Credit Reports & Errors
Your credit report controls loans, jobs, and apartments — and it is often wrong. Learn your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act: free reports, how to dispute errors, getting collections and inaccurate items removed, and what to do when a bureau won’t fix it.
All Credit Reports & Errors guides
- Can a Collection Agency Put Something on Your Credit Report Without Telling You?
Yes, a collection agency can report a debt without calling you first, but the FDCPA and FCRA give you rights. Here's what to do about a surprise collection.
- Can a Debt Collector Pull Your Credit Report? Permissible Purpose Explained
Yes, debt collectors can pull your credit report to collect a debt you owe, but only with a permissible purpose under the FCRA. Here is how to spot an illegal pull.
- Can Debt Collectors Report to the Credit Bureaus? Your FDCPA Rights
Yes, debt collectors can report to credit bureaus, but the FDCPA and FCRA set strict rules. Learn the notice requirement, your rights, and how to dispute.
- Charge-Off on Your Credit Report: What It Means and How to Remove It
A charge-off means a lender wrote off your debt as a loss, but you still owe it. Learn what it means, how it differs from collections, and how to remove it.
- Who Is This Collection Agency on My Credit Report? (Amsher, CCS, State Collection)
Spot an unfamiliar collection agency like Amsher, CCS, or State Collection Service on your credit report? Identify it, learn your FDCPA and FCRA rights, and dispute.
- Credit Report Dispute Letter: Free Template and How to Send It
Free credit report dispute letter template plus a step-by-step guide to disputing errors with the credit bureaus under the FCRA.
- Credit Report Error Attorney: When You Can Sue Under the FCRA
When credit report errors hurt you, the FCRA lets you sue for damages and attorney fees. Learn how disputes, deadlines, and lawyers fit together.
- Credit Report Errors: What to Do When a Mistake Costs You a Loan
Denied a loan over a credit report error? Learn your rights under the FCRA, how to dispute mistakes, and when to talk to a consumer lawyer.
- Wrong Address or Personal Info on Your Credit Report: How to Fix It
Wrong address or personal info on your credit report can signal a mixed file or identity theft. Here's how to dispute errors under the FCRA.
- How to Dispute With Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (All Three Bureaus)
How to dispute errors with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion: online portals, mailing addresses, what to send, and your federal FCRA dispute rights.
- Does Paying a Collection Remove It From Your Credit Report?
Paying a collection usually does not delete it from your credit report. Learn what really happens, plus pay-for-delete and dispute strategies that work.
- How Long Does a Collection Stay on Your Credit Report? The 7-Year Rule
Most collections drop off your credit report after 7 years under the FCRA. Learn how the clock works, what resets it, and how to dispute outdated accounts.
- How to Dispute a Collection or Error on Your Credit Report (Step-by-Step)
Step-by-step guide to dispute a collection or error on your credit report under the FCRA, with deadlines, who to contact, and when to call a lawyer.
- How to Freeze Your Credit With All Three Bureaus (Free, Step-by-Step)
Freeze your credit free at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to block new-account fraud. Step-by-step instructions, federal rules, and direct bureau contacts.
- How to Remove Collections From Your Credit Report (Legitimate Methods That Work)
Real, legal ways to remove collections from your credit report: dispute errors under the FCRA, pay-for-delete, goodwill requests, and when to call a lawyer.
- Can Debt Collectors Report Medical Debt? The New Credit Bureau Rules
How the new credit bureau rules limit medical debt on your credit report, what collectors can still do, and how to dispute paid or under-$500 bills.
- Pay-for-Delete: Can You Negotiate a Collection Off Your Credit Report?
Can a collection agency remove a debt from your credit report? Learn how pay-for-delete works, what the law allows, and get a free sample letter.
- Remove Collections in 24 Hours or 7 Days? What's Real and What's a Scam
No legal process removes accurate collections in 24 hours or 7 days. Learn what's a scam, your real FCRA dispute rights, and how to fix credit reports.
- How to Remove Collections From Your Credit Report Without Paying
Honest ways to remove collections from your credit report without paying: disputes, debt validation, and the 7-year rule under the FCRA and FDCPA.
- How to Stop Debt Collectors From Reporting to the Credit Bureaus
Practical, plain-English steps to stop or remove debt collector reporting on your credit, using your FDCPA and FCRA rights to dispute, validate, and demand corrections.