Consumer complaint received 2025-01-07 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:
Dear CFPB, I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to formally request an investigation into the procedures employed by the major credit reporting agenciesXXXX, Equifax, and XXXXregarding the accuracy of information reported on my credit file. I am concerned about certain inaccuracies that I have identified and the subsequent failure of these agencies to provide adequate responses and documentation, which I believe constitutes a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

Background Recently, I submitted complaints to XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX regarding incorrect information reported on my credit reports. Despite my efforts to address these inaccuracies, I have not received satisfactory responses or valid proof of the claims made by these agencies. Most importantly, I have repeatedly requested to review the " Procedures of Accuracy '' that these agencies claim to use to verify the information in my reports. Thus far, I have not received any meaningful information or documentation in response to my requests. 

Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) The FCRA outlines specific responsibilities for credit reporting agencies, including the requirement to ensure maximum possible accuracy of the information they report. Below are specific violations of the FCRA that I believe warrant your investigation : 1. Section 607 ( b ) - Reasonable Procedures : Credit reporting agencies are required to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information they report. I have doubts that XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX have adhered to this requirement in my case, as the inaccuracies I reported have not been corrected nor explained.

2. Section 611 - Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy : Upon receiving my dispute, these agencies are mandated to conduct a reasonable investigation of my claims within 30 days. I submitted my dispute to all three agencies, but they have failed to provide the required investigation results or documentation supporting the accuracy of the reported information. Their lack of response is a clear violation of this section.

3. Failure to Validate Debts : When I identified the inaccuracies, I requested that the agencies provide validation of the debts and the procedures they used to verify the informations accuracy. Under the FCRA, they are obligated to provide this information and their failure to do so represents another violation of my consumer rights.

4. Section 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) - Duty of Furnishers of Information : Any entity that provides information to consumer reporting agencies must ensure the accuracy of that information. If the information provided is found to be inaccurate, the furnishers have a duty to correct it. I am concerned that the agencies are not holding these furnishers accountable for the inaccurate reporting.

5. Lack of Adequate Consumer Responses : The agencies have not provided timely or useful responses to my inquiries, which I believe underlines a broader failure to protect consumer rights as mandated by the FCRA.

Request for Action Given the collective issues I have faced, I respectfully ask the CFPB to conduct a thorough investigation into the practices of XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX regarding how they handle inaccuracies and disputes. Furthermore, I urge your office to compel these agencies to provide their " Procedures of Accuracy '' and ensure they are compliant with the FCRA requirements.

As a consumer, I have the right to accurate credit reporting, and the current situation jeopardizes my financial health and fundamental rights. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your timely response.I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX for their continued violations of federal laws regarding consumer rights. Despite my attempts to resolve these issues directly with the credit reporting agencies ( CRAs ), I have not received any resolution. This negligence not only affects my financial health but also violates my rights under several key federal statutes and regulations.

1. Failure to Delete Late Payments The CRAs have failed to investigate and delete inaccurate late payments from my credit reports, violating : 15 U.S.C. 1666b : Timeframes for creditor responses and billing error corrections.

15 U.S.C. 1637 ( b ) : Mandate for accurate disclosure of credit account terms and conditions.

15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 : Duty of furnishers to provide accurate information.

15 U.S.C. 1681i : Obligations to reinvestigate disputed items.

These provisions clearly establish a framework for timely and accurate reporting, which the CRAs have failed to uphold.

2. Improper Retention of Hard Inquiries I have disputed unauthorized and outdated inquiries on my reports, yet they remain unaddressed. This violates : 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( 2 ) : Restrictions on permissible purposes for obtaining credit reports.

15 U.S.C. 1681 ( q ) : Prohibitions on obtaining credit reports under false pretenses.

15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 : Obligations for security freezes and fraud alerts.

Retention of unauthorized inquiries is damaging and undermines consumer protections meant to safeguard against misuse of sensitive information.

3. Failure to Delete Charge-Offs and Related Violations Charge-offs and related negative entries remain on my credit report despite being inaccurate or outdated, in direct violation of : 15 U.S.C. 1666b : Requirements for correcting billing errors.

