How to Dispute Credit Report Errors

Your credit report contains information about where you live, how you pay your bills, and
whether you’ve been sued or arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy. Credit reporting companies
sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses
that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy and privacy of information
in the files of the nation’s credit reporting companies.

Step 1: Obtain Copies of Your Credit Reports

The three nationwide credit reporting companies have set up one website, toll-free
telephone number, and mailing address through which you can order your free annual
report. To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete
the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request
Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.  You can print it from
ftc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide credit reporting companies
individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through
annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and Annual Credit Report Request Service,
P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.  The law allows you to order one free copy
from each of the nationwide credit reporting companies every 12 months. Otherwise, a
credit reporting company may charge you up to $10.50 for another copy of your report
within a 12-month period. To buy a copy of your report, contact:

• Experian-1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com

• TransUnion-1-800-916-8800; www.transunion.com

• Equifax-1-800-685-1111; www.equifax.com

You need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. If
you have moved in the last two years, you may have to provide your previous address.
To maintain the security of your file, each nationwide credit reporting company may
ask you for some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly
mortgage payment. Each company may ask you for different information because the
information each has in your file may come from different sources.  Your credit file
may not reflect all your credit accounts. Although most national department store
and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in your file, not all
creditors supply information to credit reporting companies: some local retailers,
credit unions, travel, entertainment, and gasoline card companies are among the
creditors that don’t.

If you’ve been told that you were denied credit because of an
“insufficient credit file” or “no credit file” and you have accounts with creditors
that don’t appear in your credit file, ask the credit reporting companies to add this
information to future reports. Although they are not required to do so, many credit
reporting companies will add verifiable accounts for a fee. However, understand  that
if these creditors do not report to the credit reporting company on a regular basis,
the added items will not be updated in your file.

Step 2: Correcting Errors

Under the FCRA, both the credit reporting company and the information provider
(that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to
a credit reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete
information in your report. To take advantage of all your rights under this law,
contact the credit reporting company and the information provider.

Informing Credit Reporting Company of Believed Inaccuracy

Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what information you think is
inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position.
In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly
identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you
dispute the information, and request that it be removed or corrected. You may want to
enclose a copy of your report with the items in question circled.  Send your letter by
certified mail, “return receipt requested,” so you can document what the credit reporting
company received. Keep copies of your dispute letter and enclosures.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the items in question — usually within
30 days — unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the
relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to the organization that provided the
information. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the credit
reporting company, it must investigate, review the relevant information, and report the
results back to the credit reporting company. If the information provider finds the disputed
information is inaccurate,it must notify all three nationwide credit reporting companies
so they can correct the information in your file. When the investigation is complete,
the credit reporting company must give you the results in writing and a free  copy of your
report if the dispute results in a change. This free report does not count as your annual
free report.   If an item is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company cannot put
the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that
it is accurate and complete. The credit reporting company also must send you written notice
that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.  If you ask,
the credit reporting company must send notices of any corrections to anyone who received
your report  in the past six months. You can have a corrected copy of your report sent to
anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes.

Step 3 - If  Credit Reporting Investigation Does Not Resolve Dispute, Call Us!

If an investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute with the credit reporting company, then
you should call Patrick L. Hayes at 612-821-4817 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Claims under the FCRA need to be brought within two years or those claims will be barred
by the statute of limitations.

Fair Credit Reporting Quick Links:

1. How to Dispute Credit Report Errors
2. Dispute Credit Letter Examples
3. Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act

For more information on credit disputes click here.