If you have been turned down for a job or credit owing to a poor credit record, you, the consumer, can submit a 609 Letter asking that your file not be transmitted to a creditor or possible employer.
Sometimes referred to as a 609 dispute letter, a 609 letter is a unique type of letter a consumer can write to a CRA including Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion to contest specific information on his or her credit report that is erroneous or unverified. It is titled this manner since section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act speaks about consumers' rights concerning credit report errors.
When should one send a 609 Letter?
You might have to write a 609 letter for a few main reasons:
Should you find any erroneous, deceptive, or unverified record on your credit report—this might be any late payment made and received, collections accounts, or another unfavorable entry unrelated to you. A 609 letter starts a credit report dispute and requires CRA to confirm the relevant information in 30 days.
Identity theft is self-explanatory; thieves may apply for credit accounts in other people's credit records, therefore compromising the victim's credit record. A 609 letter also enables quick clearance of such false material.
Sometimes the accounts you closed many years ago show up on your report; if your account information is out of current. A 609 dispute will allow one to get these removed.
Correct information on your credit report will determine your credit score, which you want to increase. You can fix them through a 609 inquiry, so raising your score.
If you wish to contest your credit report and eliminate bad information holding you back, first write a 609 dispute letter.
Following these basic guidelines will help you to write a strong 609 letter with outcomes not too difficult:
Spend time looking over Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and other reports to find any elements you desire to challenge are inaccurate or unverified.
Starting at the top right-hand corner of the letter, write your name, current address, Social Security number, and date of birth to help minimize any uncertainty.
Listing of every item in dispute should be done in a way that would preferably include the name and account number of the creditor. As much as you could, try to explain the material.
For every item you disagree with, explain why you find the material unreliable. Describe why you think the data for every item under dispute is inadmissible. Stay with factual claims.
"As provided under Section 611 of the FCRA, I am thus contesting the items shown on my credit report and requesting an investigation," you could say.
Should your information not be independently confirmed, ask for removal from your credit report as a permanent record.
Add Copies of Supporting Documents: Regarding this, any document—such as court records, police reports, or bill statements—that can help to substantiate the conflicts you have generated.
Polite to state that you want all things that are erroneous or unauditable deleted from your credit report within the shortest of times.
Following your 609 letter, some of the things you can do include:
The FCR Act says the credit bureaus have thirty days to reply to your letters. Though mistakes happen, you should find out whether you have had a response with some frequency; 30 to 45 days are okay. Reviewing your credit records will help you to make sure the erroneous information you contested has been changed or eliminated. If so, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could have to be called should there be no positive answer and the credit bureau should be notified with the re-submitted letter.
The lesson is this.
A 609 dispute letter starts a thorough credit report inquiry process whereby the credit bureaus confirm items in dispute within the 30-day term. This is why it is so important to handle bad items that have been recorded under your credit record. Still, keep in mind always that all the items you are contesting are precisely mentioned in your letter, that you offer evidence where needed, and that you make a proper and official request for the total and permanent deletion of the unverifiable information for the best results.
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