How to Delete Items From Credit Reports

When reviewing your credit history, you may come across accounts or information that you do not recognize. You are legally allowed, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), to dispute any item on your credit report that you know or believe to be inaccurate. This includes accounts, payment histories, and personal information. Disputes are usually more effective when done in writing rather than via the Internet or through a telephone call. When you dispute an item in writing, you have the opportunity to provide the credit bureaus with documentation to support your claim.

Instructions

1

Review your credit reports for any errors in your personal information. This includes your name, Social Security number, birth date, and past addresses. If you find an error in your personal information that needs to be deleted or changed, send a copy of the credit report containing the error to the credit bureau in question. Include a letter stating what information needs to be deleted or changed and why. Also include any documentation, such as copies of your Social Security card or birth certificate, that proves the information in question is inaccurate. The credit bureau will notify you by mail when changes are made. You can obtain your credit reports online instantly by visiting the websites of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can also call the credit bureaus and request that your credit reports be mailed to you.

2

Check the payment history on each of your accounts. If any of your accounts show late payments that you know you did not make, send a letter to the creditor reporting the late payments and request their removal. Include any past bank statements or canceled checks that document your timely payments on the account (your bank can provide you with these if you do not have them). If you have no method of obtaining proof, sometimes a letter to your creditor explaining the situation can facilitate the removal of late payment notations.

3

Note any outstanding debts appearing on your credit history that you do not recognize. Send a letter to the creditor requesting proof of the debt. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act states that if a debt cannot be validated by a creditor, it must be removed from a consumer's credit file.

If you do not receive a debt validation from the creditor, contact the credit bureau that is reporting the outstanding debt. Explain that you do not recognize the debt and have received no response to your request for validation. Request an investigation. FCRA guidelines state that if a consumer requests an investigation into information contained within his credit report, the credit bureau must comply and provide him with the results of the investigation within 30 days. If changes are made, you will receive an updated copy of your credit report along with the investigation results.

4

Check your credit report for any other accounts that do not belong to you. You may be tempted to leave positive accounts alone, but if the accounts are still open, the account owner may default on the debt or make late payments at any time. This will adversely affect your credit score. Call the credit bureau and report a foreign positive entry on your credit file. Since the account is positive, you have no motivation to attempt to have it fraudulently removed. The credit bureaus will usually remove a positive item without a consumer having to file a formal dispute.