Once incorrect information has been found on a credit report, the majority of individuals have absolutely no idea how to go about getting this information corrected. Repairing your credit report can become a tedious undertaking when you don’t know what to do to get the matter resolved. The purpose of this series of articles is to simplify this process for anyone that finds themselves in this predicament. If an inaccuracy is found on any of your credit reports, it cannot be corrected by simply making a phone call. You will have to follow certain procedures to effectively get the information corrected. Depending on the situation, you may also have to contact a creditor if they supplied the credit bureau with incorrect information.
As stated in my last article, you may have no idea that your credit report is in need of repair if you have not reviewed your credit reports recently. When individuals take care of their financial obligations as agreed upon, they assume that the information that is contained in their credit reports is accurate. This is not always the case. That is why everyone should take advantage of reviewing their credit reports every year with the major credit bureaus... Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
This is a free service that is provided to everyone annually. It should be noted that if you want to find out what your credit scores are, you will have to pay a small fee to each credit bureau for this information. I have provided a link below that will take you directly to the website where you can review all of your credit reports for free.
This is the fourth and final article of this series. To utilize the sample letter below, you will need to review the information contained in my previous articles. To initiate a dispute with a credit bureau you will need to utilize one of my form letters that are contained in my first two articles. If there is no reply from the credit bureau, you will need to send the form letter that is contained in my third article. If the credit bureau has still not responded, they would be in violation of Federal law and by using the form letter below you will force the credit bureau to remove the disputed item from your credit report.
I’m providing the following links for your convenience.
• Credit Repair Made Easy #1
• Credit Repair Made Easy #2
• Credit Repair Made Easy #3
To use the following form letter, simply highlight and copy the sample letter below and then paste it directly into your favorite word processor.
SAMPLE CREDIT REPAIR LETTER #4
Month 00, 0000
Credit Bureau's Name
Attn: Consumer Relations
Street Address
City, State & Zip
RE: No Response From Your Office
To whom it may concern,
On Month 00, 0000 I requested an reinvestigation into certain credit issues on my credit report.
Additionally, on Month 00, 0000, I sent your office a second request.
I am attaching a copy of both of my previous letters and returned receipts for your review.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act states a response is required from you within 30 days. I assume you have not responded because the disputed items cannot be verified.
Therefore, please delete these items and send me a corrected copy of my credit report. I understand that you will also send an updated copy to everyone who has requested my credit report within the last 6 months.
Please note that a copy of this letter and associated documentation is being forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580 for compliance.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Full Name
Street Address
City, State & Zip
cc: Federal Trade Commission
Note: Make sure that you attach copies of your previous letters and both copies of your returned receipts showing delivery. Also send a copy of this letter and your documentation to the Federal Trade Commission. Send both of these letters by certified mail with a return receipt requested.
CREDIT BUREAU CONTACT INFORMATION
Equifax... (800) 846-5279
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian... (888) 397-3742
P.O. Box 9530
Allen, TX 70513
TransUnion... (800) 916-8800
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
My previous article... Tips on How to Improve Your Credit Score will be extremely helpful if you have had credit issues and need to improve your credit score. You will find that this information will explain what impacts your credit score and what can be done to improve it.
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Contributor's Note
All three credit bureaus and all of your creditors are legally responsible to investigate all of your credit disputes and report back to you in writing within a reasonable period of time. For most states, this time frame is 30 days. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Debts Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) have been established to protect consumers. The FCRA requires that all of the information on your credit bureau report must be accurate, timely and verifiable in order for it to remain on your report. Otherwise, it must be removed.
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