Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can always dispute the completeness or accuracy of your credit report. When a credit reporting agency receives a dispute, it must be reinvestigated and the current status of the disputed item/s must be recorded unless it believes the dispute is “frivolous or irrelevant.”
If the credit reporting agency cannot verify a disputed item, it must delete it. If your report contains erroneous information, the credit reporting agency must correct it, and if an item is incomplete the credit reporting agency must complete it.
If you request, the credit reporting agency must send a notice of correction to any recipient who has received a copy of your report within the last 6 months. If the reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, you can file a statement of up to 100 words to explain your side of the story.
The credit reporting agency MUST then include this explanation each time a report is sent out.
How To Register a Dispute:
To register your dispute with the credit reporting agency. The Federal Trade Commission recommends that you submit it in writing along with copies of documents supporting your position.
Provide your complete name, address, clearly identify each item in dispute, explain why you dispute it (stating facts in support), and whether you are requesting a deletion or correction.
You may want to enclose a copy of your credit report with the items in question. Send it by registered mail, return receipt requested, and keep a copy for your records.
Adding Accounts to Your File: Not all creditors supply information to credit reporting agencies.
For example, travel, entertainment, and gasoline card companies, local retailers and credit unions usually do not. If you have accounts with creditors that do not appear in your credit file, you can ask the reporting agency to add the information.
Although not required to do so, many credit reporting agencies will add other verifiable accounts for a fee.