school for financial hardship reasons, no employment, and a XXXX diagnosis in my family that impacted our household financially XXXX has continued to report derogatory marks and open delinquent accounts. This has caused lasting and unfair damage to my credit, even though I did everything within my power to resolve the situation upon my findings. 

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), companies are required to report accurate and complete information. I believe the late payment notations are misleading and do not reflect my actual repayment intent, eligibility for {$0.00} payments, or the swift action I took once I was made aware. I am asking the CFPB to investigate and ensure XXXX updates my credit reports across all bureaus to reflect the current and accurate standing of these accounts, and removes the negative payment history associated with this mishandling.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief