Fix Credit: Dispute Negative Info on Your Credit Report You as a consumer have rights under the Fair Debt Reporting Act to dispute negative information contained in your credit report .
You as a consumer have rights under the Fair Debt Reporting Act to dispute negative information contained in your credit report. You can dispute negative or falsified information on your credit report by writing a dispute letter to the credit bureau that contains the negative blemish. This can usually be done online as well, while youre reviewing your credit report. Free credit reports are available through sites like annualcreditreport.com and disputes are enabled through a simple click through feature per each entry on the report. Once a dispute letter has been mailed or submitted online the law then requires the credit reporting agencies to take action for the consumer by conducting an investigation of said issue.
With these easy to follow steps you can easily write an effective dispute letter to the credit bureau.
Obtain your credit report: You can obtain a free credit report once a year or if you have been recently declined credit. Annualcreditreport.com provides a truly free credit report that can accelerate the process of sending snail mail. I mean, it is 2009…Order a copy from all three major credit bureaus. Experian, Equifax, TransUnion.
Become Sherlock Holmes: Read through your report with a fine tooth comb…or a slow scrolling mouse…Look for falsified information that may indicate you have been a victim of identity theft. Check the history of revolving accounts for false details, negative statuses, and outdated remarks that may be eligible to be removed.
Specify the items in dispute. Be very specific as to what item youre referencing and as detailed as possible as to what the dispute involves. If you have to use snail mail, send a copy of the credit report along with your dispute, circling which mark is being referenced. Online users can take a screenshot of the online credit report.
Separate the masses: If youre disputing several items youll want to send the disputes individually. As tricky as credit can be you have to imagine the men behind the curtain arent over willing to make that extra effort and sift through pages of email gripes or a manila folder as thick as a bible pointing out mistakes their organization has posted. Make it easy on the credit bureau to review each dispute individually. This is more to your benefit than theirs, trust.
Play nice: CAPPING every word isnt going to come off as cordial. As upset as you may be that you have erroneous marks on youre credit its best not to express yourself as a demanding impatient tyrant. Make your dispute personal and professional. Be polite. They can –read- your smile, lol.
Just the facts maam: Were not writing novels here. These are dispute letters. A definitive, professional, polite, one to two liner dispute per item. You have your goal, stick to it and lay out the facts. Point out the errors and request corrections and confirmations.
This is America! Keep in mind that you have the right to dispute marks on your credit report. Credit bureaus are required to
