How Can You Get the Wrong Information Off of Your Credit Report?

The three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, are responsible for maintaining accurate personal and credit-related information on each person's or business's credit report. Sometimes these agencies make mistakes and may put false information on your report or or keep outdated information there. To correct this, you must initiate a dispute. There is no cost to dispute information on your credit report. Equifax will allow you to dispute online or by mail; Experian prefers that disputes be initiated online; and TransUnion will accept disputes online, by mail or by phone. All three bureaus require a credit report or file number, which is found on your report.

Instructions

1

Go to Equifax.com and select "Start a new dispute" under "Correct Errors" at the bottom of the page. You will need the 10-digit confirmation number found on your Equifax credit report. If you don't have this, go to Equifax's Free and Discounted Disclosures page (see Resources) or AnnualCreditReport.com and enter in your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number, date of birth and address. Plus, answer some security questions like "What bank did you open a student loan with in 1997?"

2

Once you have access to your report, select "Dispute file information" in the left pane. You may initiate a dispute online by selecting the corresponding link next to the item that needs correcting.

3

You may also dispute entries by mail. You will need to include the exact information you are disputing, such as the company's name, company account number and balance amount. (All of this information can be found on your report.) Once your information is received, an investigation will be opened and your information may be corrected.

You can send disputes to:

CSC Credit Services
P.O. Box 619054
Dallas, TX 75261-9054

4

Make corrections to your Experian report. Go to Experian's website and select "Disputes" under "Credit Report Assistance" at the bottom of the page. Enter in your Experian credit report number that can be found on your credit report. Once online, you can view your report by sections (e.g., Personal Information, Negative Accounts or Collections). Then select the "Dispute" option next to each entry that needs to be corrected. You will need to select a reason why the information is inaccurate and hit "Submit" to submit the dispute. Experian will investigate the matter and possibly make corrections to your report, usually within 30 days.

5

Go to TransUnion.com and select "Dispute an item" under "Consumer Assistance" at the bottom of the page. Select "Submit a dispute." You may submit a dispute online, by mail or by phone. To dispute by online, select "First Time Here" and enter in your name, address and Social Security number. You will then have to create an account, or enter in your user name and password if you already have an account. Once you are viewing your report online, click the "Dispute" option next to the entry you want to correct, select the reason why it is incorrect and press the "Submit" button. TransUnion will investigate the matter and should resolve it within 30 days.

6

To submit a dispute by phone you must have a TransUnion credit file number found on the credit report. You'll need your Social Security number, date of birth, current address, the company name on the account you want to dispute, the account number as indicated on your credit report, the reason for the dispute and any corrections to your personal information. Call TransUnion at 800-916-8800, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST.

7

To submit a dispute by mail, download the "Request an Investigation Form" (see Resources). Complete the information as requested, including your personal information and details about the account or other information that should be corrected. Sign the form and send it to:

TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000

Disputes requested by mail may take up to 45 days to investigate and resolve, rather than the 30 days for disputes submitted online or by phone.