How do you dispute a bankruptcy on my credit report?

Answer 1

It is not uncommon to come across errors in your credit report ranging from the spelling of your name, to social security number, to incorrect recording of payments. These errors can occur for several different reasons---but regardless of the cause, the burden is upon you to fix it.

If you come across errors, you absolutely should fix them. It is only to your benefit to have the appropriate information reflected. Even a misspelling on your name could cause later confusion. For example, taking out a loan, the creditor may wonder whether you have credit under those other names or not, creating another step in the loan process where you'll have to explain yourself.

While no one will catch errors other than you, the credit bureaus are required by law to investigate your claim of mistake and correct errors. So here is how you can go about clearing those errors up:

Here are the steps you should take.

1. Write a letter to the credit bureau where you found the mistake. Explain the problem and provide the correct information.
2. If applicable, contact the creditor or store that reported the incorrect information. Try to clear it up on that end, as they have a responsibility to report accurate information.
3. Keep copies of all of your correspondence---chances are you'll be asked to produce it more than once.
4. Get written confirmation that the changes have been made to your credit report. This way, if the problem does not get fixed or reverts for some reason, you don't need to go through all of this again.
5. Check your report in another month or two and verify the changes have been made. It can take time for the changes to appear, so be sure to keep on top of it.
6. Submit a statement to the credit bureau explaining the mistake, just for their files. Note that if you are actually late with payments or the information is true, a personal statement explaining your circumstances will not help matters. But in the instance that a mistake is being cleared up, it can help to have a personal statement on file.