Are you ready to furnish to the credit bureaus?
Nine quick questions about your data, bureau relationships, and compliance posture. You'll get a readiness score and a personalized action plan — no account required.
1. Do you have subscriber (member) codes with the credit bureaus yet?
A subscriber code is the unique identifier each bureau issues a data furnisher. You need one per bureau you intend to report to, and they are tied to your business entity and the type of accounts you furnish.
2. Where does your account and payment data live today?
Metro 2 files are built from your portfolio data. The cleaner and more structured the source, the faster you can map fields and generate a file.
3. Do you know your Metro 2 account types and portfolio type?
Every tradeline carries an Account Type (e.g. installment, revolving, mortgage, open) and a Portfolio Type. Choosing the wrong codes is one of the most common reasons a file is rejected or misreports.
4. How comfortable are you with DOFD and the other required Metro 2 fields?
Date of First Delinquency (DOFD) drives the FCRA seven-year obsolescence clock and is one of the most scrutinized fields on a file. Alongside it you must populate balance, status, ECOA, and a set of other required fields correctly.
5. Do you have a documented FCRA dispute-handling process?
As a furnisher you are obligated to investigate disputes (both direct disputes and ACDV/AUD requests routed through e-OSCAR) and respond within the FCRA timeframes. A written, repeatable process keeps you compliant and audit-ready.
6. Roughly how many active accounts will you report each month?
Volume affects tier selection and how much you will lean on automation, but furnishers of every size are welcome. Even a handful of accounts must be reported correctly and on a consistent monthly cadence.
7. What is your data-security posture for handling consumer data?
Credit-reporting data is sensitive personal information. Bureaus expect furnishers to protect it in transit and at rest, control access, and be able to describe their safeguards during onboarding and audits.
8. Have you ever generated or validated a Metro 2 file before?
Producing a fixed-width Metro 2 file and passing CDIA CRRG validation is a learnable skill. Prior experience shortens your runway, but first-time furnishers launch successfully all the time with the right tooling.
9. Do you plan to report to one bureau or all four?
You can furnish to any combination of Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis. Each bureau requires its own subscriber code and SFTP relationship, so broader coverage means more onboarding up front but more complete reporting for consumers.