How to Delete a Collection Agency From the CRA

Collections have a negative impact on your credit score. If a collection agency does not report your account situation accurately or a debt stays on your report after 7 years, it can lower your credit score even further. You can dispute the collection agency account if the information is not right or the collection is over 7 years old. A dispute is initiated with a credit reporting agency, and the agency will check over the information. If the data provider doesn't respond to the CRA inquiry or if the account is indeed too old, it will be deleted from the record.

Instructions

TransUnion

1

Go to the TransUnion homepage (see Resources).

2

Click "First Time?" if you need to register an account at TransUnion. Enter your name, address and other requested information to complete the account, then return to the main page. Click "Returning User" and enter your login name and password.

3

Click the "Credit Report" tab. Click "Report Inaccuracy" underneath that. Choose the "Submit Dispute" button.

4

Find the collection agency accounts on this list. Next to each account that you want to remove, click "Request Investigation" and choose the investigation reason. Choose "Submit" to complete the dispute process.

Experian

5

Access the Experian dispute page (see Resources). You need a recent credit report from Experian to dispute a collection account. This report must be no older than 90 days old. The dispute page has a number of ways, both free and paid, to get an Experian credit report if you do not have one.

6

Choose the option labeled "Yes, I have a credit report number." Fill out the form on this page. Click "Submit."

7

Scroll through your Experian credit report account listings until you find your collection agency accounts. Click "Dispute this item" next to every agency account you need to dispute. Explain the dispute reason and click "Submit this dispute."

Equifax

8

Click the Equifax link in the "Resources" section.

9

Enter your personal information. If you have a recent Equifax credit report, enter the credit report number in the first field. This is not a required field. Click "Submit."

10

Choose the correct answer for each personal identification question and click "Submit."

11

Click "Negative Accounts" to get to the listing of all of your negative collection accounts. Click "Dispute this item" for each and every collection account you need to dispute. Input your dispute reason and click "Add Dispute."