37Revolving Accounts

    Account Type Code 37: Combined Credit Plan

    Account Type Code 37 means "Combined Credit Plan". A revolving arrangement where two network card accounts, historically a Visa and a MasterCard, are billed to the consumer on a single combined statement. It is reported in Account Type (Field 15) of the Base Segment, 2 characters at position 84.

    Specification

    Code37
    MeaningCombined Credit Plan
    FieldAccount Type (Field 15)
    RecordBase Segment
    Length / position2 chars · 84–85
    CategoryRevolving Accounts
    CRRG referenceCRRG Exhibits 1 & 2 (Account Type Codes)

    What Account Type Code 37 means

    • One billing relationship covering more than one card product, which is the whole reason a distinct code exists.
    • A legacy structure. Modern issuers usually report each card as its own tradeline under 18, so 37 appears mostly in older portfolios and in issuers that kept the combined-statement product.
    • Does NOT mean two tradelines. A combined credit plan is furnished as one account with one balance and one limit.
    • Does NOT cover a consumer who simply happens to hold two cards with the same issuer on separate statements. Those are two 18 tradelines.
    • Does NOT cover a card with a cobranded partner. Cobranding is a marketing arrangement, not a combined credit plan, and a cobranded network card is reported under 18 like any other bankcard.

    When to report 37

    • 1A bank reports a legacy combined-statement product where the cardholder's Visa and MasterCard balances bill together.
    • 2An issuer maintaining an older combined credit plan reports one tradeline carrying the aggregate limit.
    • 3A credit union reports a combined plan inherited through a merger and continues furnishing it under 37 for continuity rather than splitting a long-standing tradeline in two.
    • 4An issuer reports a combined plan the consumer closed, keeping the single tradeline reporting with a zero balance and a populated Date Closed until it ages off.
    • 5An issuer migrating cardholders off a combined plan closes the 37 tradeline and opens separate 18 tradelines, so the consumer's file shows the change rather than an unexplained limit drop.

    Reporting rules

    • Report one tradeline with the combined limit and the combined balance. Splitting a combined plan into two tradelines double-counts the consumer's obligation.
    • Use 18 for standalone cards. Do not reach for 37 just because a consumer holds more than one card with you.
    • Populate Credit Limit with the plan's aggregate limit and keep it current.
    • If you migrate a combined plan to separate card accounts, close the 37 tradeline properly and open the new ones rather than silently repurposing the old tradeline.
    • Report the combined minimum payment in Scheduled Monthly Payment Amount.

    Codes and fields that must agree

    A file can be structurally valid and still be wrong. These are the cross-field conditions Account Type Code 37 has to satisfy.

    • Portfolio Type must be R (Revolving). Terms Duration is reported as REV rather than a month count.
    • Portfolio Type R expects a populated Credit Limit, and here it must be the aggregate limit for the combined plan, not one card's share of it.
    • Current Balance must be the combined balance across the plan. A balance that reflects only one card understates the obligation while the limit reflects both, which distorts utilization in the consumer's favour and is still an accuracy error.
    • Highest Credit reflects the highest combined balance carried.
    • Terms Frequency is M on a monthly-billed plan.
    • Authorized users on either card are carried in ECOA with J1 or J2 segments against the single tradeline.
    • If the plan is closed, Date Closed is populated on the one tradeline; there is no second tradeline to close.

    Common errors involving 37

    B009
    Balance Exceeds Credit Limit
    The current balance is greater than the credit limit/high credit
    B015
    Duplicate Account in File
    The same account appears multiple times in the file
    B012
    Portfolio Type Mismatch
    The portfolio type does not match the account type or terms

    Vocabulary

    Credit LimitAccount Type

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    Source: CRRG Exhibits 1 & 2 (Account Type Codes). Last reviewed 2026-08-25.

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    Metro 2 Account Type Code 37: Combined Credit Plan