How to Fix an Error on Your Credit Report
The last thing you want is to spend months, or even years, budgeting to save enough for a new house or car just to let a mistake on your credit report get you denied. If a missed payment or public record is not accurate, dispute it right away.
Aug. 9, 2012
Kiplinger
Checking your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus is always a good idea. A misdirected bill that has gone to collections or someone with the same name but bad credit habits could torpedo your credit score.
Disputing an error can be a hassle, so if the error is minor and your credit score is stellar (760 or above), you may want to skip the process.
Start by ordering your TransUnion, Equifax and Experian reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. You can get a free report from each credit bureau once a year (you can also request a credit score for $8). If you find an account that doesn’t belong to you or even a misspelling of your name, you can file a dispute with the credit bureau.
The fastest way to start a dispute is online at the bureau’s Web site. You’ll need the report number, and you typically have 30 days from the time you ordered it to begin a dispute. The bureau sends your dispute to the reporting party (the lender or collections agency) to check the accuracy, and the bureau has 30 to 45 days to get back to you. If you’re lucky, the lender will own up to the error and either modify or remove it. If not, you could take your dispute directly to the lender, who also has 30 days to investigate and must show on your credit file that the item is in dispute. If it admits that the item is incorrect, it’s required to report that fact to all the bureaus to which it furnishes data.
