How it works
From your billing system to the credit bureaus — on autopilot
You send us your account data once a month — from any billing, loan, or property system, even a plain spreadsheet. Metro2 does everything else: validates it, builds payment histories, generates the Metro 2 files, delivers them securely to every bureau, and reconciles the responses that come back.
The whole system in one picture
Three parts: your source system, the Metro2 platform, and the bureaus. Data flows right; bureau responses flow back.
Your source system
- Billing & invoicing exports
- Loan servicing / LOS
- Property management software
- A plain CSV or Excel file
- REST API push
One export a month is enough — no reformatting required.
We do the heavy lifting
- Store & mapYour columns auto-matched to Metro 2 fields
- Validate50+ Metro 2 & FCRA compliance checks
- Build payment histories24-month grid maintained per account
- Generate Metro 2 filesFixed-width 426-character bureau format
- EncryptPGP-encrypted with each bureau's key
Credit bureaus
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
- Innovis
- Specialty CRAswhere enrolled
Delivered on your schedule, every reporting cycle.
The loop closes automatically. Bureau accept/reject responses are pulled back over the same secure channel, parsed, and reconciled against what was sent — so every account carries a live status: received → validated → submitted → filed.
Who does what
The division of labor is deliberately lopsided. You own the data; we own the compliance, the format, and the delivery.
- Connect a sourceUpload a CSV/Excel, push to the REST API, or connect your loan or property management software.
- Send fresh data once a monthOr let a connected integration sync it automatically — then you do nothing at all.
- Review anything we flagPlain-English validation flags with the exact field and fix.
That's the whole job.
- Maps your columns to Metro 2 fields (and remembers the mapping)
- Runs 50+ compliance checks, including FCRA date and obsolescence rules
- Builds and maintains the 24-month payment history on every account
- Generates the fixed-width Metro 2 files, US and Canadian formats
- PGP-encrypts and delivers over SFTP with your bureau credentials
- Submits on schedule — monthly, biweekly, or weekly, per portfolio
- Pulls and parses bureau responses; reconciles accepts and rejects
- Tracks per-account statuses with reports, webhooks, and an API
Step by step
What actually happens between your export and an accepted tradeline at the bureaus.
You send your data
Any system that tracks who owes what works as a source: billing or invoicing software, a loan servicing platform, property management software — or just a plain CSV or Excel export. Upload it in the dashboard, push JSON to the REST API, or connect a supported loan or property management integration and let it sync automatically. One export a month is all we need.
We map and validate before anything leaves
Your column headers are auto-matched to Metro 2 fields (and the mapping is saved as a template for next month). Every record then runs through 50+ automated Metro 2 and FCRA compliance checks — required fields, allowed values, cross-field consistency, date-of-first-delinquency rules, and the FCRA 7-year obsolescence limit. Problems are flagged in plain English before anything is sent to a bureau.
Payment histories build themselves
Each account carries a 24-month payment history — one character per month in the Metro 2 format. Metro2 derives each month's status from the account data you send — statuses, delinquency, and reporting dates — and maintains the grid automatically, cycle after cycle. You never hand-code an account status.
A bureau-ready Metro 2 file is generated
On your schedule, Metro2 compiles validated accounts into the exact fixed-width character format the bureaus require — 426-character records, header through trailer, with every segment and control total in place. US and Canadian formats are both supported.
Encrypted delivery to every bureau
Files are PGP-encrypted with each bureau's public key and delivered over SFTP using your subscriber credentials — to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis, plus specialty CRAs where you're enrolled. Submissions run on a monthly, biweekly, or weekly schedule, per portfolio, without anyone clicking a button.
The loop closes with bureau responses
Metro2 polls each bureau's SFTP for response files around the clock, parses the accept and reject codes, and reconciles them against what was sent. Every account gets a live status — received, validated, submitted, filed, or rejected — surfaced in the dashboard, the API, and webhooks. Rejects come with plain-English explanations so you can fix and resubmit.
Bureau reject: DOB mismatch — corrected record queued for resubmission
Your monthly rhythm
After the first file, every cycle looks the same — and only the first column involves you.
Day 1
Send the month's data
Upload the export, push via API, or let your integration sync it.
Same day
Validate & flag
Every record checked; anything off is flagged in plain English.
Scheduled date
Generate, encrypt, deliver
Metro 2 files built, PGP-encrypted, and sent to each bureau over SFTP.
Days after
Reconcile responses
Accepts and rejects parsed; every account's status updated.
Running behind? Metro2 reminds you before your reporting window closes.
The questions everyone asks
What do we actually have to provide?
A monthly export of your accounts — borrower or customer details, balances, and payment activity — from whatever system you already use, as a CSV or Excel file. If you prefer, push the same data to our REST API or connect a supported integration. That's the whole responsibility on your side.
Do we need to understand the Metro 2 format?
No — that's the point of the platform. You send data in your own column layout; Metro2 handles the field mapping, the compliance rules, and the fixed-width file format the bureaus require.
Which bureaus do you deliver to?
Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis, plus specialty consumer reporting agencies where your program is enrolled. You choose which bureaus each portfolio reports to.
What happens if our data has errors?
Every record is validated before anything is transmitted. Issues are flagged in plain English with the exact field and fix, and non-compliant records are held back — so a bad row never turns into a bureau rejection or a compliance problem.
Do we need engineering resources?
No. A spreadsheet upload once a month is a complete workflow. The REST API and integrations exist for teams that want to automate the hand-off, but they're optional.
How do we know reporting actually worked?
Metro2 pulls the bureaus' own response files, parses every accept and reject, and reconciles them against what was sent. You see a per-account status for every cycle — plus reconciliation reports and webhooks if you want the events pushed to your systems.
Want to see it with your own data? Send us one export and we'll hand back a validated first file — or take the 2-minute readiness assessment.