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Contacting the Credit Bureaus
Credit Report Legend
Credit Scores
Credit Score Factor Codes
Disputing Entries on your Credit Reports
ECOA Codes: Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Fair Credit Reporting Act
Industry Links
Opting Out of credit Promotions
Purge Dates
California Senate Bill 1607 Release of
credit scores to California residents
Contacting the Credit Bureaus
The credit history contained in our reports comes
directly from the three major credit bureaus. Some types of reports are updated for our clients,
by our staff to provide a complete, up to date credit profile. However, this information is not
normally updated at the Credit Bureau level. If you want to contact the Credit Bureaus with
questions or disputes regarding the information on their reports you can reach them at:
Equifax (formerly CBI)
PO Box 105873
Atlanta, GA 30348
Toll Free (888)841-7335
www.equifax.com
Experian (formerly TRW)
PO Box 9601
Allen, TX 75013-2104
Toll Free (888)397-3742
www.experian.com
Trans Union
2 Baldwin Place
Chester PA 19022
Toll Free (800)916-8800
www.transunion.com
Disputing Entries on your Credit Reports
If you feel there are errors
on your credit bureau report, you should file a formal dispute so that the information can be reinvestigated
and corrected. To do this you should contact each bureau reporting the disputed information directly
at the addresses listed above. In your correspondence be sure to include all of the following
information:
Your full name
Current home address and mailing address Previous addresses covering the past five
years of residency.
Date of Birth(s)
Social Security Number(s) Home Phone Number
Employer Name
List exactly what entries are being disputed and the reason for the dispute.
Example: Creditor's Name, Account Number
and reason for dispute, (ie, not my account; was not late with payments; etc.)
Be sure that your letter is signed and dated and maintain a copy for your records.
0 = Undesignated
1 = Individual Account
2 = Joint Liability
3 = Authorized User (Spouse)
4 = Joint (Undetermined whether 2 or 3)
5 = Co-Signor Not Spouse
6 = On Behalf of Account
7 = Subject Primarily Responsible But Has Co-Signor
8 = Individual Account of Spouse
9 = Subject No Longer Responsible for Account
Fair Credit Reporting Act:
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, is designed to promote accuracy
and ensure the privacy of the information used in consumer credit reports
How to Opt Out of credit promotions
You have the ability to "Opt Out" of credit card promotions by contacting the Direct Marketing Association.
All requests should include your First, Middle and Last Name (including Jr, Sr III, etc), along with your current address.
Please mail this information to:
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Purge Dates:
The Fair Credit Reporting Act dictates how long entries will remain on a credit report.
In general, most everything remains for seven years, with the exception of Chapter 7 Bankruptcies which remain for ten
years. The timeframe used for purging outdated information is the Last Date of Activity, not the opening date,
reported date or verified date.