How to Erase Negative Credit

Erase negative credit information on your credit reports by contesting the accuracy of the information through a disputes process. Federal law gives you the right to challenge anything on your reports, and it is up to the credit bureaus to confirm the accuracy of the information. By law, the bureaus must correct any negative information or remove information that cannot be confirmed.

Instructions

1

Obtain your credit reports for free from the website annualcreditreport.com. Order by phone by dialing 877-322-8228. The three major credit bureaus--TransUnion, Equifax and Experian--established the website to provide free reports under the guidelines of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You're entitled to one free report every 12 months from each of the bureaus.

2

Check your reports for negative information you would like to challenge. Then visit the websites for the credit bureaus to challenge the information. Look for a "Dispute Report" or similar button on the website. Click on that to begin your dispute. You can challenge the negative information for a variety of reasons. For example, an account listed on your report may not be yours, or you can declare that you never paid the account late or that the listed balance is incorrect. You can also put your dispute in writing and send it by standard mail to the credit bureaus. Be sure to include your contact information including full name, telephone number, and your Social Security number.

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

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

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

3

Wait for the credit bureaus to contact you with their findings. You will be contacted by email or standard mail. By law, the bureaus have 30 days to investigate, during which time they will contact your creditors to confirm the information. Sometimes creditors fail to respond to the bureaus before the deadline, resulting in the negative information being dropped from your reports.