Risk score reason consumer finance company

[Nocredometer69]

Hello all,

I recently had a risk code of the presence of a consumer finance company showing under Equifax only this month. This code was not showing last month when my scores were higher in the low 800s but recent credit utilization lowered my score this month. I have opened no new credit. I have had unsecured installment loans thru Amex which is invitation to apply only and Goldman Sachs Bank (Marcus) years ago and they are not in the personal lending space any longer. I have no loans with One Main, Mariner Finance, Lendmark or any CF lenders that charge usury type rates. Anyone familiar with this risk code and have some knowledge to share of what else the code could be referring too? 

[Thomas_Thumb]

Klarna and Affirm are considered CFAs. Have you purchased anything and elected to use a 4 monthly payment plan? It is a common payment option offered in on-line shopping.

[Nocredometer69]

No I have not and new credit opened recently. Would a credit card thru FNB/Sheetz which was opened March 2025? Shop at Sheetz alot

but that's a retail credit card. No new credit since March 2025. I'm puzzled....

[Nocredometer69]

Also went thru each account and none are labeled as consumer finance under loan type. Installment loans with Amex which are years old and paid show "other."

Otherwise all accounts show as credit card , mortgage, charge account or other as indicated above . I have heard Toyota Financial can report as a CFA. This shows as a vehicle loan in loan type. I am stumped . 

[GreatLife]

Same CFA thing suddenly appeared for me on Equifax in MyFico this month. I scoured thru everything on every report at the official sites for EQ/EX/TU and can't find anything coded as a CFA. And nothing SHOULD code because I've only ever used regular well known banks & FI's. 

[GZG]

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@Nocredometer69 wrote:

Hello all,

I recently had a risk code of the presence of a consumer finance company showing under Equifax only this month. This code was not showing last month when my scores were higher in the low 800s but recent credit utilization lowered my score this month. I have opened no new credit. I have had unsecured installment loans thru Amex which is invitation to apply only and Goldman Sachs Bank (Marcus) years ago and they are not in the personal lending space any longer. I have no loans with One Main, Mariner Finance, Lendmark or any CF lenders that charge usury type rates. Anyone familiar with this risk code and have some knowledge to share of what else the code could be referring too? 

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one of my old federal student loans counts as a CFA for some reason? there isn't much rhyme or reason to what is called a CFA and why.

It's not just 'bad loan = cfa'

some manufacturer dealer financing can also be a CFA too. 

if you're near to 800 and they are calling something a CFA, they really don't have much to call out

[GreatLife]

"if you're near to 800 and they are calling something a CFA, they really don't have much to call out"

^This^. I went over 800 and that's when it happened to me. Thanks!

[Nocredometer69]

Current scores a little down this month in the 780ish  range and I think that the Fico "gods" start getting knit picky. I paid off most of the debt in the last week that I charged this month so be interesting to see the new scores and reason codes then.

thank you !

[ForwardLooking]

I have "consumer finance account" reason codes too.  Nothing I have found points out what accounts they are referring to via credit report information.  I am assuming they are from older closed out accounts because every open account I have is current and from mainstream lenders.  My scores are above 800, and I think I am just at the bottom of the barrel for their hunt for reason codes they can give me.  I have just accepted the fact that they are there and only time will reveal which accounts they are as they age out after 10 years from being closed.

[Thomas_Thumb]

Yes, those CFA reasons can be associated with closed accounts.

They typically have minimal impact on score. As a result, the code usually only surfaces when a profile reaches a sufficiently high score. Otherwise it is overshadowed and fades into obscurity.