Credit Bureaus' Share of Federal Consumer Credit Lawsuits, FY2006–FY2025
Original analysis of 178,812 records from the Federal Judicial Center, FY2006–FY2025 (federal fiscal years, Oct–Sep), plus FY2026 through June 30, 2026. Published October 16, 2026.
We counted every consumer credit case (FCRA and FDCPA, nature of suit 480) filed in U.S. district courts since FY2006 and checked whether the first-listed defendant is Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.
What the Federal Court Records Show
In fiscal year 2025, 3,765 of the 9,720 consumer credit lawsuits filed in U.S. district courts (38.7%) named Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as the first defendant. That share stood at 7.3% in FY2015 and 2.9% in FY2010. It is a lower bound: federal court records keep only the first-listed defendant.
- 38.7%of FY2025 consumer credit suits, bureau listed first
- 3,765FY2025 suits with a big-three bureau as first defendant
- 5.3×bureau-first suits, FY2025 vs. FY2015
More than a third of the docket
Of 9,720 consumer credit cases filed in FY2025, 3,765 (38.7%) named Equifax, Experian or TransUnion first, up from 32.5% in FY2024.
Growth came from bureau cases
Consumer credit filings rose by 989 cases from FY2024 to FY2025; cases with a bureau listed first rose by 924, while cases against all other first defendants went from 5,890 to 5,955.
More than five times as many in ten years
Bureau-first cases grew from 712 in FY2015 to 3,765 in FY2025 (5.3×), while total consumer credit filings were 9,795 and 9,720.
Equifax is named first most often
In FY2025 Equifax was the first defendant in 1,763 cases, Experian in 1,174 and TransUnion in 828.
Preliminary FY2026 figures point higher
In the first nine months of FY2026 (October 2025 to June 2026), 4,266 of 9,519 consumer credit cases (44.8%) named a bureau first; the year is incomplete and records are still being updated.
Bureau cases more often end in settlement
Among terminated cases filed in FY2022–FY2023, 55.7% of bureau-first cases were closed as settled, compared with 42.6% of cases against other first defendants.
How Much of Consumer Credit Litigation Targets the Credit Bureaus
The three nationwide credit bureaus have gone from a small slice of federal consumer credit litigation to more than a third of it.
In FY2025, 38.7% of federal consumer credit cases named Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as first defendant, compared with 7.3% in FY2015.
Federal courts classify lawsuits under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act together as consumer credit cases. Over the past decade, the number of these cases has stayed in a similar range: 9,795 in FY2015 and 9,720 in FY2025. Within that total, the cases with a credit bureau as first defendant grew from 712 to 3,765.
The share rose in every fiscal year from FY2012 to FY2025 except FY2024 and reached 38.7% in FY2025. Partial data for FY2026, covering October 2025 through June 2026, show 44.8%.
Share of consumer credit cases with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as first defendant
- FY2026 (Oct-Jun, partial)44.8%4,266 of 9,519 cases
- FY202538.7%3,765 of 9,720 cases
- FY202432.5%2,841 of 8,731 cases
- FY202334.1%2,769 of 8,113 cases
- FY202229.6%2,787 of 9,427 cases
- FY202124.6%2,454 of 9,976 cases
- FY202021.6%2,259 of 10,446 cases
- FY201917.2%1,872 of 10,866 cases
- FY201815.7%1,717 of 10,914 cases
- FY201714.3%1,505 of 10,530 cases
- FY201612.7%1,236 of 9,747 cases
- FY20157.3%712 of 9,795 cases
- FY20147.2%612 of 8,541 cases
- FY20135.0%449 of 8,969 cases
- FY20123.7%347 of 9,310 cases
All fiscal years since FY2006
- FY20112.9%287 of 9,824 cases
- FY20102.9%243 of 8,437 cases
- FY20093.3%214 of 6,448 cases
- FY20085.5%233 of 4,239 cases
- FY20077.0%225 of 3,207 cases
- FY20068.2%168 of 2,053 cases
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. FY2026 covers only October 2025 through June 2026 and is preliminary.
