Letters for Credit Disputes

Letter Statements to Use with Credit Disputes

If you are disputing something that you have found on your credit report you will find that some statements or phrases are more effective when communicating with the credit bureaus than others. The way you speak to the credit bureau will definitely affect the level of responsiveness that you receive and how quickly your dispute gets handled.

Charge Offs
If you are writing a letter to the credit bureau because of charge offs you will want to be very clear but very polite about it. You should say something to the effect of, "I have paid the specified account as I had agreed to do. You show this account as being charged off, but this is not correct. I would appreciate it if you would correct the way in which you are reporting this account.

Late Payments
When writing to a creditor or credit bureau about reported late payments you need to take the same direct but polite approach. You should say something to the effect of, "I never was late or delinquent on paying this account. I have always paid this account on time and I would like you to start reporting this account as such. Please update and correct your information."

Paid as Agreed
Again, take the straight forward approach but also be gentle in your wording. You can say something to the effect of, "Upon receiving the latest copy of my credit report I noticed that my account was notated improperly. I have paid the account as agreed and would like my credit report to reflect it as such."

Not My Debt
When writing this statement you need to be clear that the specified item is not in any way related to you. You should write something such as, "I have never been in contact with, associated with, or have an account with this creditor. I would appreciate it if you would remove this from my credit report."

Tax Lien Disputes
Say something such as "This is not my debt. I was not made aware of such a debt until I received my credit report. Please remove this from my credit report."

Judgment Disputes
In response to judgments, "You are reporting that this case was a judgment against me. I have never been involved in such a judgment. Please remove this from my file."

Bankruptcy Disputes
When disputing bankruptcy you should say something, "I have never filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy that is listed in my file is incorrect. I want this and all related statements removed from my credit report."

When you send in such a dispute you may receive one of many responses. You may find that the credit bureau tries to stall, but remember that they have 30 days to investigate and validate the debt and if they cannot it needs to be removed.