Who do I contact to have bad marks on my credit report removed or changed?

Question

I have some bad marks on my credit report that are no longer valid ( i paid off 2 credit cards that were in collections) also, there is an address listed i never lived at. how can i get those removed from my report? and will that bring up my score at all right away??

Answer 1

For the address just send a dispute that says you never lived at that address. This is something that can pretty simply be removed but it won't help your score any.

For the paid collections, that will stay on your record for 7 years from the date of the last payment. If it shows paid off with a 0 balance then there is nothing to dispute. If however you paid it and it still shows a balance you can dispute that. You just need to send proof such as the agrement and your cancelled check(s). Paying off the collection helped your score, and if you keep paying your current bills on time and don't get back into trouble you score will continue to rise over time.

Answer 2

You need to find out which credit bureau is reporting the erroneous information. There are three bureaus: Equifax, Trans Union and Experian. Chances are, if one is reporting the info, another one is too.
To get the information corrected, you should write a letter to the credit bureau and give them a copy of the receipt from the accounts that are paid. Be advised that they have 30 days to verify your claim and send you a new report that shows the correction.
Just because you send the letter and the receipt, it does not mean that the accounts will be removed from your report. All negative information stays on your report for seven years - no matter what. Sending them the information will force them to mark those accounts as "paid"; which is still a good thing.
And finally, no, your score will not raise right away. Credit scoring is an odd thing. The only ways your score goes up is 1) by paying your bills on time and 2) by reducing your debt ratio. Those are the only two ways. Correcting information does not help the score go up.
Good luck...I hope this helps.

Answer 3

You can actually do just as much yourself as other credit repair companies can do while saving a bundle of money. The key is if you have the time and determination to follow through on the more stubborn records that you are trying to fix.

If you order a free credit report, then you can dispute those items online in just 30 seconds each for each credit bureau. Some for-profit credit repair companies can be effective, but you should check their record with the Better Business Bureau before doing business with them.

Answer 4

your can do it yourself....

) Ask for credit reports from the bureaus.

2) Look out for any errors in it.

3) Prepare a Credit Dispute Log recording the details of problems and errors.

4) Contact telephonically the original debtors with whom you are having a dispute. Record the details of the call, especially the name of the person with whom you spoke and a brief overview of the agreements.

5) Send the certified letter to the original debtor.

6) Send letters to collectors, disputing the bill. Also, send the proof of payment to the original lender.

7) Fill out the dispute form available at the credit bureau.

8) Write a letter for each disagreed item separately and send it to the credit bureau by certified mail. Attach the proof to support your claim.

9) The bureau will provide you a reference number. Call up the bureau with this reference number and find out the progress of the matter.

10) Maintain a Credit File containing detailed records of your case.

Answer 5

You can contact all of the credit bureaus and challenge anything that you can prove wrong on your report. Like the wrong address. The bureaus have 30-days to prove the information correct or they have to remove it. You have to be careful because you have to have a valid reason to challenge something.

Now, they will not remove paid collections, those will stay on your credit for 7-years after the date you paid them.

Answer 6

You need to contest the errors, in writing, to the credit reporting agency. IE: Transunion, Equifax, or Experion. Contacting the creditor will do you no good. Send your request Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. Once they receive it, they have 30 days to either verify that the information is correct or remove it. This is federal law.

Your scores will certainly come up if negative information is removed.

Answer 7

Bad credit is one of the worst problems to have... however there exists a solution.

I will hereby talk from my personal experience.

I did debt consolidation a couple of years ago, however If I had to do it again I would pay to some minor details,
if someone wants to get out of debt today it is pretty easy with a debt consolidation plan, however it may get a bit tricky at times, I suggest you get as much information as possible online on this first,

a good place to start in my humble opinion is astraight to the point ebook with question and answer I found :

http://umgarticles.atspace.com/debt-consolidation.htm

if it helps kindly remember me in your voting!.. cheers!

Answer 8

Call the creditors and ask them to correct this. Contact the credit bureau to clean up incorrect information (wrong address). If the creditors don't update your information, write the bureau. It should help bring your score up once the information is changed. Good luck!

Answer 9

You can call experian at 1800-509-8495 and dispute them.
or experian.com/disputes .They will send you a letter if it can be removed .