FCRA Attorney - Fix Your Credit Report

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. It governs not just the "Big Three" credit bureaus, but also background check companies, tenant screening services, and specialty reporting agencies.

Under the FCRA, you have the right to:

• Accuracy: Bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information.
• Privacy: Your report can only be provided to those with a "permissible purpose" (like a lender you applied with).
• Disclosure: You have the right to know what's in your file and your credit score.
• Notice: You must be told if information in your file has been used against you (e.g., denied credit).

Credit bureaus process billions of data points, and they make mistakes constantly. Here are the most common errors we sue over:

1. Mixed Files

This happens when the credit bureau confuses you with someone else who has a similar name or social security number. Suddenly, a stranger's mortgage default or criminal record is on your report.

2. Identity Theft Survival

You were a victim of identity theft, you filed a police report, and you disputed the fraudulent accounts. But the bureaus still won't remove them. This is a clear FCRA violation.

3. Furnisher Errors

Banks and debt collectors ("furnishers") often report incorrect balances, wrong payment statuses (e.g., "late" when you paid on time), or fail to mark debts as "discharged in bankruptcy."

4. Re-Aging of Debt

Negative information can generally only stay on your report for 7 years. Sometimes, debt collectors illegally change the "date of first delinquency" to keep old bad debt on your report longer.

The law says you must dispute the error with the credit bureau first. They then have 30 days to investigate.

The Problem: Their "investigation" is often automated. A computer scans your letter, assigns a 2-digit code, and sends a generic request to the creditor. The creditor simply says "it's correct," and the bureau verifies the error without looking at your proof.

The Solution: When they fail to fix it after a proper dispute, we sue them. A lawsuit forces a human to look at your file, correct the error, and pay you for the damage done.