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Information on Credit Letter of Deletion
Monday, Dec 8, 2008
Question: Hi, what is a letter of deletion and can it be used to remove a negative item on your credit report?
Answer: A letter of deletion is a request (which I have included a sample of below, and how to submit it online for free) to remove inaccurate marks from your credit report.No one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report. The law allows you to ask for an investigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete. There is no charge for this. If you paid the accounts in full and as agreed, then you can try to get them removed.
Following up with the credit bureaus might be a time consuming proposition, depending on how many items you have that need to be removed. In order to get these items removed from your credit report you have two options:
Option #1
Pay for the services of a credit repair firm. There are many firms that specialize in the area of credit repair. Be careful about the firm that you choose and make sure that it is a reputable firm. You can check with the Better Business Bureau to learn about the performance of a particular company. You need to do proper research on the firm that you will eventually do business with. By law, credit repair organizations must give you a copy of the "Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law" before you sign a contract. They also must give you a written contract that spells out your rights and obligations. Read these documents before you sign anything. The law contains specific protections for you. For example, a credit repair company cannot:
Make false claims about their services
Charge you until they have completed the promised services
Perform any services until they have your signature on a written contract and have completed a three-day waiting period.
Your contract must specify:
The payment terms for services, including their total cost
A detailed description of the services to be performed
How long it will take to achieve the results
Any guarantees they offer
The companys name and business address
Option #2
Do it yourself. The Federal Trade Commission provides extensive information and self help resources that are available at FTC.gov . You will first need to obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through Annualcreditreport.com, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You may order your reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from each of the companies one at a time.
Check your reports for the action items. Keep in mind all the bureaus now have provisions to dispute items online, but in most cases you will need a copy of the respective report and other information to do so. Once you are ready, you can contact each of the 3 bureaus at the contact information provided below:
Equifax
1-800-685-1111
Equifax.com
File a credit dispute online
Experian
1-888-397-3742
Experian.com
File a credit dispute online
TransUnion
1-800-916-8800
TransUnion.com
File a credit dispute online
Tell the consumer reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request that it be removed or corrected. You may want to enclose a copy of your report with the items in question circled. Your letter may look something like:
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Do it yourself. The Federal Trade Commission provides extensive information and self help resources that are available at FTC.gov . You will first need to obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through Annualcreditreport.com, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You may order your reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from each of the companies one at a time.
Check your reports for the action items. Keep in mind all the bureaus now have provisions to dispute items online, but in most cases you will need a copy of the respective report and other information to do so. Once you are ready, you can contact each of the 3 bureaus at the contact information provided below:
Equifax
1-800-685-1111
Equifax.com
File a credit dispute online
Experian
1-888-397-3742
Experian.com
File a credit dispute online
TransUnion
1-800-916-8800
TransUnion.com
File a credit dispute online
Tell the consumer reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request that it be removed or corrected. You may want to enclose a copy of your report with the items in question circled. Your letter may look something like:
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Complaint Department
Name of Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. The items I dispute also are encircled on the attached copy of the report I received.
This item (identify item(s) disputed by name of source, such as creditors or tax court, and identify type of item, such as credit account, judgment, etc.) is (inaccurate or incomplete) because (describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the item be deleted (or request another specific change) to correct the information.
Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records, court documents) supporting my position. Please investigate this (these) matter(s) and (delete or correct) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Your name
Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing)
Once you resolve the issue with the credit bureaus, tell the creditor or other information provider, in writing, that you dispute an item. Be sure to include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a consumer reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And if you are correct that is, if the information is found to be inaccurate the information provider may not report it again.
There are also certain websites such as BCSAlliance.com that provide kits for as little as $13.95, these kits have letter templates and tips to help you repair your credit all by yourself. You can learn more about credit, credit scoring and credit repair at Bills.com
I hope the information provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
www.bills.com/blog/
Name of Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. The items I dispute also are encircled on the attached copy of the report I received.
This item (identify item(s) disputed by name of source, such as creditors or tax court, and identify type of item, such as credit account, judgment, etc.) is (inaccurate or incomplete) because (describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the item be deleted (or request another specific change) to correct the information.
Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records, court documents) supporting my position. Please investigate this (these) matter(s) and (delete or correct) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Your name
Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing)
Once you resolve the issue with the credit bureaus, tell the creditor or other information provider, in writing, that you dispute an item. Be sure to include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a consumer reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And if you are correct that is, if the information is found to be inaccurate the information provider may not report it again.
There are also certain websites such as BCSAlliance.com that provide kits for as little as $13.95, these kits have letter templates and tips to help you repair your credit all by yourself. You can learn more about credit, credit scoring and credit repair at Bills.com
I hope the information provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
www.bills.com/blog/
Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!
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1. Posted by mark levitt on Monday 2nd February 2009 12:20
do you have a sample copy of a proper "letter of deletion" that would be issued by a collection company to the credit bureaus to remove an erroneous collection entry on my report?
2. Posted by Bill on Monday 2nd February 2009 17:05
I am sorry but we do not, but I am sure you can search for it on Google and find some samples there.