A Summary of the Fair Credit Reporting Act

This summary of the Fair Credit Reporting Act will explain what you can legally do if you want to repair your own credit report. No matter what you hear, you can dispute credit information on your credit report if you understand the legal rights you have under this law.

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act was enacted by the United States Congress in 1971. In summary, it says that the credit bureaus must investigate a consumer dispute if they want to challenge credit information on his or her credit report.

It also states that credit bureaus are required to complete the investigation within a 30 day period. If the credit bureau finds that the disputed information is inaccurate or cannot be verified, they must promptly delete that information.

But there are some cases when a consumer dispute can be ignored by the credit bureaus. If you challenge a negative credit listing on the basis of things like health problems, divorce or job loss, the credit bureaus are entitled to ignore those kinds of disputes. The information you dispute must be either old or incorrect.

You must file a valid dispute where the credit bureaus can contact the creditor and confirm that the new information you gave them is accurate and can be verified. If the credit bureau does not receive verification from the creditor within 30 days, the Fair Credit Reporting Act says the credit bureau must promptly delete that credit listing.

Even though the process sounds simple, the credit bureaus make it more difficult than you can imagine. The credit bureaus don't like the credit repair companies or anyone offering instruction on how to repair your own credit report. Why? Because it means more work for them.

The credit bureaus blast credit repair companies in the media and warn people against using credit repair services. The bureaus openly deny that any information can even be removed from your credit report.

It is reported that 79 percent of all credit reports contain some type of errors, and up to 25 percent of these errors could result in credit denials, hiked interest rates, and even lost employment opportunities.

If you have any amount of negative credit on your credit report it will cause the interest on all loans you apply for to be much higher. It will even become a barrier to your credit approval. That will cost you a fortune in unnecessary higher interest resulting in higher payments on anything you buy.

How you decide to address or dispute credit information is entirely up to you. But regardless of what you may hear in the news, thousands of people have restored their credit. You can choose to repair your own credit report or hire a professional service to do it for you.

The truth is you do not have to endure bad credit for seven to ten years if you want to challenge the accuracy of your credit report. This summary of the Fair Credit Reporting Act shows you it is possible for you to repair your own credit report and the sooner you start the better.

This article is supplied by http://www.credit-repair-facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles like these go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/articles_1.html

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

10 Ways To Protect Your Financial Identity Being Used For Someone Else's Shopping Spree
Someone impersonating you could be spending your hard-earned money.Impossible! Not really, check, loan, and identity fraud are a real problem.

Its Your Credit - Take Care of It!
Thanks to the Fair and Accurate Credit Act, American consumers can receive a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus-Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. You can order your free credit report by visiting www.

Good Credit Is Not A Good Reason To Borrow More Money After Youve Achieved Financial Freedom
The most important thing for you to remember is that the only way you'll ever be able to achieve financial freedom is if you are able to avoid getting back into debt once you've paid off everything that you owe. It seems like a lot of the different websites that give advice regarding bad credit are not looking at this the right way.

What You Need to Know about Debt Negotiation on Credit Cards
Debt negotiation on credit cards is often referred to as credit card debt settlement. Whenever you make a credit card payment- or even pay your utility bills- it usually gets reported to one- or all- of the three main credit agencies.

How To Repair Your Credit Report
A credit report is run on a buyer when he or she needs to buy something that will take a long-term loan, such as an automobile or a house. The credit report can come from one of three agencies - Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.

Bad Credit Credit Cards
Chances are you've gotten your share of offers like this in the mail Bad Credit Credit Card, Bad Credit Visa Cards and Credit Cards for People With Bad Credit. Re-establish your credit with a bad credit credit card, credit cards for people with bad credit or pre-approved Visa cards regardless of your bad credit history, some with low introductory rates and other perks.

Practical Suggestions for Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft
It's no surprise that thousands of Americans are victimized by identity theft each year. Last year more than 9,000,000 people were victims of identity theft amounting to some $45 billion dollars.

The Right Way To Credit Repair
If you have a bad credit rating, then you might find that your ability to get financing, loans, and even some jobs is greatly diminished.Once you have a bad credit rating, it might seem like there's nothing that you can do about it? but you don't have to believe that.

Have You Checked Your Permanent Record Lately?
As a young student I feared getting bad grades because I didn't want any bad marks on my "permanent record." Get an "F" in fifth-grade science and it goes in your record.

Boosting Your Credit Score To Get The Best Credit Card Deal
Making Your Credit Rating Work For YouOne of the basics of getting the most competitive credit card deal in the market is to ensure you have the best credit record possible. Few of us are lucky enough to be earning a six-figure salary, and many people are likely to have other financial undertakings that a potential lender will want to take into account.

Searching For A Low Interest Credit Card?
These days, people need to very carefully consider what type of credit card they will carry in their wallets. There are so many options out there, and each individual has different needs.

5 Ways To Raise Credit Score
It's not as hard as you think to raise credit score. It's a well known fact that lenders will give people with higher credit scores lower interest rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

Five Credit Card Billing Problems and How to Fix Them
It goes without saying that your first and best defense against paying fraudulent or unfair charges on your credit card is knowing what your bill says! When you receive your credit card statement each month, sit down with it and check each item to make sure that you actually DID purchase it. If you do run into inaccuracies or problems, there are procedures to follow to report and deal with the charges.

Trade Credit: How to Determine if You Should Offer Net-30 Terms to Your Customers
What is trade credit?One of the major differences between consumer and commercial transactions is that most, if not all, consumer transactions are paid in cash or by credit card at the time of sale. Because of this, most consumer businesses never have to worry about extending credit to a customer and can run their operations on an "all cash" basis.

Online Credit Report and Online Credit Reports
Online credit reports are easily accessible to those interested in viewing them. If you have wondered about what kind of credit score you have, you can go on the Internet and look at your online credit report.

Credit Enhancements: Seven Tips For Enhancing Business Credit Transactions
What are the avenues available to businesses with weak credit profiles or to companies pursuing credit transactions that are perceived as too risky by credit providers? Many companies apply for credit at banks, finance companies or equipment leasing firms and are routinely rejected due to the high degree of perceived credit risks. When approaching a credit provider, it is helpful to understand what can be done to reduce the risk of a credit transaction in the eyes of the provider.

Dont Dig Your Own Pit
If you want to enjoy your life out of spending, enjoy if you have your own resources and money.But don't enjoy your life by becoming a debtor to somebody.

Taking Control of Your Credit History
Your credit history is important; in fact, in this day and age, only family and your time are more important than your credit history! The first time you established a payment commitment over a period of time for a purchase, you began your history of credit, and the credit bureau created your account. Payments such as the electric company, a rental agreement, a cell phone, a car payment or a low-rate credit card which you also have a responsibility to repay are not reported to the credit bureaus as a part of your credit history.

Credit Card Incentives
Credit card companies want your business. After all, lending money to people is profitable.

Which Credit Bureau Should I Use To Check My Credit Report?
There are three main credit bureaus in the United States; Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Each bureau collects your personal and financial information which is then sold to lenders such as banks, credit unions, credit card companies, mortgage and auto loan lenders.