by Marcy Kennedy

Created on: January 13, 2009   Last Updated: January 27, 2009

Errors on your credit report can affect your ability to get a credit card, a loan, a mortgage, or a job. If you need a guide to fixing errors on a credit report, follow the steps below for the specific information you need to correct.

HOW TO FIX PERSONAL INFORMATION

Errors in personal information are the easiest to fix because they usually do not involve a dispute process.

(1) Circle the incorrect information on your credit report.

(2) Write a letter (not an email) that includes your full name and address. Within the letter, state what information on your credit report is incorrect and what it should be changed to. Ask them to correct the error.

For example, if your date of birth is listed incorrectly, write a short note as follows:

"I am writing to inform you of incorrect information in my file. I have circled the incorrect item on the attached copy of my report. My birth date is listed in your file as 27 January 1950. The correct date is 27 January 1960."

(3) Enclose photocopies of documentation if necessary. Also enclose the copy of the credit report that you've marked to indicate the errors.

(4) Mail the letter to the complaint department of the consumer reporting company.

HOW TO FIX ACCOUNT OR PUBLIC INFORMATION

(1) Circle the errors on your copy of your credit report.

(2) Write a letter to the consumer reporting company including your name and address, a list of the disputed items, and your reasons for disputing each item. Indicate what documents you've included as evidence. Finally, request that they fix the errors.

When you list the disputed item, you need to include the creditor's name, the type of item (for example, credit account), and whether the information is incomplete or inaccurate.

As an example, if your credit report stated that you had not been making your student loan payments on time, you could write the following:

"I would like to dispute the circled items on the enclosed copy of my credit report. The information you have on late payments for my student loan account with Study Now Loan Company is inaccurate because I scheduled auto-payments with this company which they failed to execute. Each time, as soon as I discovered their error, I contacted the company and made my payment."

(3) Photocopy the documents that you will need as evidence of your claim and enclose them with your letter and credit report. Never send your original documents.

(4) Mail your letter by certified mail to the complaint department and request a return receipt. This gives you proof that the consumer reporting company received your request.

If the consumer reporting company believes your dispute is valid, they must investigate within 30 days. They will forward the information you send them to the information provider who gave them the disputed information.

If the information provider decides in your favor, they must send the updated information to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The original consumer reporting company is obligated to then send you the results of the investigation and an updated copy of your credit report. In addition, the consumer reporting company should send you the contact information for the information provider.

Upon request, the consumer reporting company must also notify anyone who has requested a copy of your credit report in the last six months of the corrections. If the report was requested for purposes of employment, they must notify all those who requested information in the past two years.

For more information on your credit report and disputes, visit Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

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