Which Credit Bureau Is Sued Most in Federal Court
Equifax has been the first-listed defendant in more consumer credit cases than Experian or TransUnion in each fiscal year since FY2017.
In FY2025 Equifax was the first defendant in 1,763 federal consumer credit cases (18.1% of all such cases), Experian in 1,174 (12.1%) and TransUnion in 828 (8.5%).
Equifax accounted for 46.8% of the cases that named one of the three bureaus first in FY2025. The counts include affiliated entities whose names begin with the brand, such as Equifax Information Services LLC or TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions.
Because court records store only the first-listed defendant, a suit against all three bureaus is counted once, under whichever bureau the complaint lists first.
Consumer credit cases by first-listed credit bureau
| Fiscal year | Equifax | Experian | TransUnion |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (Oct-Jun, partial) | 2,162 | 1,057 | 1,047 |
| FY2025 | 1,763 | 1,174 | 828 |
| FY2024 | 1,260 | 1,002 | 579 |
| FY2023 | 1,161 | 954 | 654 |
| FY2022 | 1,298 | 828 | 661 |
| FY2021 | 1,016 | 791 | 647 |
| FY2020 | 1,267 | 623 | 369 |
| FY2019 | 1,070 | 403 | 399 |
| FY2018 | 914 | 410 | 393 |
| FY2017 | 744 | 444 | 317 |
All fiscal years since FY2006
| Fiscal year | Equifax | Experian | TransUnion |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | 472 | 587 | 177 |
| FY2015 | 320 | 264 | 128 |
| FY2014 | 260 | 221 | 131 |
| FY2013 | 201 | 151 | 97 |
| FY2012 | 117 | 149 | 81 |
| FY2011 | 99 | 99 | 89 |
| FY2010 | 82 | 78 | 83 |
| FY2009 | 59 | 84 | 71 |
| FY2008 | 93 | 63 | 77 |
| FY2007 | 66 | 72 | 87 |
| FY2006 | 78 | 50 | 40 |
Which Federal Courts Hear the Most Credit Bureau Lawsuits
Credit bureau cases are concentrated in a handful of federal districts.
The Northern District of Georgia received 437 consumer credit cases with a bureau as first defendant in FY2025, the most of any district; the five busiest districts together account for 40.7% of such cases nationwide.
In the Northern District of Georgia, 50.3% of all consumer credit cases filed in FY2025 named a bureau first. In the Northern District of Illinois, the share was 63.7% (330 cases).
The ranking is by number of cases. It does not account for population or the number of consumer credit filings in each district.
Consumer credit cases with a credit bureau as first defendant, FY2025
| District | Bureau cases | All cases | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| N.D. Georgia | 437 | 869 | 50.3% |
| N.D. Illinois | 330 | 518 | 63.7% |
| C.D. California | 288 | 773 | 37.3% |
| M.D. Florida | 288 | 710 | 40.6% |
| New Jersey | 188 | 454 | 41.4% |
| N.D. Texas | 157 | 281 | 55.9% |
| S.D. Florida | 155 | 409 | 37.9% |
| E.D. New York | 142 | 353 | 40.2% |
| E.D. Pennsylvania | 87 | 254 | 34.3% |
| S.D. Texas | 85 | 296 | 28.7% |
| E.D. Michigan | 85 | 180 | 47.2% |
| N.D. Alabama | 85 | 177 | 48.0% |
| Nevada | 80 | 185 | 43.2% |
| S.D. Indiana | 77 | 264 | 29.2% |
| W.D. Texas | 72 | 202 | 35.6% |
All districts
| District | Bureau cases | All cases | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| E.D. Texas | 67 | 133 | 50.4% |
| Oregon | 65 | 92 | 70.7% |
| E.D. Virginia | 64 | 150 | 42.7% |
| S.D. New York | 58 | 186 | 31.2% |
| Minnesota | 55 | 158 | 34.8% |
| E.D. California | 50 | 127 | 39.4% |
| Maryland | 47 | 153 | 30.7% |
| W.D. Kentucky | 41 | 94 | 43.6% |
| W.D. Missouri | 40 | 107 | 37.4% |
| Arizona | 38 | 170 | 22.4% |
| N.D. California | 34 | 149 | 22.8% |
| N.D. Ohio | 30 | 167 | 18.0% |
| Colorado | 30 | 77 | 39.0% |
| Kansas | 29 | 67 | 43.3% |
| S.D. Ohio | 27 | 107 | 25.2% |
| South Carolina | 25 | 93 | 26.9% |
| Massachusetts | 25 | 85 | 29.4% |
| E.D. North Carolina | 25 | 58 | 43.1% |
| W.D. North Carolina | 24 | 86 | 27.9% |
| W.D. Washington | 22 | 115 | 19.1% |
| W.D. Tennessee | 22 | 76 | 28.9% |
| W.D. Oklahoma | 20 | 48 | 41.7% |
| N.D. Florida | 19 | 57 | 33.3% |
| M.D. Georgia | 19 | 39 | 48.7% |
| S.D. California | 17 | 117 | 14.5% |
| Connecticut | 17 | 55 | 30.9% |
| N.D. Indiana | 15 | 75 | 20.0% |
| M.D. North Carolina | 15 | 44 | 34.1% |
| E.D. Kentucky | 14 | 35 | 40.0% |
| E.D. Missouri | 13 | 39 | 33.3% |
| Delaware | 12 | 29 | 41.4% |
| W.D. Pennsylvania | 11 | 86 | 12.8% |
| E.D. Wisconsin | 11 | 43 | 25.6% |
| W.D. Michigan | 11 | 42 | 26.2% |
| M.D. Pennsylvania | 11 | 41 | 26.8% |
| Utah | 11 | 36 | 30.6% |
| N.D. Mississippi | 10 | 26 | 38.5% |
| Hawaii | 10 | 18 | 55.6% |
| North Dakota | 10 | 14 | 71.4% |
| W.D. New York | 9 | 29 | 31.0% |
| W.D. Wisconsin | 9 | 28 | 32.1% |
| M.D. Tennessee | 8 | 28 | 28.6% |
| District of Columbia | 8 | 25 | 32.0% |
| W.D. Virginia | 7 | 27 | 25.9% |
| C.D. Illinois | 7 | 21 | 33.3% |
| W.D. Louisiana | 7 | 20 | 35.0% |
| S.D. Georgia | 7 | 19 | 36.8% |
| M.D. Louisiana | 7 | 14 | 50.0% |
| Idaho | 7 | 12 | 58.3% |
| E.D. Louisiana | 6 | 19 | 31.6% |
| S.D. Iowa | 6 | 16 | 37.5% |
| N.D. New York | 5 | 23 | 21.7% |
| E.D. Arkansas | 5 | 19 | 26.3% |
| E.D. Tennessee | 5 | 19 | 26.3% |
| S.D. Mississippi | 5 | 13 | 38.5% |
| M.D. Alabama | 4 | 24 | 16.7% |
| S.D. Alabama | 4 | 19 | 21.1% |
| S.D. Illinois | 4 | 16 | 25.0% |
| N.D. West Virginia | 4 | 14 | 28.6% |
| W.D. Arkansas | 4 | 11 | 36.4% |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 5 | 80.0% |
| Maine | 3 | 6 | 50.0% |
| E.D. Washington | 3 | 4 | 75.0% |
| N.D. Oklahoma | 2 | 10 | 20.0% |
| Nebraska | 2 | 8 | 25.0% |
| S.D. West Virginia | 1 | 14 | 7.1% |
| Montana | 1 | 8 | 12.5% |
| N.D. Iowa | 1 | 6 | 16.7% |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | 9 | 0.0% |
| New Mexico | 0 | 5 | 0.0% |
| New Hampshire | 0 | 4 | 0.0% |
| Alaska | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| E.D. Oklahoma | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| South Dakota | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Wyoming | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
Bureau cases: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion is the first-listed defendant. All cases: every consumer credit case filed in the district in FY2025.
