Credit Report Codes & Terms Glossary

New to this? Read how to read your credit report and spot reporting errors, a step-by-step guide that uses these terms. When you find an error, our dispute letter builder writes the letter.

Report codes

Account status code: The account status code is the field that tells the bureaus where an account stands right now: current, a certain number of days past due, paid, closed, in collection, charged off, repossessed or in foreclosure. It drives the status line you see on each account.
Authorized user (AU): An authorized user can use someone else's credit card but is not legally responsible for paying it. Issuers may report the account on the authorized user's credit report too, coded to show that the person is an authorized user, not an owner.
Compliance condition code: A compliance condition code is the field a furnisher uses to tell the credit bureaus whether you have disputed an account and where that dispute stands. It is what makes a note like "disputed by consumer" appear on your credit report.
Consumer information indicator (bankruptcy codes): The consumer information indicator is the field furnishers use to flag special conditions on an account, most often bankruptcy: that the account is part of a bankruptcy case and what happened to the debt. It controls whether an account shows as "included in bankruptcy."
Deceased indicator: A deceased indicator marks you, or one of your accounts, as belonging to a person who has died. It is meant to protect a dead person's credit from fraud, so when it lands on a living person by mistake it is a serious error to fix quickly.
ECOA code: The ECOA code is the field a furnisher uses to say how you are connected to an account: for example, individual borrower, joint borrower, co-signer or authorized user. It decides whether a debt shows up on your report as one you owe.
Metro 2 format: Metro 2 is the standard electronic file format most creditors and collectors use to send account data to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and Innovis, usually monthly. Most of what you see on a credit report started as a coded Metro 2 field.
Payment rating and payment history grid: The payment history grid is the month-by-month record on each account showing whether you paid on time or were 30, 60, 90 or more days late. The payment rating is a related furnisher code describing how delinquent the account is.
Special comment code: A special comment code adds a short remark to an account on your credit report, such as "closed at consumer's request," "card lost or stolen" or a note about the account's terms. These remarks explain the account but can also make it look worse if they're wrong.
XB code (account disputed): XB is a compliance condition code a furnisher sends to the credit bureaus to show that you dispute the account information under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. It is what lets a bureau show the account as disputed by you.
XC code (investigation complete, consumer disagrees): XC is a compliance condition code a furnisher sends when it has finished investigating your dispute and you still disagree with the result. It is the code that keeps your ongoing disagreement visible after the investigation ends.
XH code (previously disputed, now resolved): XH is a compliance condition code a furnisher sends after it finishes investigating a dispute. In one federal case it was described as meaning the account was previously in dispute and is now resolved. It can be misleading if you still disagree.

Dates on your report

Date closed: The date closed is when the creditor reports that an account stopped being open for use. A closed account can still show a balance and stay on your report for years. If you closed the account yourself, the creditor must report that you did.
Date of first delinquency: The date of first delinquency is the month and year you first fell behind on an account and never caught up. It starts the seven-year clock for removing a late account, collection, or charge-off, and it should not change when the debt is paid, sold, or disputed.
Date of last payment: The date of last payment is the most recent date a payment was made on an account. It is not the date that controls how long negative items stay on your credit report; that is the date of first delinquency. Mixing up the two is a common reporting error.
Date opened: The date opened is the date the creditor says your account began. It shows how old the account is, but it does not control how long negative information can stay on your report. A collection agency's account may show a newer open date than the original debt.
Date reported / date of account information: The date reported is when the creditor last sent an update about the account to the credit bureau. It tells you how current the balance and status are. It changes every time the creditor reports and does not reset how long negative information can stay on your report.
Re-aging: Re-aging is reporting a later delinquency date than the real one, so an old negative account looks newer and stays on your credit report past its legal time limit. The term is also used for a creditor bringing a past-due account current through a workout plan, which is a different thing.

