Checking Your Credit Report

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Correcting Errors

If a review of your credit report reveals inaccurate information, an individual should contact the credit bureau in writing, explaining as fully as possible why you believe the information to be incorrect. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, the credit bureau is required to investigate the disputed items, usually within thirty days after receiving a written request.

As part of the investigation the credit bureau will contact the provider of the disputed information. The law also requires the information provider to investigate the disputed claim and reports the findings to the credit bureau. When the investigation is complete, the credit bureau must provide the individual with a written report of the results.

If the disputed data is found to be incorrect, resulting in a change in the credit report, the credit bureau will provide a free copy of the corrected report to the individual. The information provider is also required to correct its own records and to provide the corrected information to all national credit bureaus.

The investigation of a disputed item may not result in a change in the credit report. If this is the case the individual may ask the credit bureau to include in his file a statement concerning the disputed information.

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