How to Remove Obsolete Credit Information

It's always a good idea to check your credit reports to see what information about you is being displayed. Lenders and other companies interested in your creditworthiness will check your credit history to see whether or not you are a good risk. If any information is obsolete, you can request that it be removed from any or all of your credit reports. This will ensure that third parties get a fair and accurate assessment of your credit history.

Instructions

1

Go to annualcreditreport.com and view all three of your credit reports: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. You will need to cross-reference the reports to see which ones have any outdated information. If you check only one credit bureau report you might not see all the problems.

2

Verify all the credit information on each report. You may have the erroneous credit information of a family member with a similar name (individuals with names ending with Sr., Jr., or III, for example, are especially susceptible) or another person with the same name as you. There may be credit cards remaining that have actually been closed for years. But most importantly, you need to make sure that the obsolete information is truly yours. If something looks totally wrong, you might be a victim of identity theft. If that's the case, you will need to contact the credit-monitoring companies immediately.

3

Check the timeline for your credit information. Some things like bankruptcy take ten years before they can be cleared, and any request for premature removal will be denied.

4

Check the dates of the items in question, and then send a registered letter to the credit-monitoring companies requesting that they remove the obsolete information. A letter can be sent to one, two, or all three of the bureaus, depending on which reports contain the information. The letter will need to be registered and should contain any documented proof (document copies should be sent, not the originals).

5

Wait for a response from the credit-monitoring companies. They are required by law to handle the matter within 30 days. If they verify that your information is obsolete, then the items should be cleared immediately.

6

Review your credit reports a second time to make sure the obsolete information has been removed. You are allowed a free report whenever you discover inaccuracies and have requested corrections to your credit history.