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2 . Carefully review the report . Once you have received your credit report from each credit bureau, you need to review the sections of each report and verify that the information that they have is correct. Compare each report to current finan- cial statements to verify that the credit bureaus have the right information for your accounts. Use the checklists in Chapter 6 to help you review.
3 . Notify the credit bureaus of any mistakes . If you find information on any of the three reports that needs to be corrected, you must notify the credit bureau of the mistake. This includes outdated information, e.g., negative infor- mation that is more than seven years old and should be removed, address and phone number, etc. You must notify the credit bureau in writing, either by mail or by e-mail. When you write to the credit bureau, be sure to include the following information:
• Your full name
• Your complete mailing address
• Your date of birth
• Your Social Security Number
• Each item you are disputing
• An explanation of why you believe the information to be incorrect, including any pertinent facts
• A request for the information to be corrected or deleted
• A copy of your credit report with the disputed items circled or highlighted
• Copies of any documents you can provide that support your dispute (be sure you send copies and keep the originals for yourself)
Disputing Items on Your Credit Report 37