Step-by-Step Procedure to Clean Up False Information On Your Credit Report

1. Prepare a dispute letter to any agency which publishes the false information you are challenging. Be very specific in your dispute letter and include copies of any documents which prove that the derogatory information is false. Keep the letter factual and professional in tone.
[View a sample dispute letter]

2. Send the dispute letter via certified mail to the credit bureau or bureaus which are reporting the false information. The pertinent addresses of the three major bureaus are as follows:

Equifax Information Services, LLC
800-525-6285 • www.equifax.com
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Ga. 30374

TransUnion, LLC
800-680-7289 • www.transunion.com
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790
Chester, PA 19022-2000

Experian Information Solutions
1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)701 • www.experian.com
P.O. Box 9701
Allen, Texas 75013-9701

Addresses for Disputing to Other Consumer Reporting Agencies

There are other credit bureaus which are smaller, and if you find derogatory information on a credit report from a smaller credit bureau, you will need to look at that credit bureau’s report for the address to which to send a dispute letter.

3. Definitely do not do a dispute by phone. You will need to have a written record of your dispute.

4. We are recommending against doing disputes online. For one thing, you do not get a complete record of what you send to the bureaus, and cannot send along any supporting documentation of your dispute. Also, some of the credit bureaus are sneaking in binding arbitration clauses for consumers who dispute online, so consumers who dispute online could lose their right to get justice in the courts with a jury. Arbitration almost always favors big corporations, which is why so many big corporations try to sneak binding arbitration clauses into any agreement or contract that any consumer signs. However, there is no binding arbitration clause where a consumer disputes via certified mail.

5. Send a cc of your dispute letter to the creditor, debt collector or bank which sent the derogatory credit information to the credit bureau or bureaus. Also send this via certified mail.

6. The bureau has 30 days to reinvestigate and correct. If you are in a hurry because of, say, a pending loan application, the bureaus have an expedited procedure which you can learn about by calling them at the following numbers:

Equifax: 800-525-6285
TransUnion: 800-680-7289
Experian: 888-EXPERIAN

7. The bureau or bureaus will notify you of the results of their reinvestigation. If the bureau or bureaus does not delete or correct the information, you can re-dispute as often as you like, but you may also wish to consult with an attorney. My firm specializes in these cases and we have a track record of excellent results with very satisfied clients. We serve clients in Southern California, or who have had their credit damaged in Southern California. If you live elsewhere, go to www.naca.net
for a referral to a credit damage specialist attorney in your state.

I hope this short article is of service to you.

Robert F. Brennan, Esq.
BRENNAN, WIENER & SIMONS
3150 Montrose Ave.
La Crescenta, Ca. 91214
(818) 249-5291
 

Copyright 2007 by Robert F. Brennan of Brennan, Wiener & Associates. For more information, contact www.SoCalCreditDamage.com or send an email to info@brennanlaw.com.