Accounts and balances

Balance: The balance is the amount the creditor says you owed on an account as of the date it last reported. A paid-off or settled account, or one the creditor sold, should generally show a zero balance from that creditor.
Collection account: A collection account is a debt that was turned over to a collection agency or sold to a debt buyer, or that the creditor itself moved into collection. It is a serious negative item and can generally be reported for about seven and a half years from the first missed payment.
Credit limit: The credit limit is the most you are allowed to borrow on a revolving account, such as a credit card or line of credit. A missing or understated limit can make it look like you are using more of your available credit than you are.
Debt buyer: A debt buyer is a company that buys unpaid debts, usually charged-off accounts, from the original creditor or another buyer and then tries to collect them. Debt buyers often report the debt to the credit bureaus as a collection account under their own name.
High credit: High credit is the most you have ever owed on a revolving account, or the original amount of a loan. It is a historical figure, not your current balance and not your credit limit.
Original creditor: The original creditor is the company that first gave you the loan or credit, such as a bank, card issuer, or phone company. When a debt goes to a collection agency or debt buyer, the collection account should name the original creditor so you, and the bureaus, can tell what debt it is.
Past-due amount: The past-due amount is how much of what you owe was late as of the date the creditor last reported. It is usually smaller than the total balance. A paid, settled, sold, or discharged account generally should not show a past-due amount.
Public records: Public records are court and government records of a financial nature, like bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens. Since 2017–2018, bankruptcies are the only public records the three nationwide bureaus report. Judgments and liens may still appear on other kinds of reports.
Tradeline: A tradeline is one account listed on your credit report, such as a credit card, auto loan, mortgage, student loan, or collection. Each tradeline shows who reported it, the type of account, balance, limit or loan amount, key dates, and your payment history.

Account statuses

Charge-off: A charge-off means the creditor wrote your unpaid account off its books as a loss, usually after about six months of missed payments. You may still owe the debt, and the account can be sold to a collector. A charge-off can be reported for seven years from the delinquency that led to it.
Closed by credit grantor: Closed by credit grantor means the lender, not you, closed the account. It can follow late payments, but it can also happen because of inactivity or suspected fraud. The note by itself is not treated as negative, though losing the credit line can affect your scores.
Derogatory mark: A derogatory mark is any negative item on your credit report, such as a late payment of 30 days or more, a charge-off, a collection, a repossession, or a bankruptcy. Most derogatory items can be reported for seven years; a bankruptcy can stay up to ten. Inaccurate ones can be disputed.
Included in bankruptcy / discharged: "Included in bankruptcy" means an account was listed in your bankruptcy case. Once the debt is discharged, the account should show "discharged in bankruptcy" with a $0 balance, because you no longer owe it. The account's own history can stay for seven years, separate from the bankruptcy record.
Late payment (30, 60, 90 days): A late payment is a creditor's report that you were 30, 60, 90 or more days behind on a payment. Lenders generally don't report a payment late until it is at least 30 days past due. A late payment can stay on your report for up to seven years.
Paid charge-off: A paid charge-off is an account the creditor wrote off as a loss that you later paid in full. The status shows the debt is satisfied and the balance should be $0, but the charge-off itself stays on the report. Paying it does not restart the seven-year reporting clock.
Repossession: A repossession means the lender took back the car or other property that secured your loan, usually after missed payments. Handing it back yourself is a voluntary surrender. Any shortfall after the sale may still be owed, and the repossession can stay on your report for seven years.
Settled for less than full balance: Settled for less than the full balance means you and the creditor or collector agreed to close the debt for less than you owed, and you paid that amount. The balance should then show $0. The bureaus treat a settlement as negative, and it can stay for seven years from the original delinquency.
Transferred or sold: Transferred or sold means the original creditor moved your account to another company, often a debt buyer, collector, or new loan servicer. The old account should show a $0 balance, and the new owner reports the debt on its own. The sale does not reset the seven-year reporting clock.

