Your Rights Under the FCRA

According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), your rights regarding your credit record are:

  • Right to know who has received a copy of your report
  • Right to explain circumstances leading to negative information
  • Right to "opt out" to prevent credit bureaus from using your information for marketing.
  • You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you've been denied credit, insurance, or employment within the last 60 days.
  • If your application for credit, insurance, or employment is denied because of information supplied by a credit bureau, the company you applied to must provide you with that credit bureau's name, address, and telephone number.
  • You can dispute mistakes or outdated items for free. Ask the credit reporting agency for a dispute form or submit your dispute in writing, along with any supporting documentation. Do not send them original documents.

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If you contest the completeness or accuracy of information in your report, you should file a dispute with the Consumer Reporting Agency (Credit Bureau) and with the company that furnished the information to that agency.

Equifax
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

Experian
1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.experian.com

Trans Union
1-800-916-8800
www.transunion.com

Both the consumer reporting agency and the furnisher of information are legally obligated to reinvestigate your dispute.

You have a right to add a summary explanation to your credit report if your dispute is not resolved to your satisfaction.

The negative and positive factors listed on your Personal Score Report are based on actual data from your credit report. By improving your negative areas and continuing your positive actions, you will be able to improve your credit rating. If you want to learn more about improving your credit, read our "Maintaining/Improving Your Credit" section of Your Credit Score.

Read the entire Fair Credit Reporting Act text here.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.