Firstmark Services is the name under which Nelnet Servicing, LLC services student loans, from Lincoln, Nebraska. Because Firstmark services loans for lenders, a Firstmark account can appear on your credit report with a balance, late payments or a collection status. If a Firstmark account is reported wrong, or appears on your report although the loan is not yours, you can dispute it under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Firstmark is part of Nelnet; see our Nelnet page for loans serviced under the Nelnet name.
What consumers have alleged
In a 2026 federal case in California (Hao Zhang v. Nelnet Servicing, LLC, C.D. Cal. No. 8:26-cv-01578), the consumer alleges that a Firstmark account they knew nothing about appeared on their Equifax report with a late balance and a collection status, and that they filed an FTC identity theft report about it. The consumer alleges that after a written dispute to Equifax in April 2026, Firstmark verified the account instead of investigating, and brought a claim against Firstmark under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b). These are allegations in a complaint, not findings. The consumer dismissed the claims against Firstmark without prejudice in September 2026.
How to dispute a Firstmark account on your credit report
- Get all three reports and note exactly how each bureau shows the Firstmark account: the account number, the balance, the status and the payment history.
- Dispute in writing with each bureau that shows the error, and include your proof, such as payment records, a deferment or forbearance approval, or a payoff letter. The bureau must reinvestigate, generally within 30 days (15 U.S.C. § 1681i), and must pass your dispute to Firstmark.
- Firstmark must then investigate and correct or delete what it cannot verify (§ 1681s-2(b)). You can also dispute directly with Firstmark in writing; for most account information the federal rule requires a reasonable investigation of a direct dispute (12 C.F.R. § 1022.43).
- If the loan is not yours, file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov or with the police and send it to each bureau. A bureau must block the fraudulent information within four business days of receiving it (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2). See our identity theft page.
- If the error comes back “verified” and you have been denied credit or charged more, you may have a claim. Keep every letter and every response.
Talk to a lawyer about a student loan reporting error
If a dispute did not fix the error, a credit report lawyer can review whether Firstmark or a bureau broke the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The FCRA makes the company that violated it pay your attorney’s fees (§§ 1681n, 1681o), so our case review is free and you pay nothing unless we win. See also student loan credit report errors and our list of student loan servicers.
Admitted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; available to appear pro hac vice in other federal courts.
Common questions
Is Firstmark Services the same as Nelnet?
Firstmark Services is a name Nelnet Servicing, LLC uses for the student loans it services under that brand. A Firstmark account on your report is reported by Nelnet Servicing.
Why is a Firstmark loan on my credit report if it is not mine?
An account you do not recognize can come from identity theft or from a mixed file. Dispute it in writing with each bureau, and if it is identity theft, send an identity theft report so the bureaus block it.
Can I sue Firstmark for reporting wrong information?
If you disputed the error with a credit bureau and Firstmark failed to investigate it reasonably or kept reporting information it could not verify, you may have a claim under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b), with damages and attorney’s fees under §§ 1681n and 1681o.
Will a lawyer cost me anything?
No. The FCRA makes the company that violated it pay your reasonable attorney’s fees, so our case review is free and you pay nothing unless we win.