Bureau-ready Metro 2 collections files, without a data engineering team
Send us your collection-platform export. We map it, validate it against the CDIA CRRG, fix what's wrong, and hand back a bureau-ready first file you can deliver to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis.
Built for
What makes reporting hard here
The bureaus require Metro 2, and your collection platform exports a CSV
CollectMax, Collect!, Simplicity, DAKCS, Latitude and similar systems export account data as flat files or reports, not as a fixed-width Metro 2 file with valid Base, J1/J2, and trailer segments. Bridging that gap by hand is where most first files die.
A rejected first file stalls reporting for a full cycle
Bureaus reject files for invalid Account Status codes, bad date formatting, missing K2 original-creditor segments, or a malformed Header/Trailer. A single rejection can cost you a month before the data ever reaches a consumer report.
Original-creditor and purchased-debt tracking is easy to get wrong
Debt buyers must report the original creditor (Field K2 / Purchased From) and a Purchased Indicator, and must not stack a duplicate tradeline on top of the original furnisher's. Getting the relationship wrong creates obsolescence and re-aging exposure under the FCRA.
Collections-specific status codes are unforgiving
Paid collections, settled-for-less, disputed accounts, and deletions each map to a specific combination of Account Status, Compliance Condition Code, and Special Comment. A Delete (DA) sent at the wrong time, or a paid account left open, becomes a dispute magnet.
Disputes arrive through e-OSCAR with no pipeline to answer them
Once you furnish, you inherit FCRA 1681s-2 reinvestigation duties. ACDVs flow in through e-OSCAR and must be answered within 30 days, but small shops rarely have a structured way to track, respond to, and document those responses.
Send us your data export. We hand back a bureau-ready, validated first file.
This is a concierge first-file motion, not a do-it-yourself upload. You give us the raw export from your collection or loan platform; we do the mapping, run it through the 240+ rule CRRG validator, fix the errors with you, generate the fixed-width Metro 2 file, and prepare automated SFTP delivery to the bureaus you choose.
- We auto-detect your column layout from a sample export — no template to fill in first
- We map your fields to Metro 2 Base, J1/J2, and K-segment requirements, including original-creditor (K2) data for purchased debt
- We validate against the CDIA Credit Reporting Resource Guide (CRRG) and show every error in plain language with the fix
- We generate the fixed-width, bureau-ready file and verify it passes before it leaves the system
- We deliver via automated SFTP to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis, or hand you the file to deliver yourself
- We set up your recurring monthly cycle and a dispute/e-OSCAR response workflow so the second file is push-button
How your first file comes together
- 1
1. Export your accounts from your collection or loan platform
Run your platform's standard account or tradeline export to CSV or Excel — placement date, balances, statuses, original creditor, and consumer identifiers. No reformatting required; raw is fine.
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2. We auto-map your fields to Metro 2
Our importer detects your headers and proposes a mapping to Metro 2 Base Segment, J1/J2 associated-consumer segments, and the K2 original-creditor segment. You confirm or adjust the mapping once; we save it for every future file.
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3. We validate against the CDIA CRRG (240+ rules)
The file runs through the full rule engine: Account Status, Payment Rating, Compliance Condition Codes, date logic, DOFD presence, ECOA/Association codes, and Header/Trailer integrity. Every failure is reported with the offending field and a human-readable reason.
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4. We fix the errors with you
We resolve formatting and mapping issues directly, and flag the data-quality questions only you can answer — a missing Date of First Delinquency, an ambiguous paid-vs-settled status, or a purchased account that needs an original-creditor name.
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5. We generate the bureau-ready fixed-width file
Once validation is clean, we generate the fixed-width Metro 2 file with a correct Header and Trailer and re-verify it passes before delivery. You get an auditable record of what was generated and when.
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6. We deliver and schedule the recurring cycle
We send the file by automated SFTP to the bureaus you select, then set up your monthly cadence and an e-OSCAR/ACDV dispute-response workflow so subsequent files are routine.
Where your data lives
We do not maintain self-serve marketplace integrations with collection platforms; every source above is onboarded by ingesting your standard export (CSV/SFTP) or, where noted, by enabling a per-account scheduled feed. The first file never waits on a connector.
We ingest the standard CollectMax account/report export; there is no self-serve API connector, so data flows via CSV/SFTP.
We read Collect!'s exported report files; mapping is saved once and reused each cycle.
We ingest Simplicity's account export as CSV; no native connector is required to produce your first file.
We can enable a per-account export pipeline from DAKCS on request; default flow is CSV/SFTP from your scheduled reports.
We support Latitude via your data export and can arrange a per-account scheduled feed; we do not claim a self-serve marketplace connector.
We ingest the RMEx tradeline/account export as a flat file; the mapping is reusable across monthly cycles.
We enable an ACE export feed per account; until then, the standard CSV export works for the first file.
BHPH and small-lender systems that export a CSV or fixed report are supported through the same auto-mapping flow.
Any platform that can produce a CSV or Excel export — or drop a file on SFTP — can be onboarded; this is the universal path.
Collections Metro 2 launch checklist
The pre-furnishing steps that keep a collections or small-lender first file from getting rejected — and keep you compliant once you start reporting.
- Confirm your bureau subscriber codes are active
- Decide which bureaus you will furnish to
- Send the Regulation F validation notice before furnishing
- Capture a Date of First Delinquency (DOFD) for every account
- Record the original creditor for purchased or placed debt
Debt collector & small lender mapping template
How the column headers in a typical collection-platform or loan-servicing export line up with Metro 2 / CRRG fields. Use it as the starting point for your saved mapping; examples contain no real PII.
| Your column | Metro 2 field |
|---|---|
| AccountNumber | Base Segment — Account Number |
| OriginalCreditor | K2 Segment — Purchased From / Sold To Name |
| PortfolioType | Base Segment — Account Type |
| PlacementDate | Base Segment — Date Opened |
| FirstDelinquencyDate | Base Segment — Date of First Delinquency (DOFD) |
| CurrentBalance | Base Segment — Current Balance |
Compliance you can stand behind
FCRA furnisher accuracy and reinvestigation duties (15 U.S.C. 1681s-2)
Once you furnish to a CRA you are a data furnisher: you must report accurate information, correct or update it when you learn it is wrong, and investigate consumer disputes received through the bureaus (typically via e-OSCAR ACDVs) within the statutory window. The platform's validation and audit trail support those duties.
FDCPA and CFPB Regulation F (12 CFR 1006) furnishing timing
Regulation F generally prohibits a debt collector from reporting a debt to a consumer reporting agency before sending the validation notice and allowing the required period to pass. Confirm your validation-notice timing before the first file is delivered; Metro 2 formatting does not waive FDCPA obligations.
Date of First Delinquency, obsolescence, and re-aging (FCRA 1681c / 1681s-2(a)(5))
Most collection and charge-off accounts are obsolete and must drop off roughly 7 years after the original DOFD. Carrying the true DOFD through to the file — and never resetting it on placement, purchase, or payment — is essential to avoid illegal re-aging.
CDIA Credit Reporting Resource Guide (CRRG) conformance
The bureaus accept Metro 2 files that conform to the CDIA CRRG. The 240+ rule validator checks Account Status, Payment Rating, Compliance Condition Codes, segment structure, and Header/Trailer integrity against that standard before any file is delivered.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to build a Metro 2 file myself, or can you do the first one?
We do the first one with you. You send a sample export from your collection or loan platform; we auto-detect the columns, map them to Metro 2, run the CRRG validation, fix the errors together, generate the bureau-ready file, and prepare delivery. You confirm the mapping once and future files are largely push-button.
I'm a debt buyer — how do you handle original-creditor and purchased-debt reporting?
Purchased accounts are reported under your subscriber code with the original creditor captured in the K2 segment (Purchased From) and a Purchased Indicator set. We also help you carry the true original Date of First Delinquency so the 7-year obsolescence clock isn't reset, which is the most common purchased-debt compliance trap.
How do I report a paid or settled collection versus a delete?
Each maps to a specific Metro 2 combination. A paid collection updates the Account Status to paid with the appropriate Special Comment; a settlement uses a settled-for-less comment; and a Delete (DA) is reserved for accounts you intend to remove entirely — recalled, sold back, or invalid. We help you pick the right combination rather than guessing.
When can I start furnishing after sending the validation notice?
Under CFPB Regulation F, a debt collector generally cannot furnish a debt to a consumer reporting agency until it has sent the validation notice and the required period has passed. We can format and validate the file at any time, but you should confirm your validation-notice timing with your compliance counsel before the first delivery goes live.
What happens when consumers dispute the accounts I report?
Once you furnish, you inherit FCRA reinvestigation duties. Disputes arrive as ACDVs through e-OSCAR and must be investigated and answered within the statutory window, generally 30 days. We help you stand up a structured workflow to track, respond to, and document those responses, and to push corrections into the next file.
Which bureaus do you deliver to, and how?
We deliver via automated SFTP to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis. You choose which of the four you furnish to — you're not required to report to all of them — and we set up consistent monthly delivery to the ones you pick. You can also take the generated file and deliver it yourself.
My platform only exports a CSV. Is that a problem?
No — a CSV or Excel export is exactly what we need. CollectMax, Collect!, Simplicity, DAKCS, Latitude, RMEx, BHPH loan systems, and generic exports all flow through the same auto-mapping path. We don't require a special API connector to produce your first file.
Can I test a file before sending real data to the bureaus?
Yes. You can generate and validate against the CRRG in sandbox/test mode first, confirm the file passes the 240+ rule engine, and only then promote that same file to a live SFTP delivery. Every generation is recorded in an audit trail.
Other solutions
Get your first collections file reviewed
Send us a sample export from your collection or loan platform and we'll map it, validate it against the CRRG, and show you exactly what your bureau-ready first file looks like.