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Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: Marko Geber/Getty Images March 03, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. As a staff writer for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, Sarah offers sound advice that will improve your financial life and help simplify topics like travel hacking and credit card rewards. Courtney Mihocik is an editor at Bankrate Credit Cards and CreditCards.com specializing in credit card news and personal finance advice. Previously, she led insurance content at Reviews.com and worked as the loans editor at The Simple Dollar. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
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You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. An error on your credit reports can have long-term negative effects on your . These errors may make it more difficult to get approved for the or loans and impact how much interest you pay on them. However, you can dispute negative items on your credit report that are there in error and be on your way to a higher credit score relatively quickly. Here’s what you need to know about removing any errors on your credit reports. Why is there an error on my credit report
Checking your credit reports and finding an error can be a frightening experience, though it isn’t an uncommon one. The most recent study by the found some 26 percent of participants spotted errors on at least one of their credit reports. You may be wondering how or why an error found its way onto your credit report. There are several reasons why an error may end up on your credit profile, varying from the more benign—a creditor that didn’t send updated info to the three credit bureaus, for example—to the severe, like captured on your credit reports. Some errors that could have a significant impact on your credit score include: Incorrect balances on accounts Derogatory marks that are older than seven years Incorrect credit limits Bills reported as late or delinquent when your account should be in good standing. Errors on your credit reports that lead to can impact your approval odds for home loans, auto loans and credit cards. Even if you are approved, you’ll be burdened with higher interest rates. To be sure your credit reports are accurate, check them consistently and quickly dispute any errors. In the past, the three credit bureaus provided . Because of the financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on many Americans, the three credit bureaus are offering for free through April 2022. Be sure to take advantage of these resources to help you monitor your credit reports. How to dispute an error on your credit report
on how to dispute errors on your credit reports. Successfully disputing an error will remove the item from your credit reports. You can do this by calling any of the three credit bureaus or writing a dispute letter. Each of the also provides online options to dispute errors on their credit reports, as well. Here’s the information you need to initiate your dispute with each credit bureau: How to dispute errors on your Experian credit report
Call Experian’s customer service line at 866-200-6020 to see if your dispute can be resolved by phone. Write a dispute letter to Experian’s National Consumer Assistance Center and mail it to P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013. Initiate a dispute online with . How to dispute errors on your Equifax credit report
Call Equifax’s customer service line at 866-349-5191 to see if your dispute can be resolved by phone. Write a dispute letter to Equifax’s customer service center and mail it to P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256. Initiate a dispute online with . How to dispute errors on your TransUnion credit report
Call TransUnion’s customer service line at 800-916-8800 to see if your dispute can be resolved by phone. Be sure to have a copy of your TransUnion credit report nearby, as your TransUnion representative will need your file number to initiate your dispute. Write a dispute letter to TransUnion’s Consumer Dispute Center and mail it to P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016. Initiate a dispute online with . How long does it take to remove a credit report error
The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits the time a . After that time, the item will be removed from your report by the reporting bureau. The also requires that the three credit bureaus investigate and resolve a dispute within 30 days, although some investigations can take up to 45 days. The fastest and easiest way to initiate a dispute is to use the credit bureaus’ online systems. The bottom line
Once you identify an error on your credit reports, it’s important to dispute it as soon as possible. Having items on your credit report erroneously can have long-lasting effects on your finances. While disputing an error on your credit reports can be time-consuming and difficult, the results—higher credit scores and lower interest rates—are definitely worth it. SHARE: As a staff writer for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, Sarah offers sound advice that will improve your financial life and help simplify topics like travel hacking and credit card rewards. Courtney Mihocik is an editor at Bankrate Credit Cards and CreditCards.com specializing in credit card news and personal finance advice. Previously, she led insurance content at Reviews.com and worked as the loans editor at The Simple Dollar. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Related Articles