How To Repair Debt Letters

Credit repair letters are easy to write, but they are supposed to be used for only one purpose -- to challenge incorrect information on your credit report. The credit bureaus are legally obligated to respond within about 30 days after receiving your letter. Federal law requires the bureaus to conduct investigations and prove that the information on their reports is true. If they cannot prove it, or cannot do it within the time allotted, the information must be removed. That loophole sometimes allows negative information that is accurate to be legally removed as the result of a letter.

Instructions

1

Obtain copies of your credit reports from the Web site Annual Credit Report (www.annualcreditreport.com). You can order them from the home page or call 877-322-8228. The site was established by the nationwide credit bureaus -- TransUnion, Equifax and Experian -- to provide free credit reports as required by federal law. You're entitled to three free credit reports every 12 months, including one from each of the bureaus.

2

Review your credit reports and find accounts that you would like to dispute. You may see an account that does not belong to you, or one showing an incorrect credit line. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to challenge anything on your report, even if you know the information is accurate. Thus, you can write letters disputing any of your accounts.

3

Write your letters. Include your name, address and Social Security number. List every account you are challenging and the reason for your challenge. You can deny owning an account, that you never paid an account late, or that you paid an account in full and it should not be listed as delinquent. You can choose other reasons. Then mail your letters to the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus will contact your creditors regarding your account and respond to you by mail with their findings. Sometimes, creditors are slow to respond to inquires from the credit bureaus, and that can lead to information being deleted from reports.

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

Experian
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013
888-397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
800-916-8800
www.transunion.com