Consumer complaint received 2025-08-07 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: MN

Complaint narrative:
Subject : CFPB Complaint Misclassification and Utilization Distortion of Closed XXXX XXXX XXXX  by Equifax Institution Address : Equifax XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  This formal complaint is submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) regarding Equifaxs handling of a closed credit card account issued by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ), Account No. [ REDACTED ]. Despite the account being closed by the creditor on XX/XX/XXXX, Equifax continues to report it as an open revolving tradeline with a Narrative code description of XXXX ( XXXX Closed by Credit Grantor , XXXX Card ) and a balance of {$17000.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX. This reporting is factually inaccurate, materially misleading, and legally noncompliant with FCRA 1681e ( b ), 1681s-2, and industry-standard Metro 2 Format .

This complaint is now being submitted directly to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ), supplementing two ( 2 ) original dispute letters already filed with Equifax ( Exhibit 66 ), along with Equifaxs dispute results issued on August 4, 2025 ( Exhibit 67 ) and August 5, 2025 ( Exhibit 68 ). I have also preserved documentation for further escalation to the Minnesota Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission if corrective action is not taken.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) ( Exhibit 901 ) o ID FOR COMPLAINT : XXXX o Filed XX/XX/XXXX. 

National Credit Union Administration ( NCUA ) Consumer Assistance Center ( Exhibit XXXX ) o Case Number : XXXX o Filed : XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. Chronology and Reporting Misconduct 1.1. Equifax XXXX XXXX Credit Scores Reporting The historical record obtained directly from Equifaxs consumer disclosure confirms that from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, the account in question was reported with a Narrative Code Description of XXXX ( XXXX-Credit Card ) every month, indicating current, paying or paid as agreed. There were no balances, no past due amounts, no missed payments, and no derogatory remarks during this period. This pattern held for 49 consecutive months, clearly establishing a positive and compliant payment history in accordance with FCRA 1681e ( b ) ( Exhibit XXXX ). 

Beginning in or about XX/XX/XXXX, after the creditor closed the account, Equifax began appending the Narrative code description of XXXX ( XXXX Closed by Credit Grantor , XXXXCredit Card ) while continuing to rate the Account Status : PAYS_AS_AGREED and report scheduled payments, an open balance, and a full credit limit. The insertion of " XXXX '' confirms acknowledgment of creditor-initiated closure, yet Equifax failed to reclassify the account type, zero out the credit limit, or remove it from revolving utilization calculations. This reporting contradiction has caused measurable damage to my credit profile and is entirely attributable to Equifaxs post-closure handling. The legal and factual record makes clear that the consumer was not at fault, and that Equifax 's ongoing misreporting constitutes a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Metro 2 Format guidelines. 

This XXXX drop occurred despite no derogatory payment behavior or consumer-initiated changes and is traceable to Equifaxs ongoing treatment of the XXXX account as an open revolving tradeline rather than a closed, non-utilized account. As the supporting Equifax files show ( Exhibit XXXX, Exhibit XXXX, and Exhibit XXXX ), the bureau continues to report a full balance, active monthly payment, and unadjusted credit limit more than a year after closure, all of which misstate the true nature of the account and inflate risk modeling inputs. 

XXXX. Equifax XXXX XXXX Credit Scores Damage Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) XXXX. Equifax FICO XXXX via XXXX Credit Scores Reporting Beginning in XX/XX/XXXX, Equifax FICO XXXX via XXXX  Report shows my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account as an Account type : Revolving with a Status : Pays account as agreed and Comments : Account closed by credit grantor. As of XX/XX/XXXX, the account still reflects an active credit limit of {$27000.00} and a reported balance of {$17000.00}, and a Credit Usage : 65 %, despite being closed by the creditor on XX/XX/XXXX, and no longer offering credit access ( Exhibit XXXX ). 

When clicking inside Equifax FICO XXXX via XXXX Credit Reporting from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, Equifaxs reporting continued to list this account as open, current, and revolving. The Remarks field shows an active check mark up to XX/XX/XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ), which misrepresents the account as a functional revolving line of credit in good standing. Nevertheless, the Comments section says Account closed by credit grantor, this misclassification artificially inflates my revolving utilization, directly suppressing my credit score and presenting a false risk profile to lenders. 

