For example, if one of your credit accounts is showing “delinquent” status when you know you’re up-to-date on payments, pull up your payment history on the account so you have it handy.
Equifax only asks for this information once so your credit report can be found. Even though the site itself is secure, protect your information by not setting up your account on a public computer or while using public Wi-Fi.
The name of the lender or company that reported the item The account number listed with the disputed item The dates associated with the disputed item An explanation of why the information is incorrect
Copy of your driver’s license or passport, if you’re disputing personal information Copy of your valid Social Security card, if you’re disputing your Social Security number Copy of your driver’s license, lease, or mortgage, if you’re disputing your address Copy of your account statement or letters from the lender, if you’re disputing an account item
If you’re filing your dispute by mail, include a letter with your personal information and details about your dispute (there’s a form you can download at files. consumerfinance. gov/f/documents/092016_cfpb_ CreditReportingDisputeLetter. docx). Send the letter along with copies of any supporting documents using certified mail with returned receipt requested so you’ll know when Equifax gets it. For mail, use the following address:Equifax Information Services LLCP. O. Box 740256Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
For example, if you have a relatively straightforward dispute, such as that your name is spelled wrong or your Social Security number is incorrect, Equifax can usually correct that relatively quickly. Disputes that require contacting a lender for more information might take more time. Equifax sends a notification when the dispute has been resolved. But at any step in the process, you can check online and see what’s happening.
You also have the option of filing a dispute with Equifax again. But unless you have any additional information that you didn’t have when you filed your first dispute, it’s unlikely that the result will change.
Mail your statement to:Equifax Information Services LLCP. O. Box 740256Atlanta, GA 30374-0256 While the statement won’t impact your credit score, it might have some sway on an individual, such as a landlord or a mortgage lender, who was looking over your credit report.
If you’ve lived at your current address for less than 6 months, provide your previous address as well. Experian may ask additional questions to verify your identity using information in your credit report.
The “Accounts” tab lists all of your credit cards and credit lines. The “Public records” tab only contains bankruptcies you’ve filed. If you’ve never filed for bankruptcy, this tab should be empty. The “Personal information” tab lists every residence you’ve ever lived at. The “Inquiries” tab lists hard pulls on your credit at the top, but you can view the soft pulls as well be scrolling down and expanding the menu.
For example, if you dispute a credit card for “Balance incorrect,” it will ask for the current balance as you understand it before proceeding. If you dispute for “Unauthorized charges,” you’ll be given a prompt to explain the issue.
Mail your completed form to:P. O. Box 4500Allen, TX 75013 If you have any documents that support your dispute, include photocopies with your form. Use certified mail with return receipt requested so you’ll know when Experian gets your dispute form. You can also file a dispute over the phone by calling the number listed on your Experian credit report. If you don’t have your report and want one mailed to you, call 866-200-6020.
If you see “open,” this indicates that Experian has started investigating your dispute. “Update” means your credit report is being updated. “Dispute results ready” means Experian has issued a decision on your dispute. Generally, it takes 30 days for Experian to complete an investigation into your dispute and issue a decision. [15] X Research source
You also have the option of starting the same dispute with Experian again, but this doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you have new information or additional documentation that you didn’t provide the first time.
Your statement will appear on your credit report next to the disputed item in question. Anyone who reviews your report will see it and might have questions about it for you. Keep the documents you have that are related to the dispute handy so you can show them to anyone who asks. While adding a statement won’t impact your credit score, it might be persuasive to a lender, particularly if the disputed item is the only negative mark on your report.
To open your account, provide personal information to verify your identity. You might also be asked questions about information contained in your TransUnion credit report. If you’ve previously requested a dispute, freeze, or fraud alert online from TransUnion, you likely already have an account. The login page gives you options to recover your username and password if you’ve forgotten them. [19] X Research source
Because your personal information has already been validated through your account, you don’t need to add anything. You also don’t need to make a statement describing the reason you’re disputing an item.
You can’t upload documents if you’re disputing personal information, such as your Social Security number, date of birth, or current address. If you’re disputing any of this information, use the phone or mail dispute options.
If you don’t want to call, use the form available at https://www. transunion. com/docs/rev/personal/InvestigationRequest. pdf to submit your dispute by mail. Make copies of any documents you have that support your dispute and include them with the form. Use the following address to mail your dispute or documents:TransUnion Consumer SolutionsP. O. Box 2000Chester, PA 19016-2000 Even if you submit your dispute over the phone or by mail, you can still check the status online if you create an account. [23] X Research source
While it might take up to 30 days to resolve your dispute, TransUnion clears most disputes within a couple of weeks.
There’s contact information for the lender on your credit report. If you’re disputing information about an account that’s in collections, make sure you have the right contact information for the company that reported the information.
TransUnion has some prepared statements that you can choose from. If none of them precisely fits your situation, write your own instead. It just needs to be 100 words or less (200 words or less if you live in Maine).
If you make any phone calls related to the dispute, write down the date and time of the call and the number you used. Then, get the full name and job title of the person you spoke to. Take notes while talking to them and repeat back everything they say to make sure you’ve heard them correctly. If you want to be super cautious, you might type your notes up into a letter memorializing the call and send it to the company using certified mail with return receipt requested. For example, you might write: “This letter reflects that on October 20, 2020, at 2:20 p. m. EST, I called the customer service number and spoke with Susanna Serafina, customer service representative, who assured me that this error would be removed from my credit report. "
For example, if the cable company listed a past-due bill but you had moved and paid your bill in full when you left, you might include a copy of your lease, a copy of your final bill, a copy of your bank statement showing the final payment made, and a copy of your new lease or new cable contract where you live now. If your dispute is related to identity theft, include all the documents you have related to the identity theft, including your police report and copies of any other complaints that you made. Credit bureaus handle thousands of disputes, so they typically don’t do a lot of digging into your file apart from contacting the company that provided the information for your report. In a sense, you’ve got to do the work for them to prove that the information is incorrect and should be removed.
The credit bureau will contact the lender when you submit your dispute. However, if the lender is completely unaware of the dispute, they might simply tell the credit bureau that the information they provided was correct. Your letter puts your lender on notice that there’s a problem. Mail your letter using certified mail with return receipt requested, so you have proof when it was received. If you don’t hear anything within 30 days, call the lender and ask about it. Make sure you get the name and job title of the person you speak to on the phone.
For example, if the cable company was still billing you for service after you’d already moved, you might make a call to your landlord and find out when new tenants moved into the apartment. A letter from your landlord stating that you no longer lived there, as well as a copy of the lease, would prove that you had in fact moved out before the bill was posted to your account.
Your state attorney general’s office might also be able to give you additional tips you can use to get the matter resolved. [32] X Research source
