It is inappropriate for us to guarantee a particular result or within a certain time frame. We can, however, give you an idea as to how our clients have performed in the past. In all credit matters, no two cases are the same and your experience may differ. When credit reports are promptly sent to us, many clients have seen exciting progress within the first 90 days. The progress of your case will depend on your timely participation, the nature of your case and the level of credit bureau cooperation.
It is your right and responsibility to assure the accuracy of the items on your credit reports. If information recorded on your credit reports does not accurately represent your behavior as a consumer, then you have the right to request that questionable information be removed from your reports. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) and the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) afford you the legal right to dispute items you deem inaccurate on your credit reports with the credit bureaus and your individual creditors. The most popular method for restoring bad credit is the credit bureau dispute. Because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to dispute and delete any items on your credit report that you feel are inaccurate, untimely, misleading, biased, incomplete or unverified. When you dispute a questionable negative credit item with the credit bureaus, you are demanding that they perform an investigation to determine whether or not the item should be listed on your credit reports. If the credit bureau cannot verify the accuracy of the item, then they are required to correct the listing or completely delete it from your credit report.
On occasion, a negative item that was recently deleted may eventually be verified by the creditor. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that the credit bureaus inform you before the re-report of a previously deleted item, which may make it more difficult for credit bureaus to re-report items. Because of these factors, it is fairly rare for deleted or repaired items to reappear once they’ve been removed. If a questionable credit item is verified at a later point in time, we will help you challenge the listing again if there are legitimate grounds to do so.
We can assist you in filing the necessary documents to exclude (“OPT-OUT”) your name from lists for pre-approved, unsolicited credit and insurance offers. To find out more, please ask us!
You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer credit reporting companies place “fraud alerts” in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it informs creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. However, it may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.
- Equifax: 1-877-576-5734 • www.alerts.equifax.com
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742 • www.experian.com/fraud
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 • www.transunion.com
An initial fraud alert stays in your file for at least 90 days. An extended alert stays in your file for seven years. To place either of these alerts, a consumer credit reporting company will require you to provide appropriate proof of your identity, which may include your Social Security number. If you ask for an extended alert, you will have to provide an identity theft report. An identity theft report includes a copy of a report you have filed with a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency. For more detailed information about the identity theft report, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.