How to Fix My Credit Tradelines

Sometimes good people make mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes can stick with you for years, preventing you from getting a break because of the legacy they leave on your credit report. Sometimes a credit report can simply contain inaccurate information, preventing someone who never made a mistake in the first place from getting their entitled credit. For both cases, there is a recourse.

Instructions

1

Acquire a copy of your credit reports from all three of the major credit reporting agencies---Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each company is required to give you one free report each year or whenever you are denied credit. But there are services you can purchase that will give you a new credit report each month, This may be advantageous because you should monitor your report as you go along this process.

2

Highlight the trade-lines that you find inaccurate or incomplete. Make a note for yourself as to what it is about the trade-line that is inaccurate or incomplete. The trade-line may not be Fair Credit Reporting Act compliant or it may be missing an important piece of information, such as the name of the company that you owe.

3

Prepare a dispute letter to send to each of the credit reporting agencies. Some agencies allow you to do this on line. Write in the letter that you are writing in order to dispute inaccuracies in your file. Explain why you find each item inaccurate. Include any information that supports your claims and request that the agency delete the trade-line or alter the trade-line to your liking. Include your report with the circled and highlighted trade-lines that you find inaccurate.

4

Wait 30 days for the agencies to respond. In this time, the agencies will conduct an investigation. They will try to confirm or deny your claims by contacting the creditors you are disputing in your file.

5

Review your results in writing. The agency will provide you with a new credit report that will show you clearly what has been changed or deleted. If you are unhappy with the results of the investigation, you can request to include your own note in a trade line. They may require you to pay for this.

6

Work with the creditor. Only do so in writing to avoid accidentally renewing the statute of limitations on your debt. Do not admit that you owe the debt, but rather, in writing, request that they remove the trade-line. Offer any documentation that supports your case. Send this to as many people in the company as you can find via certified mail. If they do not respond within 30 days, then dispute again with the credit reporting agency, attaching a copy of the certified mail receipt and your letter, explaining that they never responded to your request for information.