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Fix Mistakes In Your Credit Report

This free email newsletter provides you with free legal information you can use in your own life. It is written by the attorneys at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett. Visit our website, SouthernMarylandLaw.com, for a wealth of free legal information. If you have a legal issue and need an attorney, feel free to contact us. You may call us anytime toll free from anywhere in Maryland, at 1-888-SMD-LAW1 (763-5291).

Disclaimer: This is general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and there is no attorney-client relationship until you meet with an attorney and sign a retainer. Effective legal advice depends on understanding the unique facts of your situation. If you have a legal question, get advice from a lawyer before proceeding. Frankly, that is the best advice I can ever give you.

Last edition, we told you how to get your credit report from each of the big three credit reporting agencies. We advised you to do this to make sure there are no mistakes on your credit report. So, what do you do if you find a mistake?

First, write to the credit reporting agency with a description of the mistake. If you have any documentary evidence to prove your case, provide a copy. Make a very clear request that they investigate the matter and correct the error. Keep a copy of this letter for your records, in case this needs to go further.

By law, the company has 30 days to reinvestigate with the company that originally reported the problem. If they cannot verify the information, they have to delete it from your report, and they must mail a corrected report to each person or company who received the wrong report.

If the credit reporting agency does verify the information, they will tell you. If that happens, you have the right to submit a short statement that will be included with your credit report whenever anyone requests it. It becomes part of your report.

In Maryland, you have another right. If you are certain the information is wrong, you have the right to request the name and contact information of any person contacted by the credit reporting agency while they investigated your claim of a mistake. You can then make sure the information is correct.

Now you should always use this sort of information in a reasonable, adult way, to make sure nobody is making an error. If, for some reason, they do make a mistake and will not correct it, you should contact an attorney and think about a lawsuit. Your credit is a valuable asset. Protect it.

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