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How can I make corrections to my credit report?

If you find something wrong in your credit report, you should dispute it.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), both the credit reporting company and the information provider (the person who you have an account, company, or organization that provides information about you to a credit reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. 

If you find a mistake in a report from a credit reporting company, you should contact, in writing, both the credit reporting company and the company, that provided the information to explain what you think is wrong and why:

• Provide your complete name and address, telephone number, credit report confirmation number, and account number for any account you are disputing.
• Explain what information you think is inaccurate, clearly identify each mistake, explain why you are disputing the information and request that the information be deleted or corrected.
• Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. You may want to enclose a copy of your credit report with the items in question circled.
• Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have a record that your letter was received.
• Keep copies of your dispute letter and enclosures.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the items in question.

This is usually done within 30 days unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to the organization that provided the information. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the credit reporting company, it must investigate, review the relevant information, and report the results back to the credit reporting company. 

If the company corrects your information as a result of your dispute, it must notify all of the credit reporting companies to which it provided the wrong information, so they can update their reports with the correct information. 

When the investigation is complete, the credit reporting company must give you the written results and a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change. (This free report does not count as your annual free report under the FACT Act.) If an item is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that the information is, indeed, accurate and complete. The credit reporting company also must send you written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.

If you request, the credit reporting company must send notices of any correction to anyone who received your report in the past six months. A corrected copy of your report can be sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes.

How to submit a dispute to the nationwide credit reporting companies

To submit online, by mail, or by phone, use the following contact information:

Equifax 
Online: www.ai.equifax.com/CreditInvestigation
By mail: Click here to download the dispute form 
Mail the dispute form with your letter to:
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
By phone: Phone number provided on credit report or (800) 864-2978

Experian 
Online: www.experian.com/disputes/main.html
By mail: Use the address provided on your credit report or mail your letter to:
Experian
P.O. Box 4000
Allen, TX 75013
By phone: Phone number provided on credit report or (888) 397-3742

TransUnion 
Online: www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes-alerts-freezes.page
By mail: Click here to download the dispute form 
Mail the dispute form with your letter to:
TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000,
Chester, PA 19022-2000
By phone: 800-916-8800

If you are dissatisfied with the resolution

If an investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute with the credit reporting company, you can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in your file and in future reports. You also can ask the credit reporting company to provide your statement to anyone who received a copy of your report in the recent past. Expect to pay a fee for this service.

You also have the option of submitting a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. To do so:

• Go to: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint
• Select the icon labeled "credit reporting"
• Complete and submit the online form
• If you suspect that the error on your report is a result of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Fighting Back Against Identity Theft website for information about identity theft and steps to take if you have been victimized. This will include filing a fraud alert and possibly filing a security freeze.

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