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How to Dispute Your Credit Report

At ORNL Federal Credit Union, we believe that maintaining your credit score plays a vital role in managing a healthy financial lifestyle. In addition to keeping up with your credit score; it is also important to check your credit reports at least once a year. 

A credit report is a statement that has information about your credit activity and current credit situation such as loan paying history and the status of your credit accounts.

And the best part? Checking your credit report is completely free. Federal law allows you to receive a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can request your free copies through the following only authorized website: annualcreditreport.com

While viewing your credit report, it’s important to look for any mistakes. Often, some of the common mistakes are: incorrect personal information, loans and credit accounts that do not match up or were never opened in your name, and accounts that are not correctly listed as, “current,” when payments were subject to relief during the pandemic. 

So, what should you do if you see a mistake on your credit report? Dispute them and here’s how:
 

Write a Dispute Letter

Once you notice a mistake on your credit report, you will need to write a dispute letter. You will want to provide copies of the letter to the credit reporting company as well as the source of the information—i.e., a credit card company.

Provide the Facts

Your dispute should clearly explain what you think is wrong and why. State the facts, explain why you are disputing the information, and request that it be corrected. In your dispute letter, you may want to enclose a copy of the relevant portion of your credit report. Highlight the items in question. At ORNL FCU, we recommend that you include copies of documents that support your position. Make sure to never send your original documents and keep copies of your dispute letters and enclosures.

Don’t Pay for Credit Monitoring

Many companies that promise free credit reports want to sign you up for credit monitoring services or other products. However, you can completely monitor your credit yourself for free when you receive your copies of your credit reports. Because your credit score changes with time, we recommend that you spread out your credit report requests. 

Put a Freeze on Identity Thieves 

No need to pay a credit monitoring service to stop thieves from opening accounts with your information. Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and ask that they put a freeze on your credit reports.

At ORNL Federal Credit Union, we want your credit score to thrive. If you’d like to further discuss how to improve your credit score or how to view your credit reports, feel free to contact us.

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