I want a service that I can view my credit report and credit score for all major credit bureaus 3 or 4 times a year and make disputes quickly and easily as needed. I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. I shouldn’t have to buy my own personal information in the first place.

Getting your credit report erased is actually impossible. While you can have individual derogatory items erased from your  report, you cannot get your whole report erased.

Get Copies of Your Three Credit Reports

When you begin the task of getting derogatory information on your credit report erased, the first thing you will need to get is a copy of your three  reports. Before you can have errors erased, you first need to know if there are any, and if so… what the errors are.

Getting your report is easy–the three major credit reporting bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and Transunion–are required by law to give you one free copy of your report each year. To order, visit Annual Credit Report online or phone 1-877-322-8228. You can also mail your request to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing the free annual reports only through Annual Credit Report.

Examine It Carefully

Once you have your report in hand, examine it carefully. Make a note of any charge you do not recognize. Also make note of any debt that was paid off but is still showing on your credit report.

The Process

The process for getting derogatory information on your report erased, is to send a letter to the credit bureau for each item you are disputing. If you know an item has been paid in full, send documentation of the payoff along with your letter. All communications with the credit bureau should be sent via certified mail. Be sure to check the box marked “return receipt requested” so you will have proof it was delivered and accepted.

If you do not have documentation, you can still get information in your report erased.As long as you notify the credit bureau in writing which items you are disputing, the credit bureau must contact the creditor, and request verification. The creditor has thirty days to notify the credit bureau that either the item in dispute is accurate as reported, or that it is not accurate.

Be vigilant in getting derogatory information in your report erased. In this day and age, your credit score has a huge effect on your life. Your credit score affects where you live, where you work, the kind of car you drive, and numerous other aspects of your life.



By: Bob Pering

I am looking at my husband’s credit report and there are a few accounts in the negative section, but most of them are closed. Do these closed accounts still affect his credit, or does he still need to pay them off to get them completely off his report? Are they only their for history purposes?

In this article I’m going to share with you 7 tried and tested techniques that will improve your credit quickly. These techniques will work for 90% of individuals that find themselves in the position of having to live with poor credit.

1. You will want to start by getting your free credit report, but beware. Free means free… don’t fall for the old put your credit card number in scam. If you want to make sure that you are using the right service contact the credit bureau and ask for advice.

2. Upon getting your credit report check out your credit rating to get an idea of where you currently stand. No matter what your score is as the moment your goal is to raise your score to 700 or above. Anything below 700 will need some improvements.

3. Review your credit report and highlight any error that you find including mistakes with your name and address, job etc… Even if your not sure about something on your report you should still challenge it. Write to all three credit bureaus disputing all errors that you found. Make sure to include any proof that you may have to support your claims.

4. Check the date on all accounts on your reports. If they are older than seven years according to credit consumer law the agencies must remove any accounts which are seven years old. Your job is to contact these agencies making sure that they abide by the law.

5. Start making arrangements for any late payment entries that you may have on your report. Simply approach your lender and let them know that you are fully prepared to workout something. If the lender refuses to work with you, immediately contact the credit bureaus and report the entries as errors. The lender now has to respond within 30 days to any disputes and if they don’t the bureaus are bound by law to remove any and all accounts from your credit report.

6. At this point in the process your mission is to pay down your debts. By all means you will want to avoid any late payments. If for any reason you foresee that you are not going to pay a debt on time contact the lender and make some kind of arrangement.

7. It would be wise for you to attack the debt with the highest interest rate first. If at all possible you want to pay a little more than the minimum payment each month.

Follow the seven strategies that I have outlined for you above and you are sure to drastically improve your credit report. Obviously there is a lot more that you can do to repair your credit report. It would be virtually impossible for me to cover everything in this article.



By: Tim Beachum

The Federal Trade Commission has an example of a good letter on their website and it may be a good idea to follow that form if you need to write a dispute letter. Writing a bad dispute letter will not stop the world from turning. It may even get you some results. But if you handle things the right way you will get results much quicker.

No Need to Go Into Detail

A credit dispute letter should be short and simple. You don’t need to include a lot of personal, irrelevant information. Simply explain the error the error that you found and include a copy of your credit report with the error highlighted.

A Business Letter

Your dispute letter should be a one page business letter. It is fine to write the letter, in ink of course. However, it is always best to type a business letter so that there is no problem with legibility. The letter should be signed in ink. Never use all caps when typing a dispute letter. This is like yelling at a person in print and that is never appropriate in a business letter.

Follow The Instructions Given

The credit reporting agencies to not leave any guesswork in how to properly dispute errors on your credit report. Some errors can be disputed over the phone. For other errors you must dispute them in writing and there is a specific office that your disputes should be sent to. Credit reporting agencies provide all this information for you so that you do not have to try to figure out how to dispute an error.

If you do not follow the instructions given by the reporting agencies they will not be able to correct the error. For example if Equifax makes an error with your social security number on your report they will need a copy of your social security card or copies of your W-2 to correct that error. If you send them a dispute letter and fail to send a copy of your social security card or W-2 they will not be able to correct the error. They will send you a letter asking you to please comply with the instructions given. This is a waste of your time and theirs. It is better to follow the directions from the beginning. Also, remember that if they request documentation of any kind you should always send copies. Never send your original documents.



By: W. M. Blake

recently my husband and i pulled up our credits before (which he had never done before) we discovered that he owes 8,000 to some creditors when i called the company to find out what he owed they said it was a credit card openend in may of 2000 i said it was not him he knew nothing about it then when they looked further they said it probably was his mom who opened this credit card made payments for two years then stopped but must have had him down for like a co-signer or something like that. My question is how can we get these creditors off my husbands credit report if his mom is willing to take all the blame herself and admits it was here that opened the account not her son. My husband had no knowledge if this credit card and his mother admits it was all her doing and she doesn’t even remember having my husband down as a co-signer. He was deployed when this credit card was first opened. Is there anything we can do besides getting his mom in trouble? she wouldn’t do this dilebrately

I’ve heard that baddies stay on a credit report for 7yrs from the date of first delinquency.

In 2002, I had a Visa lateness recorded on my credit report. Next to the lateness, it said due to stay on credit report until 3/2005 which is only 2.5yrs not 7. Then in spring 2005, the lateness vanished from my credit report! (hooray!)

But in early 2005, I fell into financial problems again(job loss) and a few more 30day credit card latenesses got recorded on my credit report. In the past month, one of these 30day latenesses has vanished from my TransUnion report, along with any mention of the account(which is a good thing, since it’s been closed and was only open a short time anyway; the account was not beneficial to my Fico score)

I was wondering if the remaining 30day lates will disappear from my report once they hit the 2.5yr mark? Or, have the credit reporting regulations changed since 2002, and I will be stuck with them for the next 4.5yrs? Any experience w/ cc lates?

Information obtained from your credit report enables creditors to gauge the risk factor in lending money to you. Credit report usually provides information on your identity and on how regularly you pay your bills. Credit report is used as the deciding factor by creditors when you apply for credit facility.

Thus, it is vital that you maintain a good credit report consciously. Incorrect information on your report could be damaging in the long term and will affect your buying power drastically. It is therefore necessary to monitor and make sure your information with the credit reporting agencies is updated and accurate.

In case of any discrepancies in your information or rating, you can dispute the credit report information with the help of the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the FCRA.

Review Your Credit Report
The first step in verifying your credit report is to obtain a copy of one. According to Federal law, you are eligible to one copy of credit report from each of the agencies annually. After obtaining your credit report, go through it thoroughly to ensure that the information reported is correct or not. In case of incorrect information, you can dispute the same with the help of the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the FCRA.

File A Credit Report Dispute
Upon finding incorrect information in your credit report the first step should be to alert the credit bureau and the source of your information in writing. Doing this puts you on the path to dispute the wrong information.

The next step involves attaching proof supporting your claim. This includes statements or checks which have been canceled. Along with this it is a good idea to include your personal details like name, current postal address, and information on dispute and explanation on why the information is incorrect. To provide a clear picture, you could include a copy of the credit report highlighting the disputed information.

These documents have to be then dispatched through certified mail requesting for a return receipt. This will make sure you have proof your mail has been received by the credit bureau. It is very important to keep a copy of all the documents you send them.

The Credit Bureau Responds To Your Dispute
The credit bureau usually takes about thirty days to respond to your claim after checking all the necessary information and facts. Credit bureau sends the disputed facts to the information provider which in turn investigates the same and reports back to the bureau.

Upon completion of the investigation, the credit bureau provides you with the results. In case the dispute has been accepted and facts altered, the bureau provides you with a free copy of the changed report. Credit bureau can also be requested to send the correction to any other company which may have accessed your credit report in the past six months.

