Consumer complaint received 2025-06-20 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Response to Dispute Investigation Inaccurate Reporting by U.S. Department of Education To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for your response regarding my credit file dispute, submitted via the CFPB Complaint Portal.

However, I must formally refute the findings of Equifax and the information verified by the U.S. Department of Education. The data currently being reported remains factually incorrect and materially misleading for the following reasons : The referenced loan account was charged off over 7 years ago, and under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), adverse information such as charge-offs can not be legally reported beyond 7 years from the original date of delinquency. Continuing to report this account monthly as delinquent or late is a direct violation of the FCRA. 

This account was settled through federal student loan forgiveness, and I was not the primary borrower, but rather a co-signer. The loan has been paid in full through the U.S. Department of Educations own forgiveness program yet I am being penalized monthly, inaccurately, as if the loan were still active or in default. 

Despite the claim that the current status is being reported correctly, the status is inaccurate. A charged-off, closed, or forgiven account should not continue to update with new delinquencies or late payment remarks. This falsely implies active mismanagement of credit and significantly impacts my score and creditworthiness. 

As a result of this inaccurate reporting, my credit score dropped XXXX points immediately after this dispute, causing measurable financial harm. This drop was triggered by Equifaxs unjust reaffirmation of the Department of Educations invalid status reporting, not due to any new financial behavior on my part. 

The repeated generic response that the creditor has verified to our company that the status is correct does not constitute a proper investigation under the FCRA. A proper reinvestigation requires a reasonable review of all evidence provided by the consumer, not just a blind deferment to the furnishers claims.

In light of the above, I am requesting : A full deletion or permanent suppression of this tradeline from my credit report across all credit bureaus, as it is past the legal reporting window and was satisfied through forgiveness. 

Reversal of any negative score impact this erroneous reporting has caused. 

Written confirmation of the corrective action taken within 15 days. 

Please consider this a continued formal dispute under my rights provided by the FCRA, and a request for the CFPB to escalate the matter due to its unresolved and harmful nature. I am also prepared to pursue further action with the Federal Trade Commission and/or consider legal counsel should this issue remain unresolved. 

Thank you for your prompt attention and continued support in protecting consumer rights. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation