Credit Report Repair

You don’t need to pay some company $70 to raise your credit score or improve your credit report.

You can do it yourself.

This is what you do:

1. Order your credit reports. You are entitled to a free copy every year from Transunion, Experian, and Equifax.Go to AnnualCreditReport.com, answer the questions and then—this is important—print your credit reports.
2. Look for mistakes. If the amount owed is incorrect, if your name is misspelled, if anything is wrong, then you will go to #3.
3. Write a letter that says something like, “On my credit report, there is a bill for such and such an amount with this account number. I request that this be removed because it is inaccurate”.That’s it. Short and sweet.You don’t have to explain or defend (unless you paid it, in which case simply provide proof with a receipt).Make sure you include: the date, your account number, your name and signature, and the request to remove the bill with the reason of, “It is inaccurate”.Print the letter, sign it, put it in an envelope, address it to the credit agency, and mail it. Then mark on your calendar the day you mailed it.You are given the option to respond online, but read the fineprint carefully. You may be giving up the right to contest their decision, or you may have to make other concessions for the convenience of completing this online.If the same bill appears on more than one credit report, you have to write a separate letter for each credit agency.
4. If the credit agency doesn’t respond within 30 days to your letter about the bill in your credit report, they must remove it from your report. This is why you note the mailing date in your calendar.What if the entry is accurate? What if you actually owe the money?

That’s for a different post.