Credit Bureau Disputes: Correcting Credit Report Errors, Sample Letter

General Information

Each year, tens of thousands of consumers file complaints about credit reporting bureaus with the Federal Trade Commission. Many complaints concern a bureau’s refusing to investigate or correct an error on the consumer’s credit report.

Listed below are some of the most common Credit Bureau complaints our office handles:

• A credit bureau failed to correct an error even though the creditor admitted the error and / or the consumer proved there was an error,
• A bureau reinserted inaccurate information into a consumer’s file without following proper procedure,
• A bureau failed to forward the consumer’s dispute to a creditor,
• A bureau refused to include in its investigation information provided by the consumer,
• A bureau coded a consumer’s dispute as “frivolous” without grounds for doing so,
• A bureau refused to correct a disputed item and refused to reveal how it conducted its investigation of that item,
• A bureau coded a dispute as “previously verified” or “previously investigated” and refused to reinvestigate,
• A bureau failed to respond to a consumer’s dispute within the time-frame mandated by an applicable statute, and / or
• A bureau otherwise failed to conduct a reasonable investigation of a consumer’s dispute.

Helpful hints for preparing bureau disputes

• Put disputes in writing. A phone or internet dispute is convenient, but a written dispute mailed as described below covers more bases.
• Mail your dispute letters Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested (CMRRR).
• Be careful when sending multiple copies of your dispute — for example, faxing AND mailing the same dispute letter.

* You may be deemed to have made the same dispute several times in quick succession.

* Bureaus often code disputes as “frivolous” when they think the consumer has sent multiple rounds of the same dispute in quick succession. Once coded as “frivolous,” it can be difficult to get the bureau to correct its mistake and investigate your dispute.

* BUT, if a bureau has unreasonably coded your dispute as “frivolous,” it might have violated the requirement that bureaus use reasonable investigation procedures. You may want to consult an attorney if this has happened to you.

Sample Credit Bureau Dispute Letter

Credit Bureau dispute letters do not have to include formal language or legal jargon. The following letter is sufficient. It is, however, just an example and must be tailored to your specific situation.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

(YOUR NAME)
(YOUR ADDRESS)

Date

TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000
Via facsimile to (610) 546-4765
CMRRR xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Re: Credit report of (YOUR NAME), SSN xxx-xx-xxxx, TU file number xxxxxxxx

Dear TransUnion:

I am disputing the following items on my credit report. The nature of each dispute is specified below.

The items are:

Subscriber / account number:
(Name of company), Account # xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Requested correction:
(Describe your dispute here.)

Supporting documentation:
(List supporting documents here. Example: Letter from creditor, etc.)

Please let me know if you need additional information, and thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

(Your name typed here)

Encl August 7, 2007 letter from (Company name)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other “Big Three” Bureau Addresses and Fax Numbers

Equifax
ATTN: Disputes
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Fax: (888) 729-0083

Experian
ATTN: Disputes
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
(Experian does not currently offer a fax number for consumer disputes.)