Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your life. Unbeknownst to most people, your credit score can determine all aspects of your life. Your credit score can determine what job you have to where you live. Your credit score will determine whether you get approved for loans for your car, or home, and even your education. The higher rates that you will pay on those loans if you have inaccuracies or bad credit will make your loan payments higher and security deposits if you rent an apartment much higher. Your credit score is a number identifying your perceived creditworthiness as commonly determined by the data from one of three national credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The credit score itself is evaluated based on a model by data analytics company Fair, Isaac and Company – more commonly known as FICO. Your FICO score is determined based on information provided by one of the three national credit bureaus and will vary slightly across each provider as each may have different information. There are additional models and providers of credit scores, but predominantly it will be your FICO score that is used.
Given that each national credit bureau maintains different information, what happens if one bureau has incorrect information on your credit file? Similarly, what constitutes incorrect information? Any information in your credit file that is incomplete or inaccurate constitutes incorrect information. Incorrect information in your credit file should be disputed to ensure that your credit score best reflects your actual credit history.
Review Your Credit Report
Each year, you can request one free credit report from each of the three national credit bureaus using www.annualcreditreport.com. These free reports must be offered under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. Once you’ve received your credit report, you should review it in detail for any incomplete or inaccurate information. Some common examples are incorrect personal information. If you see an incorrect address or another person’s name they could be using someone else’s information to determine your score. If you see accounts or debts not belonging to you it could be sign that your identity may have been stolen and those accounts could also negatively affect your credit. If an account is listed more than once, or accounts are reported as open that have been closed, these inaccuracies can affect your credit utilization ratio which can negatively impact your credit. Also, if you see inaccurate payment history incorrect account balances, improperly reported payment delinquencies, can also negatively impact your score. If you see any of these inaccuracies, contact us for a free consultation.
Contact the Furnisher
If you’ve identified an error in your credit report, you can contact the furnisher (the company that the error relates to). If you have a Capital One credit card and the credit report shows payment delinquency on your Capital One credit card but you know that is incorrect, you should contact Capital One as the furnisher of that information. When contacting the furnisher, contact them in writing. Confirm that their records show the error. If they do, then you can resolve the error with the furnisher who will then report the correction to the credit bureaus. If they do not update your information correctly, contact us for a free consultation so we can help you resolve the matter.
Contact the Credit Bureau
If the error isn’t resolved with the furnisher, either because they don’t show the error or because they disagree that it’s an error, you will need to send a dispute letter to the credit reporting bureau that identifies the error and includes evidence of your position. Contact us for a free consultation so we can help you resolve the matter.
Florida Credit Report Claims Lawyer
At the Law Office of William J. Roe, our attorneys are on your side. We have helped hundreds of Florida residents dispute credit report errors. Your credit score has a significant impact on your life – you shouldn’t be denied an opportunity due to a furnisher or credit bureau improperly reporting your information. We understand what furnishers and credit bureaus expect in disputes and how to quickly resolve them. If you have identified errors in your credit report, please contact our offices today for a free consultation.