How to Dispute Errors On Your Annual Credit Report

To successfully dispute the errors and inconsistencies you have stumbled upon in your annual credit report, we encourage you to employ the following suggestions:

Order copies of your annual credit report from the three major credit bureaus.  If this is your first time to request for such documents, this year, then, you can look forward to receiving your credit files for free. However, if you have requested for your credit report during the first quarter of the current year then, you may have to submit a minimal charge to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, before receiving the documents through your mailbox or via the site www.annualcreditreport.com.

Denied Credit Recently?

Have you been denied of a credit card or a loan? If you have then, you can also contact the three credit reporting agencies and receive the latest copies of your credit report, free of charge!

Take a close look at the items found in your credit files.  

To catch errors in your credit report, you should thoroughly scrutinize the entries in the documents you will receive. Don’t fixate on your credit history, alone. After all, there could also be minor errors in your name, contact details as well as in your Social Security Number.

If you have items in the public records section of your credit report then, we advise you to check if you can discharge them from your credit records based on the statutes of limitations that apply to your state. If you think that the negative entries pertaining to your bankruptcy proceedings, foreclosure, or tax liens are way past the seven-to-ten-year limit; you can include them in the items you intend to dispute with the employees of the credit reporting agencies.

Write a credit dispute letter. 

According to the provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or the FCRA, you need to write and send a letter of credit dispute to the major credit bureaus via registered mail. In your letter, you should make a list of all the entries you wish to dispute in your annual credit report, particularly outdated credit accounts, incorrect payment amounts or dates, unauthorized or fraudulent credit card charges, misspelled names, wrong home or office address as well as missing or incorrect digits in your Social Security Number. And don’t forget the court judgments and public record information that you should get rid of in your credit file. Then, provide specific instructions on how such items should be handled by the employees of the credit reporting agencies.

You should also attach to your letter copies of financial records, such as receipts and proofs of payment that will support your claim. Keep in mind that the key towards the immediate resolution of your credit dispute lies in the documents you will enclose to your letter.

Be ready to send follow-up letters of credit dispute, especially if you don’t receive an acknowledgement from the credit bureaus within the next 30 to 45 days. After all, it could signify that your original letter got lost or was misplaced by the employees of the credit reporting agencies. So, prepare extra copies of your letter and send them as soon as possible.