You have the right to have a credit report that is factually correct, current, and verifiable.
Anything account that is not 100 percent true and correct is subject to investigation and possible deletion.
When you read your credit report and see a derogatory account, look to see if all the details are correct, because oftentimes, there is an error that you might not notice if you don’t look closely. For example…
Are all the dates correct? Before you say yes, compare the dates of the late payments across all three credit reports. Oftentimes, Experian will show Jan – May on time with June 30 days late. While Equifax shows Jan – June on time with July 30 days late. (For example)
One bureaus shows June late and the other shows June on time. Both cannot be true! This is a factual error. You have the right to request a deletion based on false information posted. (It is your choice to request a correction to the dates or to request a deletion based on erroneous info posting.)
Another common error is that the account number doesn’t match from one credit bureau to another.
Another possible error is a partial account number showing. If you cannot see the entire account number, how can you verify that the account is truly yours? “This doesn’t match my records. Delete.”
Don’t overlook your name spelling. If you have a credit card or loan with a nickname, call the credit card company or lender and get that changed to your correct legal name. If you still have a nickname on your credit report, send in 3-5 pieces of ID that show your true legal name and get that nickname removed.
Any false information, especially including an incorrect name or address, on your credit report can be the result of a merged credit file where someone else’s information is merged onto your report. Obviously, you don’t want that!
Thank you to all my readers who have made Repair Your Credit Like the Pros a bestseller. I truly appreciate you and your recommendations to other good people who might benefit from the information.