How Lawsuits Against Credit Bureaus End
Most consumer credit cases end without a trial, and those against the bureaus are more often recorded as settled.
Of the bureau-first consumer credit cases filed in FY2022–FY2023 that have ended, 55.7% were closed as settled, compared with 42.6% for cases against other first defendants.
We looked at cases filed in FY2022 and FY2023, of which 99.4% of bureau-first cases had ended by June 30, 2026. Courts closed 20.5% of terminated bureau-first cases as voluntary dismissals, compared with 25.4% for other defendants.
Settlement terms are generally private, and the court records do not show how much was paid.
Outcomes of consumer credit cases filed FY2022–FY2023
| First defendant | Settled | Voluntary | Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax, Experian or TransUnion | 55.7% | 20.5% | 5,524 |
| All other defendants | 42.6% | 25.4% | 11,881 |
Settled and Voluntary are shares of terminated cases. Voluntary dismissals often follow private settlements, so the settled share is a lower bound.
Download the Data and Cite This Study
Every table as a CSV file and in one Excel workbook, a short PDF summary and every chart as an image, free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
- Consumer credit cases against the three credit bureaus by federal district, FY2025Consumer credit cases filed in each U.S. district court in FY2025 (Oct 2024-Sep 2025) and the number and share whose first-listed defendant is Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. · 90 rows · CSV, 3 KB
- Federal consumer credit cases and cases against Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by fiscal yearConsumer credit (nature of suit 480) civil cases filed in U.S. district courts per federal fiscal year, and those whose first-listed defendant is Equifax, Experian or TransUnion; FY2026 covers Oct 2025-Jun 2026 only. · 21 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- Outcomes of consumer credit cases filed FY2022-FY2023, credit bureaus vs. other defendantsDisposition of terminated consumer credit cases filed Oct 2021-Sep 2023, split by whether the first-listed defendant is Equifax, Experian or TransUnion; percentages are of terminated cases. · 2 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- All tables in one Excel workbookOne sheet per table plus an About sheet with sources, method and citation · Excel (.xlsx), 15 KB
- Summary to print or forward (3 pages)Short answer, key figures, main chart, findings, method and citation · PDF, 189 KB
Charts for your story
Share of consumer credit cases with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as first defendant
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Consumer credit cases by first-listed credit bureau
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Consumer credit cases with a credit bureau as first defendant, FY2025
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How to cite
Goldberg, L. (2026). Credit Bureaus in Federal Consumer Credit Litigation — Cases Naming Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as First Defendant by Fiscal Year, District and Outcome (FY2006–FY2025, FY2026 partial) [Data set]. Settlement Insight. https://settlementinsight.com/research/credit-bureaus-share-consumer-credit-lawsuits
BibTeX
@dataset{goldberg_2026_credit_bureaus_share_consumer_credit_lawsuits,
author = {Goldberg, Leonard},
title = {Credit Bureaus in Federal Consumer Credit Litigation --- Cases Naming Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as First Defendant by Fiscal Year, District and Outcome (FY2006--FY2025, FY2026 partial)},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Settlement Insight},
url = {https://settlementinsight.com/research/credit-bureaus-share-consumer-credit-lawsuits}
}How We Measured
Checked against published figures
- Consumer credit (nature of suit 480) civil cases filed in U.S. district courts, 12 months ending Sep 30, 2025: published 9,726, our count 9,720 (0.06% apart).Table C-2. U.S. District Courts - Civil Cases Commenced, by Basis of Jurisdiction and Nature of Suit (September 30, 2025)
- Consumer credit (nature of suit 480) civil cases filed in U.S. district courts, 12 months ending Sep 30, 2024: published 8,731, our count 8,731 (exact match).Table C-2. U.S. District Courts - Civil Cases Commenced, by Basis of Jurisdiction and Nature of Suit (September 30, 2025)
Full method and limits of the data
Cases are assigned to federal fiscal years (October 1 to September 30) by filing date, the same period used in the judiciary's Table C-2. FY2005 is omitted because the code first appears in the records partway through that year. Our count for FY2025 is 9,720 cases against 9,726 in Table C-2, and 8,731 for FY2024 against 8,731 published.
