How to Enter a New Account in M2R: A Complete Walkthrough

Every tradeline you report to the credit bureaus starts the same way — by entering it into M2R. Whether you're a data furnisher setting up your first account or a long-time user who wants a refresher on a less-common tab, this post covers what goes where in M2R's New Account form.

Getting Started

You can open the New Account form two ways: click + Add New Account on your Dashboard, or click New Account in the side menu. Either way opens the same form, organized into six tabs — Account Info, Outside Agencies, Consumer Info, Consumer Employment, Payment History, and Associated Consumers.

Account Info: The Core of the Tradeline

This is where the core financial details live — Identification Number, Account Type, Portfolio Type, and Interest Type auto-fill from your Reporting Company Settings, so you typically won't need to touch those. What you will need to fill in: Account Number, Date Opened, Highest Credit or Original Loan amount, Current Balance, and Account Status — all required fields. Any other fields that pertain to the account will need to be entered also.

On the Terms & Payment side, Terms Frequency, Terms Duration, and Date of Account Info are required; fields like Scheduled Monthly Payment or Amount Past Due only apply if relevant to that account.

One detail that's easy to miss: any field marked with an asterisk and a bracketed number shows the maximum character length allowed by the Metro 2^® format — worth keeping in mind, especially for account and identification numbers.

Outside Agencies: Only When It Applies

If the account involves a purchased or transferred debt, enter the Original Creditor information. If it was bought from or sold to another party, use the Purchased/Sold fields. And if you're reporting a mortgage, this is where Agency Identifier, account number, and MIN (Mortgage ID Number) go. If none of this applies, skip the tab entirely.

Consumer Info: Where Accuracy Matters Most

This is the tab credit bureaus use to match records to the correct consumer file, so it's worth double-checking. Last Name, First Name, and SSN are required (Date of Birth becomes required if there's no SSN). The consumer's address — country, address line 1, city, state, and ZIP — is required as well, and don't skip the Consumer ECOA field, which defines the consumer's relationship to the account.

A small typo in a name or SSN here is one of the most common causes of bureau mismatches, so it's worth a second look before moving on.

Consumer Employment: Optional but Occasionally Useful

Nothing on this tab is required for Metro 2^® reporting. Employer name, occupation, and employer address can help with identity verification, but only fill this in if you actually have verified, current data — don't guess just to complete the tab.

Payment History: Handle With Care

The Payment History tab tracks the account's payment status across the most recent 24 months (M1 through M24, with M1 being most recent). This is one of the most consequential parts of your Metro 2^® file, since it directly shapes the consumer's credit score.

Each month gets a code: 0 for current, 1 through 6 for 30 through 180+ days past due, B for no history, G for collection, L for charge-off. For a brand-new account, the Fill Current or Fill No History buttons make quick work of this. Since this data is automatically maintained by M2R based on ongoing reporting, manual edits should be the exception, not the rule.

Associated Consumers: J1s, J2s, and the One Checkbox That Matters

If the account has a co-signer, joint holder, or authorized user, this is where they get added. Last Name, First Name, SSN, and ECOA Code are required, just like the primary consumer.

The detail worth remembering: the "Same Address as Primary Consumer" checkbox doesn't just save you data entry — it determines whether that associated consumer becomes a J1 segment (same address) or a J2 segment (different address) in your generated Metro 2^® file. Get this checkbox right, and the rest follows automatically.

ECOA codes to know: 2 (joint), 3 (authorized user), 5 (co-maker), 7 (maker) — though you should always check your Credit Reporting Resource Guide^® for the complete list relevant to your reporting situation.

Saving and What Happens Next

Once all six tabs are complete, click Save Account. The account is added to your database immediately and — importantly — automatically tagged for reporting, meaning it's ready to go the next time you generate a Metro 2^® file.