Credit Report has conflicting information

[AM11699]

I am really confused. My last car payment had fees I did not know about and as a result I underpaid my last payment resulting in lates. On two of my credit reports TU and EQ my payment status does not match history legend.  Example: on Transunion history legend show 30 day late but payment status states "not more than 2 payment late". On EQ my history legent has 60 day late put payment status states "30-59 days late". I have previously disputed these as they are erroneus and report came back updated. Which do lenders use the payment history legend or the payment status? Why don't they match?

[TheKid2]

For an honest mistake you should contact the creditor and ask them for forgiveness to remove the late. If you had a perfect payment history with them, they may remove it. They send an updated report and it goes away.

Disputing with the CRAs instead of working with your creditor will always be dangerous when you know you were late. 

[christy2951hernandez]

Hello @AM11699 ,

I understand how confusing and frustrating it can be when your credit report contains conflicting information, especially regarding late payments. In your situation, it's important to know how lenders might interpret these discrepancies.

Lenders typically look at both the payment history and the payment status when evaluating your credit report. However, the specific focus can vary by lender. The payment history legend provides a detailed month-by-month record of your payment behavior, while the payment status gives an overall summary.

Make a detailed note of the differences between the payment history legend and the payment status on each report (TransUnion and Equifax).

Reach out to both TransUnion and Equifax to dispute the inconsistencies again. Provide any supporting documentation you have that can clarify the actual status of your payments.

Contact your car loan provider to discuss the fees that led to the underpayment. Request a detailed statement that shows these fees and how they impacted your payment status. This documentation can be useful in your dispute.

Keep a close eye on your credit reports to ensure that any corrections are accurately reflected. Tools like credit monitoring services can alert you to changes.