These guidelines are specific to your industry and should be used in conjunction with specifications in the Metro 2® Format. The information below describes fields that require specific values. All other applicable Metro 2® fields should be reported for each account.
| M2R Program Field | What to Report | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Account Number | Complete and unique account number from your file | Keep consistent, don't reuse for different accounts. Use Change button in M2R if number needs updating. |
| Portfolio | O – Open | Collections are reported as open portfolio. |
| Account Type | 0C (Debt Buyer) • 48 (Collection Agency/Attorney) • 77 (Returned Check) | Pick one per account. |
| Date Opened | Date account was purchased by debt buyer or placed/assigned with third-party collection agency. | When reporting returned checks, provide the date the check was written. |
| Highest Credit/Original Amount | Original assigned amount on purchase/placement date | Returned checks: original check amount (exclude fees/interest). |
| Terms Duration | 001 (auto populated for Portfolio O) | Fixed; M2R sets automatically and cannot be changed. |
| Account Status | 93 (Collections) • 62 (Paid in full) • DF (Delete fraud) • DA (Delete account) | Report only ONE per cycle. Do not delete paid-in-full accounts. DA used for deceased consumers, insurance payments, accounts sold/returned, bankruptcy (3rd party), or reporting errors. |
| Date of First Delinquency (DOFD) | First delinquency with original creditor that led to collection | Follow FCRA procedures: use creditor's previously reported date, or establish reasonable procedures to obtain from creditor/reliable source, or ensure reported date precedes collection placement. |
| Special Comment | Use with Account Status Codes for additional definition | Example: AU (Account paid in full for less than full balance) with Status Code 62. |
| Compliance Condition | XB (Under investigation) • XC (Consumer disagrees) • XH (Investigation completed) • XR (Remove code) | FDCPA and FCRA dispute handling. XB must be removed/changed after investigation completion (except FDCPA per policy). XR removes most recent code. |
| Current Balance | Current balance as of reporting date | May include fees/interest per law. Decrease with payments. |
| Date of Last Payment | Date most recent payment received | By debt buyer or collection agency as of reporting date. |
| Actual Payment Amount | Dollar amount of payment received for reporting period | Whole dollars only (M2R rounds cents). Total multiple payments if received in same period. |
| Amount Past Due | Amount past due as of reporting date | May include fees/interest per law. Decrease with payments. |
| Consumer Address | Full address from original creditor or newer known address | If unknown, use last known address with Address Indicator 'N'. Skip-traced addresses only when confirmed. |
| Consumer Identifiers | Full name, address, SSN, DOB | Report for legally liable consumers only. DOB required for newly-added authorized users. |
| ECOA Code | 1 (Individual) • 2 (Joint) • 3 (Authorized User) • 5 (Co-maker/Guarantor) • 7 (Maker) • T (Terminated) • X (Deceased) • W (Business) • Z (Delete Consumer) | Code 3 shouldn't be reported (not liable). Use Z to delete inaccurate consumers or deceased when no other liable consumer remains. X requires legally-sufficient death notice. |
| Original Creditor Name | Name including any partnering affinity name | Required for identification. Returned checks: list payee name. Helps consumers identify account source. |
| Original Creditor Class | Classification code (e.g., 02 Medical/Health Care) | Required field. Code 02 identifies medical collection debt per FCRA section 623. |
| Purchased From (Debt Buyers Only) | Company name account was purchased from | Report ONLY if different from original creditor name. |