Consumer complaint received 2025-06-09 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: MI

Complaint narrative:
My Complaint : To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the handling of my student loans by XXXX, which resulted in a negative impact on my credit report due to circumstances outside of my control. My student loans were in an approved deferment status. However, the loans were removed from deferment without any proper notification. The loan servicer did not have my correct phone number or email address on file, and I did not receive any paper correspondence regarding the change in deferment status. As a result, I was unaware that my loans had become active again, which led to missed payments being reported to the credit bureaus and a significant drop in my credit score. I believe this situation reflects a failure by the loan servicer to maintain accurate contact information and to communicate critical changes to my loan status through available channels. I was denied the opportunity to take appropriate action due to this lack of communication, and I am now unfairly burdened with negative credit reporting. I respectfully request that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigate this matter. I also ask that the loan servicer be required to : Provide an explanation for why no effort was made to confirm or update my contact information ; Clarify what notifications, if any, were attempted ; Rectify the negative credit reporting resulting from this communication failure. I appreciate your assistance in helping resolve this issue. 

Company 's Response Thank you for reaching out to the CFPB with your concerns regarding your student loan account. We understand your concerns to be that your account had gone past due ; however, you state that we had incorrect contact information for you. Our records show that you had an email change on XX/XX/XXXX ; we see that since this date, emails sent have not been opened or acknowledged. Prior to this date, the email address on file shows that emails were opened, and some were clicked to access account information further. Please login to XXXX to ensure the current email address is correct. Based on your request we have conducted an investigation which confirmed the information we provided to the consumer reporting agencies is accurate. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires lenders and servicers, such as XXXX, who report information to the consumer reporting agencies to do so with accuracy. Therefore, we can not remove accurate information from your credit report. Billing statements and past due notices were sent to your online inbox prior to your account going over 90 days past due. This will provide you with an opportunity to contact us if you are past due and/or having difficulty making payments before negative reporting occurs. We have attached a copy of your Promissory Note as well, for your review. In accordance with federal regulations, XXXX must report your federal student loans to consumer reporting agencies. We will report your loans in a past due status if they are 90 days delinquent at month end. From XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, normally, your loans would be considered delinquent and reported to the national credit reporting agencies. However, because of actions announced by XXXX XXXX when the CARES Act Forbearance was ending, the XXXX Department of Education had created a temporary on-ramp period to support you as you start or restart payments following the pandemic pause. As part of the on-ramp, XXXX applied XXXX forbearance to your student loan account for the payments you missed during that time period. This XXXX have been what you referred to as a deferment in your complaint, that you believed your account to be on. If you still believe the information reported is not accurate, please provide additional supporting information. This can include the following : a copy of the relevant section ( XXXX ) of your credit report highlighting the disputed reporting, canceled checks or bank statements reflecting loan payments you believe were not applied to your account, school enrollment information related to the loan ( XXXX ) involved in the reporting, an identity theft report and supporting information if you believe your loan is the result of identity theft. This requires filing a report with your local police department or submitting an identity theft claim at XXXX, and any other information you believe is pertinent to your claim. Once we receive this additional information, well be able to research your inquiry further. Please submit the documents listed to the below address : Aidvantage - XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  : Credit Bureau XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX If you require additional assistance, our representatives are available by calling XXXX. Visit https : /XXXX for a current listing of our hours. 

Rebuttal to Response : To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for your response. However, I must respectfully disagree with your findings and maintain that the negative reporting on my credit file is not only unfair under the circumstances, but it fails to acknowledge the servicers communication shortcomings that directly contributed to this issue. XXXX. Inaccurate or Ineffective Communication While your records show that my email address was changed on XX/XX/XXXX, I would like to reiterate that no paper billing statements, notices, or phone calls were received prior to the delinquency. If the only method of contact was email, and those emails went unopened or unacknowledged, that alone should have triggered additional outreachespecially considering the importance of the matter and the federal guidelines surrounding fair servicing practices. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires not just accurate reporting, but fair and reasonable procedures to assure the maximum possible accuracy of the information provided. In this case, there was no direct, effective communication alerting me that my loan was exiting forbearance and entering repayment. This falls short of what a reasonable borrower would expect and undermines the spirit of the on-ramp support period announced by the Department of Education XXXX XXXX. Miscommunication Regarding Forbearance vs. Deferment You referenced the on-ramp forbearance as a clarification for the term " deferment '' used in my complaint. While I appreciate the explanation, the core issue remains : no notice was received indicating the transition from the on-ramp status to full repayment, nor any reminder that missed payments were being counted toward a delinquency timeline. I was led to believe I was still under a protected status during this period. XXXX. Good Faith and Reasonable Expectation As a borrower affected by the pandemic-related payment pauses and the evolving federal guidelines, I acted in good faith and expected clear, proactive communication about when payments were required again. The lack of such communication, especially in the form of a paper statement or a direct phone call, deprived me of the opportunity to act in time and avoid credit damage. XXXX. Request for Reconsideration or Resolution Given the above, I am formally requesting : A goodwill adjustment to remove the late payment ( XXXX ) from my credit report, considering the lack of adequate notice and the transition period confusion. An internal audit of the notifications actually sent and confirmation of whether any physical mail or phone calls were attempted. An opportunity to resolve this matter equitably without prolonged impact to my credit for circumstances beyond my control. Should this matter remain unresolved, I will consider escalating this dispute further, as I believe my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and related consumer protection statutes have been compromised. Thank you for your time and further attention to this matter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief