Deceased Indicators

If you are a consumer reading this, it is because you have been told or learned that one or more of your credit reports has a deceased indicator on it.

That means you were mistakenly reported dead when it comes to your credit. This is a big deal. These can also have high case values because it violates the law.

What is a deceased indicator?

A deceased indicator is a term used to describe the code they use to say that a consumer is dead. This information gets inserted into your credit report. It simply says, "deceased". That the end result the deceased indicator. 

Having these deceased indicators on your report will shut down your report because that's what they do when you die. They close your open accounts. 

Where is the Equifax deceased indicator located on my credit report? 

You can find the results of a deceased indicator on your Equifax report by:

1.  Looking at each account on report.
2. Specifically, look who is "responsible" for each account.
3. It will read individual, joint, deceased, undetermined.
4. If it reads "deceased", then you have found the Equifax deceased indicator.
5. If you locate the deceased indicator, you rights have likely been violated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and are entitled to damages.

Where is the deceased indicator located on my Trans Union credit report?

Here is how you can find any deceased indicators on your Trans Union report by:

1.  Look at each account on Trans Union report.
2. Each account will say who is "responsible" for that bill.
3. It states either individual, joint, deceased, or undetermined.
4. If it reads "deceased", then you have found your Trans Union deceased indicator.
5. If it reads "undetermined", that may mean they are confused.
6. If you locate the deceased indicator or even undetermined, you rights have likely been violated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and are entitled to damages.

Where is a deceased indicator located on my Experian credit report?

You can find a deceased indicator on your Experian report by:

1.  Look at each account on report.
2. Specifically, look who is "responsible" for each account.
3. It will read individual, joint, deceased, undetermined.
4. If it reads "deceased", then you have found the Experian deceased indicator.
5. If you locate the deceased indicator, you rights have likely been violated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and are entitled to damages.

Final Points Behind the Scenes:

• The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) stops lenders from using discriminatory practices when approving loans. To comply with the ECOA, Defendants use a set of codes in a manner that does not reveal sensitive information.
• For example, furnishers designate the person responsible for paying a debt by marking certain symbols in the ECOA field..
• When a furnisher reports that a consumer is deceased, Defendant places a notation on that individual tradeline. Furnishers identify “deceased” consumers by marking the “status” of such consumer’s responsibility for any subject account with an “X” code in the ECOA field of an electronic data input format used in the credit reporting industry, known as “Metro” or “Metro 2.”
• By the time the report gets to you, instead of X, it will actually say "deceased".