Consumer complaint received 2025-12-03 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Information belongs to someone else
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: LA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this statement to explain in detail what happened regarding the late-payment information that is currently appearing on my credit reports. This dispute concerns late payment history only, and does not involve derogatory accounts such as collections or charge-offs. I am disputing these late payments because they are either inaccurate, incomplete, not properly validated, or not reported in compliance with federal accuracy standards as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

I reviewed my full credit reports from the major credit bureaus and found several accounts showing 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day late payments that do not accurately reflect my payment history, my financial activity, or the circumstances surrounding the accounts. These alleged late payments have negatively impacted my credit standing, and a majority of them are incorrect or unsupported by any documentation.

Because these late-payment notations are either inaccurate or unverified, I am exercising my federal rights to dispute them and request a complete reinvestigation.

1. Background : How I Identified These Late Payments When reviewing my credit reports, I came across several accounts displaying late payment entries. These included : Accounts showing 30-day late payments Accounts showing 60-day late payments Accounts showing 90-day late payments Upon closer review, many of these late-payment entries were inconsistent with my actual payment history. Some were listed during periods in which payments were made on time. Others were listed during periods where the creditor failed to process payments correctly or failed to communicate properly. In other cases, the entries appeared duplicate, misaligned with billing cycles, or incorrectly reported after disputes.

After comparing these entries to my own records, bank statements, and payment confirmations, I realized that a significant portion of these late-payment reports were inaccurate or did not belong on my credit file.

2. Issues Identified With the Late Payment Reporting A. Payments marked late that were actually paid on time Several listed late-payment notations do not match my own bank statements or payment confirmations. These payments were submitted before the due date but appear on my credit report as past due. This may have occurred due to processing delays, internal system errors, or creditor oversight. Regardless of the reason, the reporting is inaccurate.

B. Automatic payments failed due to system errors In some cases, late payments were recorded during months in which the account was set up for automatic payments. When an auto-pay failure occurs due to the creditors processing systemnot the consumers negligenceFCRA rules require accurate reporting. If the creditors system failed, the late payment should not be reported against the consumer.

C. Incorrect posting dates by creditors Sometimes payments were made during the billing cycle but posted to the next cycle due to creditor delays. When this occurs, the creditor may report a past-due status even though the payment was made within the grace period or before the cut-off time. Posting errors should not result in late-payment reporting.

D. Inconsistent reporting between bureaus Some late-payment entries appear on one or two credit reports but not all three. This is an indication of reporting inconsistency. If a late payment is accurate, it must be reported consistently across all bureaus. Inconsistent reporting is a strong indicator of error or data mismatch.

E. Older late payments that should no longer appear Certain late-payment notations appear beyond the allowable reporting period. The FCRA allows negative information to be reported for up to a certain number of years. If the late payment is older than the allowable period, it should not appear at all.

F. Late-payment history not updated after disputes or corrections Some accounts show late payments even though previous disputes were filed and the creditor promised updates. These updates were never completed, leaving incorrect data active on my credit report.

G. Accounts showing repeated late entries that dont match any billing schedule In certain cases, late-payment entries appear in months where no payment was due or appear multiple times within the same cycle. This is another sign of inaccurate reporting.

3. My Attempts to Resolve and Verify These Late-Payment Entries I have taken several steps to correct the inaccurate late-payment history : A. I disputed the late-payment entries with the credit bureaus I filed formal disputes explaining which entries were inaccurate and why. I provided as much information as possible without sensitive personal details. I specifically requested that the bureaus : Investigate the legitimacy of the late-payment entries Contact the furnishers Obtain documentation verifying the entries Remove any information that can not be verified B. I contacted the creditors directly I reached out to the companies reporting the late payments and asked for : Payment records Detailed posting histories Copies of bills and statements System logs showing when payments were received or processed Clarification on misapplied payments Some creditors provided partial information, while others provided none at all.

C. I reviewed my bank statements I verified when payments left my account and compared these dates with the creditors reported dates. In many cases, the payments were clearly made before the due date.

D. I kept documentation of all correspondence I saved emails, dispute confirmations, letters, and payment receipts. I have documented all attempts to correct these errors.

Despite my efforts, several late-payment entries remain inaccurate, unverified, or uncorrected, which is why I am submitting this complaint.

4. These Late-Payment Entries Are Inaccurate and Must Be Corrected Under Federal Law The Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) requires credit bureaus and furnishers to report only information that is : Accurate Complete Verifiable Fairly reported The late-payment information currently appearing on my credit reports does not meet these standards. FCRA requires that disputed information be deleted if : It can not be verified It is inaccurate It is incomplete A creditor can not produce documentation Many of the late-payment entries fall into one or more of these categories.

5. The Impact of These Incorrect Late-Payment Entries These inaccurate late payments have caused significant harm, including : Lowering my credit score Affecting my ability to obtain credit Increasing interest rates on loans Damaging my financial reputation Causing emotional and financial XXXX  Late-payment history accounts for a major portion of credit scoring models. Because these entries are inaccurate or unverified, they are unfairly penalizing me.

6. What I Am Requesting as a Fair Resolution I am asking for a full and complete reinvestigation of all late-payment entries on my credit reports. Specifically, I request : Removal of all inaccurate, unverified, or improperly reported late-payment entries Correction of posting errors Removal of any late-payment entries resulting from auto-pay failures not caused by me Removal of inconsistent reporting between bureaus Updated reporting to reflect accurate payment history Written confirmation that the corrected entries have been removed or updated If the furnishers can not produce documented proof showing that the late payments are accurate, then under FCRA, the entries must be deleted.

7. Summary To summarize : My credit reports show several late-payment entries that do not accurately reflect my payment history I reviewed my own records and found multiple discrepancies I disputed these entries with the bureaus and creditors The creditors failed to provide complete or accurate documentation Many late-payment entries remain unverified These inaccurate entries continue to harm my credit I am requesting full correction and removal of all inaccurate late-payment data These late-payment entries are not accurate, not properly validated, and not fair. I request immediate reinvestigation and correction under federal law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation