Your credit report is becoming increasingly important in our data-driven society. Lenders use it to determine your eligibility and terms for all types of credit. Employers may use it to determine whether to hire you. It's therefore critical to review your credit report on a regular basis to make sure it doesn't contain any incorrect information. Studies have shown that nearly 80% of credit reports contain a mistake of some kind. Here are some of the common credit report errors:
Incorrect name. Make sure your name is right, especially if your name is relatively common. An incorrect middle name or nickname may be a sign that someone else's information is incorrectly on your report. For example, if your name is Samuel and you sometimes go by Sam, make sure that the name Samantha isn't showing on your report.
Inaccurate biographical info. Similarly, make sure that the correct social security number and address appears on your report. Most reports will also list previous addresses. Make sure these are accurate too. If an address you never lived at shows up on your report, that's a sign that someone else's info may be on your report.
Mistaken account status. Review each account to be sure that current accounts are not reported as delinquent and that open accounts aren't showing as closed.
Duplicate reporting. Make sure that accounts aren't mistakenly listed twice on your credit report. This could lead a lender to believe that you have more debt than you actually do.
Accounts that aren't yours. Any accounts that don't belong to you should be an immediate red flag. This mistake is often caused when your file is mixed with another person's file. It could also be a sign that someone has stolen your identity and fraudulently opened accounts in your name.
If your credit report contains these, or other mistakes, your next step is to notify the credit reporting agency of the errors and ask it to correct them. This dispute will trigger the agency's duties under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Normally, credit reporting agencies have 30 days to investigate credit report errors and correct them. Unfortunately, these agencies don't always take consumer disputes seriously and you may have to dispute multiple times to get the mistake corrected. If you've sent multiple disputes and the credit reporting agency still hasn't corrected your credit report error, you may want to consult with an attorney who handles credit reporting issues. An attorney can advise you about your options to get your inaccurate credit report corrected.