After all this, it is a good idea to check the other credit bureaus as well and set right the information.



By: Jenny R Smith

Your credit report contains information about where you work, live and how you pay your bills (On time or not). It also may show whether you’ve been sued, arrested or have filed for bankruptcy with in the last 10 years. Companies called consumer reporting agencies (cra) or credit bureaus compile and sell your credit report to businesses all over the world.

Many financial advisors suggest that you periodically review your credit report for inaccuracies or omissions. This could be especially important if you’re considering making a major purchase, such as buying a home. Checking in advance on the accuracy of information in your credit file could speed the credit-granting process, clean credit is a must.

Because businesses use this information to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and other purposes allowed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), it’s important that the information in your report is complete and accurate.

Whenever you apply for any type of credit or financing, a credit report is pulled from at least one of the three major credit bureaus. You want a clean credit report to be pulled. While there are hundreds of smaller credit bureaus around the country, virtually every credit bureau is affiliated with either Experian, Trans Union, or Equifax.

Getting Your Clean Credit Report

If you’ve been denied credit, insurance, or employment because of information supplied by a credit reporting agency, the FCRA says the company you applied to must give you the agency`s name, address, and telephone number. If you contact the agency for a copy of your report within 60 days of receiving a denial notice, the report is free. In addition, you’re entitled to one free copy of your report a year.

If you simply want a copy of your report, call each credit bureau listed since more than one agency may have a file on you, some with different information.

The three major national credit bureaus are:

Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; (800) 685-1111.

Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742).

Trans Union, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; (800) 916-8800.

Correcting Errors For Clean Credit.

To protect all your rights under the law and to keep your credit clean contact both the CRA and the information provider.

First to get clean credit reports, tell the credit reporting agency in writing what information you believe is inaccurate. Include copies (please keep your originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request deletion or correction. Always keep copies of your dispute letter.

They must reinvestigate the items in question, usually within 30 days, unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all relevant data you provide about the dispute to the information provider. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the CRA, it must investigate, review all relevant information provided by the CRA, and report the results to the CRA. If the information provider finds the disputed information to be inaccurate, it must notify all nationwide CRAs so they can correct this information in your file. Disputed information that cannot be verified must be deleted from your file, then you will recieve a clean credit report, with that item removed.

If your report contains erroneous information, the CRA must correct it(clean credit).

If an item is incomplete, the CRA must complete it. For example, if your file showed that you were late making payments ( 30 days or more), but failed to show that you were no longer delinquent, the CRA must show that you’re current.

If your file shows an account that belongs only to another person, the CRA must delete it.

When the reinvestigation is complete, they must give you the written results and a free copy of your clean credit report, if the dispute results in a change. If an item is changed or removed, they cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies its accuracy and completeness.

Also, if you request, they must send notices of clean credit report corrections to anyone who received your report in the past six months. Job applicants can have a corrected copy of their clean credit report sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes. If a reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, ask the CRA to include your statement of the dispute in your file and in future reports.

Second, in addition to writing to the credit agency, tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Again, include copies (please not originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider then reports the item to any credit reporting angency, it must include a notice of your dispute. In addition, if you are correct that is, if the disputed information is not accurate the information provider may not use it again, thus you will have a clean credit report.

When negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. Accurate negative information can generally stay on your report for 7 years.

Clean Credit: There are certain exceptions:

Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years.

Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitation.

Credit information reported in response to an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limit.

Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Criminal convictions can be reported without any time limit.

Credit information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit.

Adding clean credit accounts to your file:

Your credit file may not reflect all your clean credit accounts. Although most national department stores and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in your file, not all creditors supply information: Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those creditors that don’t report clean credit.

If you’ve been told you were denied clean credit because of an insufficient credit file or no credit file and you have accounts with creditors that don’t appear in your credit file, ask the CRA to add this information to future reports. This will help get you on the road to a clean credit report. Although they are not required to do so, many CRAs will add verifiable accounts for a fee. You should, however, understand that if these creditors do not report to the CRA on a regular basis, these added items will not be updated in your file.



By: Vincent Dail

I just found out I have a collection on my credit report for $69. I have no idea what it is or anything. I have to wait til tomorrow and call them before noon. What would happen if I paid that? Will it lower my credit score or will it go up a little?