XXXX. Equifax FICO XXXX via XXXX Credit Scores Damage Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) Equifax Credit Score XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) XXXX. Legal Violations 2.1. Failure to Reclassify Under Metro 2 Format and FCRA Standards FCRA 1681e ( b ) requires consumer reporting agencies to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the data furnished. Equifaxs continued classification of this account as revolving violates this standard. FCRA 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) prohibits the reporting of information a bureau knows or has reason to believe is inaccurate.

Metro 2 Format provides clear instruction that once a revolving credit account is closed and the consumer is no longer able to access the line, the account must be recoded to reflect its true nature. This includes : 2.1.1. Changing the account type to Closed-End or Installment ( not Revolving ) 2.1.2. Setting the available credit and credit limit to zero 2.1.3. Ensuring that Remarks codes such as CBG or CLO are not contradicted by an open revolving status 2.1.4. Properly populating the Date Closed field 2.1.5. Removing the account from revolving utilization scoring logic 2.1.6. By failing to implement these changes, Equifax is propagating misleading data in violation of Metro 2 data logic and credit reporting accuracy obligations.

2.2. Suppression Required During Statutory Reinvestigation Window Under FCRA 1681i, Equifax is obligated to conduct a reinvestigation of disputed information and complete its resolution within 30 days. During this window, the disputed tradeline must not be allowed to influence credit scoring algorithms or generate further adverse effects. Any updates to this tradeline that affect utilization, available credit, or payment history must be immediately suppressed until the dispute is resolved and accurate data is confirmed.

Equifaxs failure to suppress score-impacting activity related to this account during the reinvestigation period would constitute a separate violation under 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ).

2.3. Impact on Credit Score and Financial Standing The continued treatment of this closed tradeline as an active revolving account has artificially inflated my utilization ratio and damaged my credit score. This impact is quantifiable. As shown in score simulations submitted to federal regulators, a {$55000.00} reduction in revolving credit lines, including this account, caused a utilization spike from XXXX percent to over XXXX percent. This resulted in score drops across all major credit bureaus, including Equifax ( Exhibit XXXX and Exhibit XXXX ). 

From XX/XX/XXXX, my Equifax XXXX score had fallen from XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) to XXXX by XX/XX/XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ), despite continued on-time payments and reduced balances. From XX/XX/XXXX, my Equifax FICO XXXX score via XXXX fell from XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ) to XXXX by XX/XX/XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ). By XX/XX/XXXX it had only partially recovered to XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX ), despite continued on-time payments and reduced balances. 
The historical reporting data confirms that this account was rated OK with no late payments, delinquencies, or derogatory marks for more than five years prior to the closure, from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ( Exhibit XXXX and Exhibit XXXX ). This record further supports that the issue lies entirely in post-closure bureau handling, not consumer behavior. 

3. Required Corrective Action Accordingly, I demand that Equifax take the following actions : 3.1. Reclassify the account type from Revolving to Closed-End or Installment.

3.2. Set the available credit and credit limit to zero.

3.3. Ensure the Remarks code is either CBG or CLO ( not both ), and consistent with a closed account. 
3.4. Populate the Date Closed field as XX/XX/XXXX. 
3.5. Suppress all score-affecting activity for this tradeline during and after the dispute resolution process.

3.6. Provide written confirmation detailing the outcome of the reinvestigation and specifying all corrections made to this tradeline, as required under FCRA 1681i ( a ) ( 6 ) ( B ).

3.7. Regulatory Notice : Pursuant to FCRA 1681g ( a ) ( 2 ), I also request a copy of the tradeline as it appears in your file at the time of reinvestigation completion, including all data fields submitted by the furnisher and any alterations made by Equifaxs internal Metro 2 parsing system.

3.8. Should XXXX ( the creditor ) independently choose to reopen this account in the future, whether in response to ongoing investigations by the CFPB or NCUA, that development does not eliminate Equifaxs duty to correct prior misreporting or its legal obligations under FCRA 1681e ( b ) and 1681i.

Equifax has an affirmative legal obligation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) to ensure maximum possible accuracy of consumer credit data. Failure to fully and promptly correct the reporting errors identified in this dispute may result in further regulatory action and legal proceedings for damages under 15 U.S.C. 1681n and 1681o. I request a complete and itemized response confirming the outcome of your reinvestigation and the specific corrective actions taken.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief