Reading Your Account Status Codes: A, B, C, D, and the Rest

Next to each account on your CBS report is a single letter or symbol: the account status code. It’s separate from the risk grade, and it describes the account’s current payment position rather than its overall history.

The current-payment codes

• A means the account is up to date. No payment is currently overdue.
• B, C, D and similar codes generally indicate a payment is overdue, with the specific letter reflecting how many billing cycles the arrears has continued for, as defined by CBS.
• * (asterisk) is used by some lenders to flag an account under dispute or special handling; the exact meaning can vary by the reporting lender, and the report itself will usually carry a note.

The closed-account codes

• G and H codes are generally used for closed accounts, distinguishing between accounts settled in full and accounts closed with an outstanding balance still recorded.
• W means the account was written off by the lender: the lender has closed the account and classified it as written off internally. This is a classification the lender applies, not a statement that the underlying debt has been legally cancelled.
• R may appear where an account has been restructured under an agreed repayment arrangement.
• S can indicate the account was settled, often used alongside a specific settlement note.

The M code

M is used for mortgage-related codes in some contexts and can carry a distinct meaning depending on the account type. Where you see it, the report’s own key is the definitive source; Credit Clarity’s explanation will reference the CBS definition attached to your specific report.

Why the letter matters more than it looks

A single status code is often the first thing a lender’s staff glance at when reviewing an account. Knowing what the letter means doesn’t change what’s recorded, but it does mean you’re reading the same information a lender sees, in the same terms they use. Credit Clarity’s explanation attaches this definition to every status code on your report, without guessing at what a specific lender might do in response to it.