Things You'll Need:
- Statements
- Dispute letters
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Step 1
Request a credit report. It’s not enough to say, “I tried to get a home loan and was told that XYZ Company reported that I was delinquent on my payments.” You must get the facts, and the only way to do that is to obtain a copy of your credit report (see Resources below).
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Step 2
Review your credit report with a fine-tooth comb. Make sure the Social Security number, name and contact information is correct. Check each account to make sure the information reported is accurate: responsible parties, date card was opened, type of credit, credit limit, highest balance, recent balance, payment terms and account status.
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Step 3
Mark areas concerns as you read through your credit report.
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Step 4
Check your credit report against your statements. Sometimes, we forget to make a payment, so a delinquency may actually be accurate. Other times, a credit card company used a different name, so what you see on your credit report may appear inaccurate when it is really accurate. For instance, Firestone credit cards actually appear under Credit First N.A.
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Step 5
Contact the company in question if you believe something has been misrepresented on your credit report. You can either telephone the company or mail a letter of dispute to the address located on the back of your billing statement. Explain the error you discovered and how you’d like the error rectified. Include your account number, the date of discrepancy, the amount in question, your contact information and a copy of all documents that back up your claims.
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Step 6
Write the credit reporting agency, sending the same information in Step 5 in the form of a dispute letter (see Resources below). Each inaccurate account should be listed separately so as to not confuse the agency representative assigned to your case. You should also make it clear what you are disputing: account isn’t yours, account was closed years ago, account number inaccurate, negative information found on the report is not true, dollar amounts listed are wrong, responsible part has been removed from account, the account was never delinquent, the account was never sent to collections or the account was mistakenly sent to collections.
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Step 7
Make copies of the dispute letter, credit report and statements, then file them into a pending action folder for easy access. It’s vital to keep track of your correspondences with both the company in question and the credit reporting agency.
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Step 8
Deliver letters of dispute with accompanying documentation. Mail all letters according the guidelines listed on each company’s website, and request delivery confirmation.