15 U.S.C. 1681i : CRA duties to reinvestigate disputed items.

15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 : Responsibilities of furnishers to report accurate information.

Additionally, the reporting of charged-off accounts conflicts with 1099-C cancellation of debt requirements, which creates further inaccuracies in my reports.

4. Non-Compliance with Federal Regulations The CRAs are in violation of the following Consumer Financial Protection regulations : 12 CFR 1006.34 ( c ) : Disclosure standards for debt collectors.

12 CFR 1006.6 ( c ) : Prohibitions on misleading representations.

15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) : Requirements for maintaining maximum possible accuracy in credit reports.

15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) : Mandate for furnishers to prevent the reporting of inaccurate information.

Request for Immediate Action Given the CRAs ongoing non-compliance, I request that the CFPB take the following actions : 1. Investigate the CRAs Practices : Enforce compliance with federal laws and hold the CRAs accountable for violations.

2. Require Deletion of Inaccurate Information : Ensure that all late payments, inquiries, and charge-offs are deleted from my reports.

3. Impose Penalties : Impose appropriate penalties on XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX for their negligence. 
4. Audit CRA Compliance Processes : Assess the CRAs reinvestigation procedures to prevent future violations. 

Supporting Documentation Enclosed, I have included the following : Copies of my disputes submitted to the CRAs. 
Responses ( or lack thereof ) from the CRAs. 
Evidence of inaccuracies and non-compliance. 



XXXX XXXX Filters XXXX XXXX Equifax XXXX XXXX Equifax Account # XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$5600.00} {$0.00} {$5600.00} 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 {$5600.00} {$5600.00} {$5600.00} 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 XXXX XXXX Bank XXXX XXXX XXXX Banks Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX by XXXX 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 {$5600.00} {$5600.00} {$5600.00} Account XXXX Credit Card Credit Card XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$4800.00} {$4800.00} {$0.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Equifax XXXX XXXX Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$2500.00} {$0.00} {$2500.00} 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 {$2500.00} {$2500.00} {$2500.00} 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 Home Electronics Sales and Service Television/Radio Sales and Service XXXX XXXX and XXXX Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Creditor Remarks Charged off as bad debt Canceled XXXX XXXX XXXX Account has XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX inactivity. 
Unpaid balance reported as a loss by the credit grantor. 
Charged off account Accounts closed by XXXX XXXX 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 {$2500.00} {$2500.00} {$2500.00} Account Type Charge account Charge account Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$2800.00} {$2800.00} {$0.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Equifax XXXX XXXX Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$540.00} {$540.00} {$400.00} 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 Miscellaneous Department and Variety Stores Variety Store Mail XXXX XXXX Account XXXX XXXX Closed Closed Payment Status Late 90 Days Late 90 Days Late 90 Days Creditor Remarks Canceled by XXXX XXXX Account has been closed due to inactivity. 
Closed or paid account/zero balance Accounts closed by XXXX XXXX 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 {$400.00} {$400.00} {$0.00} XXXX Filters XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX Account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$1300.00} {$0.00} {$790.00} 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 {$790.00} {$790.00} {$790.00} 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 Sales Financing 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 Amount in high credit original charge-off amount 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 {$790.00} {$790.00} {$790.00} Account Type Charge account Charge account Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$2000.00} {$2000.00} {$0.00} XXXX XXXX Filters XXXX Equifax XXXX Equifax Account XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance {$0.00} {$4300.00} Last Verified -- -- Date of Last Activity XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Reported XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Balance Owed {$4300.00} {$4300.00} Closed Date -- -- Account Rating Derogatory Derogatory Account Description Individual Individual Dispute Status Account not disputed Account not disputed Creditor Type Sales Financing Sales Financing Account Status Closed Closed Payment Status Collection/Chargeoff Collection/Chargeoff Creditor Remarks Unpaid balance reported as a loss by the credit grantor . 
Charged off account Amount in high credit original charge-off amount Original Creditor -- -- Payment Amount {$0.00} {$0.00} Last Payment XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Term Length -- -- Past Due Amount {$4300.00} {$4300.00} Account Type Charge account Payment Frequency Credit Limit {$5500.00} {$0.00} XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX  Equifax XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Equifax XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief