American Federal Bank on Your Credit Report
In short: American Federal Bank is a state-chartered savings bank supervised by the FDIC and its state regulator. The FDIC record lists certificate 29140, a charter dating to 1891, headquarters in Fargo, ND, and 13 FDIC-reported offices holding $796 million in assets as of 06/30/2026. An account reported by American Federal Bank is furnished by the bank itself, so your FCRA §623 rights attach to American Federal Bank directly, in addition to the §611 route through Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable can be disputed under the FCRA. Outcomes depend on what the furnisher can verify, and results vary.
Who American Federal Bank actually is
Charter details above are from the FDIC BankFind public database.
What makes this creditor different
American Federal Bank has been in continuous operation for 135 years, chartered January 1, 1891 and carried on the FDIC's books as certificate 29140. Its 06/30/2026 call report shows 13 FDIC-reported offices and $796 million in total assets, averaging roughly $61 million per office.
How American Federal Bank appears on your credit report
American Federal Bank furnishes its own tradelines rather than selling them to a servicer, and at $796 million over 13 FDIC-reported offices it does so from a single ND operation. A 135-year-old charter of this size often carries accounts through legacy core systems, which is exactly where date and status fields get mangled — so ask in writing what the furnished date of first delinquency is and compare it against your own records.
Names it may report under
Products that commonly show up
- ◆Residential mortgages retained in portfolio rather than sold to an investor
- ◆Auto and other secured consumer loans booked at American Federal Bank offices
- ◆Overdraft lines of credit attached to American Federal Bank deposit accounts
Grounds to dispute a American Federal Bank entry
Each of these is a reason a American Federal Bank tradeline may be inaccurate or unverifiable. None of them assures removal — they are the angles worth checking on your own report.
- ◆Loan modified or deferred by American Federal Bank but still reporting the original delinquent status
- ◆Escrow or fee advance reported as a missed consumer payment
- ◆Paid-off American Federal Bank installment loan still showing a balance after the final payment cleared
- ◆Account balance or credit limit reported incorrectly
- ◆Payment reported late when it was made inside the grace period
- ◆Date of first delinquency re-aged to extend how long it can report
- ◆Account still reporting as open after it was closed, or vice versa
- ◆Duplicate tradeline for the same account after an internal transfer
- ◆Account belongs to someone else with a similar name, or is the result of identity theft
Disputing an original creditor is not the same as disputing a collector
American Federal Bank is an original creditor — the institution whose name was on the account when it was opened. That matters for two reasons. First, the FDCPA, which governs debt collectors, generally does not apply to a creditor collecting its own debt in its own name, so the “debt validation” request that works against a collection agency is not the right tool here. Second, as the furnisher of the tradeline, American Federal Bank has direct obligations under FCRA §623 to investigate a dispute you send it and to correct or delete information it cannot verify as accurate.
Dispute with the bureaus — FCRA §611
File with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They must generally investigate within 30 days and tell the furnisher. Free, and you can do it yourself.
Dispute with the furnisher — FCRA §623
Send American Federal Bank a direct written dispute. It must investigate and must not continue reporting information it knows is inaccurate. Keep copies and proof of delivery.
American Federal Bank questions, answered
Is American Federal Bank FDIC-insured, and what is its certificate number?
Yes. American Federal Bank holds FDIC certificate 29140. The FDIC record shows a charter established January 1, 1891, headquarters in Fargo, ND, and 13 FDIC-reported offices with $796 million in total assets as of the 06/30/2026 call report. It is a state-chartered savings bank supervised by the FDIC and its state regulator.
Who regulates American Federal Bank, and where do I escalate if a dispute fails?
American Federal Bank is a state-chartered savings bank supervised by the FDIC and its state regulator, so its primary federal oversight comes from the FDIC, working alongside the state banking department. If a dispute with the bank and the bureaus both fail, you can complain to the FDIC, to the ND state regulator, or to the CFPB. That does not replace your FCRA rights — it is an escalation path on top of them.
How old is the American Federal Bank charter, and why does that matter for my credit report?
American Federal Bank's charter predates the Federal Reserve (1913) and federal deposit insurance (1933) entirely — it was established in 1891 and later became an FDIC-insured institution. A charter that old frequently sits behind decades of mergers, so an old account may have been opened under a predecessor name. If the tradeline you are disputing shows a name you do not recognise, ask American Federal Bank in writing which predecessor institution originated it; the furnisher is obliged to report the account accurately regardless of how many name changes it has been through.
How big is American Federal Bank, and what does that mean for disputing an account?
American Federal Bank reports $796 million across 13 FDIC-reported offices — roughly $61 million per office. The FDIC's office figure counts all reported locations, including non-retail ones such as loan-production sites, so it should be read as a reported footprint rather than a branch count. For a dispute, the practical point is that an institution this size normally handles consumer files with identifiable staff rather than a fully automated queue.
How do I dispute an American Federal Bank account on my credit report?
You have two free routes and you can use both yourself without paying anyone. Under FCRA §611 you may dispute with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and under FCRA §623 you may dispute directly with American Federal Bank as the furnisher. Put it in writing, identify the account by its last four digits and open date, state specifically what is inaccurate rather than simply saying you disagree, and keep copies and proof of delivery. Whether an item changes depends entirely on what American Federal Bank can verify, and results vary from case to case.
Does ND law change anything about an American Federal Bank account?
Keep two clocks separate. The FCRA reporting window is federal and does not vary by state. Your state's statute of limitations — how long anyone can successfully sue you — is separate and independent: a debt can be too old to sue over yet still report legitimately, or drop off your report while remaining collectable. American Federal Bank being headquartered in Fargo, ND does not make ND law automatically yours; the limitation period usually follows where you live and what the contract says. Check your own state's rule, and note that making a payment restarts that clock in many states.
How long can an American Federal Bank account stay on my credit report?
The FCRA window runs about seven years from the date of first delinquency — the first payment you missed on the American Federal Bank account and never caught up on. It does not run from the charge-off date, the sale date, or the date American Federal Bank last updated the tradeline. Watch for re-aging: if the furnished date drifts later than your own records show, dispute the date itself, because that is an accuracy problem independent of the balance.
Does American Federal Bank appear in the CFPB complaint database?
We do not publish a complaint figure for American Federal Bank. The CFPB database is keyed to company names that do not map cleanly onto FDIC certificate 29140, and attributing another company's complaint volume to this bank would be inaccurate. If you want to check for yourself, search the CFPB's public complaint database directly by company name. If you have an unresolved problem with this bank you can also file your own complaint there at no cost.
What is the difference between disputing with American Federal Bank and disputing with a collection agency?
An original creditor like American Federal Bank and a collection agency are governed by different laws, and sending the wrong letter costs you time. American Federal Bank is the furnisher, so FCRA §623 accuracy is the lever. A collector is an FDCPA entity, and §809 gives you 30 days from its first contact to demand validation of the debt. Confirm from the report itself which one is furnishing the tradeline you want corrected before drafting anything.
Other creditors on credit reports
This page is general information about consumer rights, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Crowned Credit is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by American Federal Bank; company names are used only to identify the institution a consumer may see on a credit report. Crowned Credit does not promise any particular outcome; results vary by individual circumstances and by what a furnisher is able to verify. Accurate, verifiable information generally cannot be removed from a credit report. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information yourself, for free, directly with the credit bureaus and with the furnisher.
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