Personal Credit Report: Improve Your Credit Rating By Removing Inaccurate Information |
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There are times when money is borrowed and the borrower has difficulty in meeting the loan requirements and payment schedule as was outlined at the time of obtaining the loan. If there is a good reason for non-payment of loan and if this reason is brought to the attention of a lender in a timely fashion, it is very likely that the lender will be accommodating and suggest a revised payment arrangement. The problem arises when there is default in loan payments and when the loan is not repaid as agreed upon by borrower and lender. This then gets into the personal credit reports and becomes part of one's credit history and it becomes a problem for future borrowings. However, it must be noted that often times there are errors and inaccuracies in ones personal credit report. These personal credit report errors can and do affect ones credit rating and places a person as a bad or poor credit candidate. It is therefore very important that the inaccuracies be dealt with and a clean personal credit report be in place after all the discrepancies in the credit report have been removed. People with a bad credit report that have a need to clean up their credit have the law on their side which allows them to request a reinvestigation of information in a personal credit report and dispute it as inaccurate or incomplete. There is no charge for this. Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost. As per the Fair Credit Reporting Act people are entitled to a free copy of their personal credit report if denied credit, insurance or employment within the last 60 days. If an application for credit, insurance, or employment is denied because of information supplied by a credit bureau, the company you applied to must provide you with that credit bureau's name, address, and telephone number. You can dispute mistakes or outdated items in your personal credit report for free. Ask the credit reporting agency for a dispute form or submit your dispute in writing, along with any supporting documentation. Do not send them original documents. Clearly identify each item in your personal credit report that you dispute, explain why you dispute the information, and request a reinvestigation. If the new investigation reveals an error, you may ask that a corrected version of the personal credit report be sent to anyone who received your personal credit report within the past six months. Job applicants can have corrected reports sent to anyone who received a report for employment purposes during the past two years. When the reinvestigation is complete, the credit bureau must give you the written results and a free copy of your personal credit report if the dispute results in a change. If an item is changed or removed, the credit bureau cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies its accuracy and completeness, and the credit bureau gives you a written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the provider. You should tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider then reports the item to any credit bureau, it must include a notice of your dispute. In addition, if you are correct-that is, if the information is inaccurate-the information provider may not use it again. If the reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, have the credit bureau include your version of the dispute in your personal credit report and in future reports. Remember, there is no charge for a reinvestigation of your personal credit report. Accurate negative information generally can be reported for seven years, but there are exceptions: - Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years; - Information reported because of an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limitation; - Information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limitation; - Information concerning a lawsuit or a judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer; and - Default information concerning U.S. Government insured or guaranteed student loans can be reported for seven years after certain guarantor actions. |
