48Specialty and Industry-Specific
Account Type Code 48: Collection Agency / Attorney Account
Account Type Code 48 means "Collection Agency / Attorney Account". A debt placed with a third-party collection agency or a collection attorney and furnished by that agency or attorney under its own subscriber code. It is reported in Account Type (Field 15) of the Base Segment, 2 characters at position 84.
Specification
| Code | 48 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Collection Agency / Attorney Account |
| Field | Account Type (Field 15) |
| Record | Base Segment |
| Length / position | 2 chars · 84–85 |
| Category | Specialty and Industry-Specific |
| CRRG reference | CRRG Exhibits 1 & 2 (Account Type Codes) |
What Account Type Code 48 means
- Identifies WHO is reporting and in what capacity, not what the underlying debt was for. A collection agency reports a placed medical bill, a placed utility bill, and a placed credit card balance all as Account Type 48.
- Placement is not purchase. Account Type 48 is used by an agency collecting on behalf of the creditor that still owns the debt. A firm that BOUGHT the debt reports Account Type 0C (debt-buyer account).
- Does NOT mean the original creditor's charged-off tradeline. The original creditor keeps its own Account Type and reports the charge-off on its own tradeline; the collection tradeline is a second, separate tradeline.
- Reported as Portfolio Type O because the full balance is due, not amortized. There is no schedule of payments behind a collection balance.
- A collection account that is settled, paid, or recalled by the creditor still reports under Account Type 48. The ending changes the Account Status, not the Account Type.
When to report 48
- 1A collection agency reports a placed gym-membership balance under its own subscriber code while the health club retains ownership of the debt.
- 2A collection law firm reports a placed account it is preparing to sue on, furnishing it as an attorney account rather than as a judgment.
- 3An agency reports a placed telecommunications balance and later reports it paid in full after the consumer settles.
- 4An agency reports a placed account that the creditor recalls, and closes the collection tradeline with a zero balance.
- 5A first-party agency operating under its own subscriber code furnishes a portfolio of placed accounts for a regional lender.
Reporting rules
- Report the original creditor's name in the K1 segment on every collection tradeline. A collection account with no identifiable original creditor is the single most disputed shape of tradeline in the file.
- Do not restart the delinquency clock. The Date of First Delinquency travels with the debt from the original creditor and must be the original creditor's DOFD, not the placement date.
- Do not report the same debt twice. If your agency and another agency both hold a placement history on the same account, only the agency currently reporting should carry an open balance.
- Report the account as paid or settled with a zero balance when it resolves; deleting the tradeline outright is a different decision and should follow your written policy consistently.
- Do not describe the nature of the underlying goods or services in any name field.
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 48 has to satisfy.
- Portfolio Type must be O (Open). Open accounts carry the entire balance as due rather than an amortizing schedule.
- Portfolio Type O expects Terms Duration of one payment period and Terms Frequency consistent with a balance due in full, so a multi-month Terms Duration on a collection account is a contradiction.
- The K1 Original Creditor Name segment is effectively mandatory here, and the K1 Creditor Classification value must describe the original creditor's industry, not the agency's.
- Date of First Delinquency is required and must be inherited from the original creditor. This is the field the FCRA's seven-year purge window is calculated from.
- Scheduled Monthly Payment should be zero or blank. A collection account has no contractual monthly payment, and a populated one contradicts Portfolio Type O.
- If the placement is later SOLD rather than recalled, the buyer reports Account Type 0C with a K2 Purchased From / Sold To segment, and your tradeline should reflect the transfer rather than continuing to carry a balance.
- Original Charge-Off Amount, where you carry it, must be the original creditor's charged-off amount and must not grow with accrued collection interest or fees.
Common errors involving 48
K101K102B026
K1 Original Creditor Name Missing
The original creditor name in K1 segment is blank
K1 Invalid Creditor Classification
The original creditor classification code is invalid
Date of First Delinquency Missing on Delinquent Account
A delinquent or charged-off account has no Date of First Delinquency
Vocabulary
Keep browsing
- All 56 account type codes — the full set with categories and cross-field rules.
- Metro 2 codes cheat sheet — every CRRG code set on one page.
- Account Type field reference — position, length, and validation rules.
- Metro 2 format reference
See Account Type Code 48 in your own file
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