Your credit score can decline if you have erroneous information on your credit report, including wrongful collection accounts or unauthorized credit inquiries. You can get a free copy of your credit report once each year from any of the three major credit bureaus. You can then use this copy to check and see if there are any errors.
If you end up finding incorrect information, you can dispute it with the credit bureaus.
Come dive in as we explore how to dispute errors on your credit report.
Send A Letter to the Credit Bureau
Start by sending a letter to your credit bureau regarding the error(s) you found. Make sure you provide your contact information and all of the information surrounding the error and why it’s wrong.
You should also include any documentation that supports your claim, including a copy of the email that verifies the status of the incorrect information. It is also recommended that you keep any documentation you send out to the credit bureaus.
Wait Up to 45 Days For the Investigation to Take Place
Generally, a credit bureau has 30 days to investigate and verify information once it receives your dispute letter. The law states that a credit bureau must respond to you with newly reported results no later than five days from the time it completes its investigation.
If you choose to dispute with the furnisher as well, then they will likely have 30 days to investigate too. However, if a furnisher stands by the information you believe was inaccurately reported, then it will not remove or update the errors.
A credit bureau will sometimes respond that the dispute was frivolous, meaning the information on your dispute was incorrect or incomplete. However, you can also receive a “frivolous” response if you’ve sent the same dispute letter multiple times or sent a dispute letter without any proof to back up your claim.
The credit bureau will not need to investigate your claims any further if it deems them frivolous. However, the credit bureau must respond with this decision no later than five days from the time they finish the investigation to deem it frivolous.
You may try to resubmit your claim with better materials if the credit bureau finds it to be frivolous.
Checking Your Credit Reports To Avoid Trouble
We can’t stress enough how important it is to keep an eye on your credit score and your credit report. Knowing about changes in your credit score can keep you on track to better credit and keep you from getting in trouble in the future.
Plus, keeping an eye on your credit report is the first step to boosting your credit.
If you’re looking to take your credit to the next level and reach your financial goals, you might consider using tradelines.
Here at Boost Credit 101, we work with people from all walks of life who are looking to purchase tradelines and increase their credit. Give us a call if you’re interested in what tradelines can do for your credit score.