A case counts as a credit bureau case when the first-listed defendant's name, ignoring spaces and punctuation, begins with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion (including the misspelling Experion). Affiliates whose names begin with the brand are included; subsidiaries listed under a different company name are not. Shares are bureau cases divided by all consumer credit cases in the same fiscal year.
For outcomes, we used cases filed in FY2022–FY2023 that had ended by June 30, 2026, and the IDB disposition codes 13 (settled) and 12 (voluntarily dismissed).
What this data cannot tell you
- The IDB stores only the first-listed defendant. Suits that name a bank, lender or debt collector first and a credit bureau second are not counted, so the figures are a lower bound for the number of suits involving the bureaus.
- Consumer credit cases combine FCRA and FDCPA claims under one code. The data cannot show what share of FCRA cases alone involve the bureaus, and they do not say why the share rose — for example changes in reporting errors, attorney practice, or how complaints list defendants.
- Each record is a case, not a consumer. Reopened, transferred and removed cases are counted as they are in Table C-2, and a consumer who files separate suits against each bureau appears more than once.
- Courts keep updating IDB records after filing. The FY2026 figures cover only October 2025 through June 2026 and may change as records are added; comparing them with full fiscal years can reflect reporting timing rather than a real change.
- Settlement amounts are not reliably recorded in the IDB, and a dismissal coded as voluntary may also follow a private settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lawsuits are filed against Equifax, Experian and TransUnion?
In fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), 3,765 federal consumer credit lawsuits named Equifax, Experian or TransUnion as the first defendant. That is a lower bound, because federal court records keep only the first-listed defendant.
What percentage of FCRA and FDCPA lawsuits are against credit bureaus?
Of the 9,720 consumer credit cases filed in U.S. district courts in FY2025, 38.7% named one of the three nationwide credit bureaus first. Federal statistics combine FCRA and FDCPA cases, so the bureaus' share of FCRA cases alone is likely higher.
Which credit bureau gets sued the most?
Equifax. In FY2025 it was the first-listed defendant in 1,763 federal consumer credit cases, compared with 1,174 for Experian and 828 for TransUnion.
Are lawsuits against credit bureaus increasing?
Yes, in federal court records. Cases with a bureau as first defendant rose from 712 in FY2015 to 2,841 in FY2024 and 3,765 in FY2025. Preliminary data for the first nine months of FY2026 show 4,266 such cases.
Where are most lawsuits against credit bureaus filed?
The Northern District of Georgia received the most in FY2025, with 437 cases, followed by the Northern District of Illinois with 330. The ranking does not adjust for population.
Do lawsuits against Equifax, Experian or TransUnion usually settle?
Of the bureau-first consumer credit cases filed in FY2022–FY2023 that have ended, 55.7% were closed as settled and 20.5% as voluntarily dismissed. Court records do not show settlement amounts.
Sources
- Integrated Database (IDB): Civil cases filed, terminated, and pending from SY 1988 to present — Federal Judicial Center
- Civil Codebook 1988 Forward — Federal Judicial Center
- Table C-2. U.S. District Courts – Civil Cases Commenced, by Basis of Jurisdiction and Nature of Suit (September 30, 2025) — Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
- Civil Nature of Suit Code Descriptions — Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
- Independent analysis. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and not affiliated with any agency named here. Analysis by Leonard Goldberg, Editor. How we work: methodology, our data.
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