Report your borrowers' payment performance to the credit bureaus straight from their loan history.
What Metro 2 is
Metro 2 is the standard fixed-width file format the credit bureaus accept from data furnishers. NoteHarbor builds the Metro 2 file directly from a borrower's loan history (balances, payment status, and account detail), so you can furnish accurate tradeline data.
Set up your furnisher profile first
Before you can generate a file, set up your data-furnisher profile in Settings. This carries the identifiers the bureaus require to recognize you as the furnisher. Without it, the file can't be assembled.
Generate the file
With your profile in place, generate the Metro 2 file from the borrower's loan history and submit it to the bureau(s) on your reporting cycle.
Getting your file to the bureaus
NoteHarbor prepares the Metro 2 file from the loan records you already keep. Submitting it is a separate step that requires your own reporting relationship with the bureaus. NoteHarbor is not a credit furnishing service: it does not submit files to the bureaus on your behalf, and it does not set up furnishing for you.
There are two realistic paths for a note holder:
- Report to Experian directly. Experian accepts small lenders as data furnishers and does not publish a minimum account requirement. Their site has a data furnisher enrollment path you can apply through yourself.
- Use a third party credit reporting service for all three bureaus. Equifax and TransUnion set high account minimums (typically hundreds of accounts), so smaller lenders who want all three bureaus generally go through a third party credit reporting service that submits on behalf of small companies. Most of these services accept the standard Metro 2 file NoteHarbor produces. NoteHarbor does not endorse or recommend any specific vendor; compare services yourself on cost, bureau coverage, and support.
Whichever route you choose, you are the data furnisher under the FCRA. Furnishers register with e-OSCAR, the system the bureaus use to route borrower disputes, and must investigate and answer those disputes when they arrive. That duty always sits with you as the lender, never with a service and never with NoteHarbor. Keeping the payment history current in NoteHarbor is what makes disputes straightforward: the record behind every reported tradeline is already on the loan.
Furnishing credit data carries accuracy obligations (FCRA). Report only loans you intend to maintain on a regular cycle, and keep the underlying payment history correct. This article is general information, not legal advice; confirm your furnishing obligations with your attorney or compliance advisor before you start reporting.