Consumer complaint received 2025-05-22 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: MO

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this formal complaint against Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion for their continued reporting of multiple late payments on my credit reports, despite those payments being made during the time I was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and believed to be covered by protections under the CARES Act. 

These late payments were associated with my XXXX  XXXX account, and I initiated disputes with all three credit bureaus, explaining that I was affected by the pandemic and had sought or believed I was under a payment accommodation, as outlined by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act, enacted on XX/XX/year>. Despite my dispute and explanation, the late payments remain on my reports. 

Violations of Consumer Protection Laws : XXXX. Failure to Accurately Report Accommodation-Protected Accounts ( FCRA as Amended by CARES Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( F ) ) Under Section 4021 of the CARES Act, furnishers of credit information ( like XXXX XXXXXXXX ) are required to report accounts as current if a consumer was current at the time an accommodation was made due to COVID-19, and the consumer met the terms of the accommodation. 

By continuing to report these accounts as late, and by failing to correct the records after my dispute, the credit bureaus are violating their responsibility under 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires that credit reporting agencies maintain maximum possible accuracy of consumer reports. 

XXXX. Failure to Conduct a Reasonable Reinvestigation ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ) I formally disputed these late payments with all three credit bureaus. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, credit bureaus are required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of any disputed item and delete or correct information that can not be verified or is found to be inaccurate. 

In this case, my disputes were either ignored, summarily " verified '' without explanation, or responded to with generic letters. No evidence was provided to demonstrate that a proper reinvestigation took place, and the bureaus failed to remove the damaging information. 

XXXX. Failure to Provide the Method of Verification ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 6 ) ( B ) ( iii ) ) Under the FCRA, if a bureau concludes a dispute by stating that an account was " verified as accurate, '' they are required to provide the method of verification upon request. I have not received any such explanation, and no documentation has been provided proving that these late payments were accurately reported during a federally protected accommodation period. 


The reporting of these late payments, despite the context of the pandemic and the protections of the CARES Act, has caused : Harm to my credit score Denial of credit and higher interest rates Emotional distress Unfair barriers to financial recovery post-COVID I submitted these disputes in good faith and provided notice of the circumstances, but the credit bureaus have failed to correct or investigate the information in accordance with the law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief