Many people who look into their reports find that their credit information has errors and those errors usually affect your credit negatively.
Maintaining an accurate score sometimes requires us to be pro-active, and we must write letters to remove information off our credit report. These are sent to the big 3 credit bureaus. Although in many cases the first thing most people want to do is to call the Credit Bureau and tell them off, this would be counterproductive. Instead the best method would be to sit down and write a credit report dispute letter.
You should read your credit report, take notes as to what you consider the problem areas are and think whether what’s on the report could actually be true. If, in finding that what’s on the report is false, you need to think through how you’re going to word your letters to remove info off credit report. You’re going to have to send a copy of this letter to each of the three main credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Be polite and state facts as you see them. See example letter below.
Dear (credit bureau name here),
After looking at a copy of my credit file, I found that it contained erroneous information. I would like to dispute this information and request a correction. I am concerned about the information that you have put in my credit report as it could seriously impair the credit rating I enjoy with lending institutions.
You have not (state the problem here).
Be sure to include the month, and the date, and the name of the business.
I am enclosing a photocopy of my cancelled check as proof of my payment. Hopefully, this will correct the accuracy of my credit file. As you are certainly aware of, the credit bureaus are only allowed to use accurate information in a consumer’s credit file.
Thank you for correcting the above errors to insure that it doesn’t impair my personal credit. Please contact me as soon as the correction has been made and my credit report is again accurate. Please send a copy of my credit report to: (place mailing address here).
Yours,
(Your name)
Be sure to include your full name as listed in your credit report, address, Social Security number, copy of your driver’s license, copy of the credit report, and copy of your proof, i.e. cancelled check.
Be sure to retain a copy of whatever you send to each credit bureau. Make a note of the date that you mail your letters to remove info off credit report. Using certified or registered mail is a good idea, as this will give you proof of the mailing date.
By: Tim Gorman
Posts Tagged ‘Credit Dispute’
Negative Credit Repair Help
February 4th, 2010
There are many people in our country today with bad credit that don’t even know it. In fact, most of these people won’t even find out until they apply for credit and are denied.
Will you be next?
Whether you know you have bad credit or not, there are steps you can take to make sure your credit is moving in the right direction.
Order a copy of your credit report. By law, you are allowed one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus per year. Make sure you that advantage of this. Either order all three at once to get a complete picture of your credit or stagger them throughout the year to keep an up to date picture. Review your reports with a fine tooth comb. Make sure to take your time and pay attention to every detail. Check your personal information for misspelling and wrong numbers or addresses. Review your credit accounts for proper dates and amounts. Make sure you recognize all the accounts listed on your report. Identity theft is a growing problem, don’t be a victim. And take a look at who else has been looking at your credit report. Dispute information that doesn’t belong there. While going through your reports, make a detailed list of all the information that is wrong or items that should no longer be there. Keep a copy of this list for yourself and send a copy of it, along with your credit report, to the corresponding credit bureau. Then all you can do is wait. A credit bureau is required by law to investigate all disputes and reply within thirty days. If any changes are made, they should send you an updated copy of your credit report. File a dispute with the creditor. If you know the information is wrong and the credit bureau investigation did not change anything, file a dispute with the creditor that listed the item. The process should be similar to filing a dispute with the credit bureau.
Remember, it’s your credit. It’s up to you to fix it.
By: K.M. Aguglia
