What Is Metro 2 Format? How Credit Bureaus Process Your Data
Metro 2 is the standardized data format that every bank, credit union, and lender in the United States uses to report account information to the 3 major credit bureaus. It is the only format Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion accept for electronic credit reporting.
How does Metro 2 format work?
Metro 2 was developed and is maintained by the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), the trade group that represents the credit reporting industry. It replaced the older Metro 1 format in 1997. Every entity that reports consumer credit data to the bureaus — from JPMorgan Chase to a local credit union to a trade line reporting service — submits data in the same Metro 2 structure.
The format uses fixed-width records. In the unpacked (character) format, each record is exactly 426 bytes. Every byte position has a defined meaning: bytes 1-4 contain the record identifier, bytes 5-20 contain the original creditor's subscriber code, bytes 21-40 contain the consumer's account number, and so on through all 426 positions. This rigid structure is what allows bureaus to process millions of records per day from thousands of different data furnishers without confusion about what each data point means.
Why is fixed-width important?
Fixed-width means the bureau's processing system can read any position in the record by counting bytes from the start, without needing delimiters or parsing logic. This makes processing extremely fast and reliable. A single Metro 2 file from a large bank might contain millions of records — one for every customer account — and the bureau processes each one identically because the structure never varies.
What is inside a Metro 2 file?
A complete Metro 2 submission contains 3 parts: a Header Record, one or more Base Segments (one per consumer account), and a Trailer Record. The Header identifies the data furnisher and the reporting period. The Base Segments contain the actual account data. The Trailer provides file-level totals for validation.
Metro 2 file structure
Header Record (426 bytes)
Identifies the data furnisher (subscriber name and code), the reporting period (cycle date), and the software version. One per file.
Base Segment (426 bytes each)
One record per consumer account. Contains: Account Status Code, Payment Rating, Portfolio Type, Account Type, Date Opened, Date of Last Payment, Current Balance, Original Charge-off Amount, Credit Limit, Date of First Delinquency, and up to 24 months of payment history codes.
Trailer Record (426 bytes)
File-level validation totals: number of base segments, total accounts by status, total dollar amounts. Bureaus compare these against the actual records to catch transmission errors.
What are the key fields in a Base Segment?
Several fields in the Base Segment directly affect how the account appears on your credit report and how it influences your score.
What is the Account Status Code?
The Account Status Code is a 2-digit field that tells the bureau the current state of the account. Code 11 means "current" — the account is open and payments are up to date. Code 13 means "paid or closed / zero balance." Code 71 means "30 days past due." Codes 78, 80, 82, and 83 indicate 60, 90, 120, and 150+ days past due. Code 97 indicates the account has been submitted for collection. This single 2-digit code is one of the most consequential fields in the entire record.
What is the Payment Rating Code?
The Payment Rating is a single character that summarizes the most serious delinquency in the current billing cycle. "0" means current, "1" means 30-59 days late, "2" means 60-89 days, "3" means 90-119 days, and "4" means 120+ days. This works alongside the Account Status Code and the 24-month payment history pattern to give the bureau a complete picture of payment behavior over time.
What is the Portfolio Type?
Portfolio Type classifies the account: "I" for installment, "R" for revolving, "O" for open, "C" for line of credit, "M" for mortgage. This field determines how the bureau categorizes the trade line on your credit report. An installment trade line from a credit builder service is coded "I" — the same code used by auto lenders and student loan servicers.
Who can report data in Metro 2 format?
Any entity that has a "permissible purpose" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and meets the bureaus' data furnisher requirements can report in Metro 2 format. This includes banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, student loan servicers, collection agencies, and any business that extends credit or accepts payments under terms that establish a debtor-creditor relationship.
To become a data furnisher, an entity must apply to each bureau individually, demonstrate FCRA compliance, maintain written data accuracy policies under Section 623(e), and agree to investigate consumer disputes within 30 days. The bureaus process data from all furnishers using the same Metro 2 parsing systems — a trade line reported by a community bank is processed identically to one reported by a national mortgage lender. The format is the equalizer.
Why does Metro 2 matter for your credit?
Metro 2 matters because it is the only way data gets onto your credit report. Every account, every payment, every balance — all of it reaches the bureaus through a Metro 2 file. If an entity does not report in Metro 2 format, the account does not appear on your credit report, and it does not affect your score. This is why paying your landlord, your cell phone company, or your gym does not build credit by default — those entities typically do not submit Metro 2 files to the bureaus.
Services that report everyday payments to the bureaus fill this gap by collecting payment data and submitting it in Metro 2 format. The bureau cannot distinguish between a Metro 2 file from a national bank and one from a trade line reporting service — the format is identical. For more on how accounts affect your score, read What Is Payment History? For details on our compliance practices, see our data furnisher policies.