Disputes

ACDV (automated consumer dispute verification): An ACDV is the electronic form a credit bureau sends through e-OSCAR to the company that reported an account, asking it to check a consumer's dispute. It carries a dispute reason code and a short note. The furnisher answers on the same form by verifying, changing, or deleting the account.
AUD (automated universal data form): An AUD is the electronic form a lender, collector or other furnisher sends through e-OSCAR to correct or delete an account it already reported, without waiting for its next regular monthly update. Unlike an ACDV, the furnisher starts it and chooses which bureaus receive it.
Direct dispute: A direct dispute is one you send straight to the lender, collector or other company that reported the information, rather than to a credit bureau. Under Regulation V, the furnisher must investigate most direct disputes about your account and report the results to you within the same time a bureau would have.
e-OSCAR: e-OSCAR is the online system Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and Innovis use to send credit report disputes to the companies that reported the information, and to receive their answers. Your dispute is usually boiled down to a reason code and a short note before it is sent.
Frivolous or irrelevant dispute: A credit bureau or furnisher can refuse to investigate a dispute it reasonably decides is frivolous or irrelevant, such as one with too little information or a repeat with nothing new. It must tell you within five business days, explain why, and say what information it needs.
Method of verification: Method of verification is the common name for your right to ask a credit bureau how it confirmed an item you disputed. If the bureau verified the item, you can request a description of the procedure it used, including the furnisher's contact information, and the bureau must answer within 15 days.
Mixed file: A mixed file happens when a credit bureau puts another person's accounts, inquiries, addresses or public records into your file, usually because you share a similar name, Social Security number, or address. It can also go the other way, with your accounts landing in someone else's file.
Reinvestigation: A reinvestigation is the investigation a credit bureau must do, free, when you dispute something in your file. It generally has 30 days to check with the company that reported it, consider your evidence, and correct or delete anything inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable, then send you the results in writing.
Statement of dispute (consumer statement): A statement of dispute is a short note, usually up to 100 words, that you can add to your credit file when a bureau's investigation doesn't resolve your dispute. The bureau must flag the item as disputed in later reports and include your statement or a clear summary of it.

Your rights and protections

Adverse action notice: An adverse action notice tells you a company denied you or gave you worse terms based on a consumer report. It must name the reporting agency, say that agency didn't make the decision, include any credit score used, and explain your right to a free report within 60 days and to dispute errors.
Consumer reporting agency: A consumer reporting agency is a company that regularly gathers or evaluates information about people and sells reports about them to others for fees. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are the most familiar, but tenant, employment, and check screening companies can be CRAs too.
File disclosure: A file disclosure is the copy of your credit file a consumer reporting agency must give you on request. It must include everything in your file, the sources of that information, and who received your report. It's free once a year from each nationwide bureau and in other situations.
Fraud alert: A fraud alert is a free note on your credit file telling lenders to verify your identity before opening new credit in your name. An initial alert lasts one year; an extended alert for identity theft victims lasts seven. Placing it with one nationwide bureau places it with all three.
Furnisher: A furnisher is a company that sends information about you to a credit bureau, such as a bank, card issuer, lender, servicer, or collection agency. The FCRA requires furnishers to report accurately, correct errors, and investigate disputes the bureaus forward to them.
Hard inquiry: A hard inquiry is a record that a company pulled your credit report because you applied for something, like a loan, credit card, or apartment. Other lenders can see hard inquiries, and scoring models may count recent ones against you. An inquiry you never authorized can be disputed.
Identity theft block: An identity theft block is your right to have a credit bureau stop reporting information that resulted from identity theft. If you send proof of identity, an identity theft report, and a list of the fraudulent items, the bureau generally must block them within four business days.
Nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency: A nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency keeps files nationwide on one kind of history: medical records or payments, rental history, check writing, employment history, or insurance claims. You can get a free file disclosure from each one every 12 months.
Obsolete information: Obsolete information is negative information too old to be reported under the FCRA. Most negative items, including collections and charge-offs, must come off after about seven years; bankruptcies after 10. Reporting it past the limit is an error you can dispute.
Permissible purpose: A permissible purpose is a legal reason, listed in the FCRA, that allows a company to get your credit or background report, such as a credit application you made, an account review, employment with your written consent, or a court order. Without one, no one may obtain your report.
Security freeze: A security freeze stops a credit bureau from releasing your report to most new creditors until you lift it, which makes it hard for anyone to open new credit in your name. Federal law makes placing and lifting a freeze free. You must place it with each bureau separately.
Soft inquiry: A soft inquiry is a record that your credit report was viewed for a reason that isn't a new application, like an existing lender's account review, a prescreened offer, or you checking your own report. Soft inquiries appear only on your own copy and do not affect your credit scores.

Written by FCRA Attorneys from public sources: the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Regulation V, CFPB and FTC publications, the credit bureaus' consumer pages and federal court opinions. Not affiliated with any credit bureau or industry association.

Credit report codes and terms, in plain English