Metro 2 special comment code AW: affected by a natural or declared disaster
The account was affected by a natural disaster or a declared emergency, such as a hurricane, wildfire or pandemic. Lenders used it widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains why payments may have changed and describes a condition, so it should come off when it no longer applies.
How it shows on your report
A remark like "Affected by natural or declared disaster."
How it affects your score
The remark isn't designed to hurt you. The status and payment history reported alongside it still count.
What to check
If you got a disaster accommodation, check that months covered by it aren't reported as lates and that the remark was removed when the accommodation ended. Keep the lender's written accommodation letter, since it's your proof of the terms if a late shows up later.
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.
Glossary: special comment code, Metro 2
Sources
- Special comment codes (Genesys Latitude documentation)
- Special Comment Codes (The Mortgage Office help center)
- Special Comment Code (GoldPoint Systems CIM GOLD documentation)
- Metro 2 data mapping (LoanPro help center)
- Consumer credit reporting for financial institutions during the coronavirus emergency (Frost Brown Todd)
- COVID-19 credit reporting presentation (National Credit Reporting Association, 2020)
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.