Metro 2 ECOA code 3: authorized user
You're allowed to use someone else's account, usually a credit card, but didn't sign for it and don't owe it. The primary cardholder is responsible for the balance. The account can still appear on your report, with its full history and balance, because you're connected to it as a user.
How it shows on your report
"Authorized user" in the responsibility line.
How it affects your score
Many scoring models include authorized user accounts, so the primary holder's history and balance can show up in your scores. A lender reviewing your file by hand may set them aside.
What to check
If you're an authorized user and the account shows as individual or joint, you're being reported as owing a debt you don't. If the primary holder's account goes bad, you or the primary cardholder can ask the issuer to remove you as an authorized user.
If this code is wrong on your report
- Metro 2 explained: the data format behind your credit reportHow lenders send coded data to the bureaus, and how disputes travel back to them.
- How to dispute a credit report error, step by stepA step-by-step guide to disputing credit report errors with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion: online vs. mail, what to include, and how to keep proof.
- Letter builderWrite dispute, goodwill, validation and identity theft letters. Free, printed by you, sent by you.
Sources
- ECOA codes (Genesys Latitude documentation)
- What is an ECOA code on a credit report? (Chase)
- Metro 2 ECOA Codes (Bureau Relay reference)
These explanations are ScoreTuner's plain-English summaries. The official specification is the CDIA Credit Reporting Resource Guide, which is copyrighted and not reproduced here. This is education, not legal advice.