CheckDispute Guides

Why accurate negative information needs a different approach CheckDispute · Sources checked September 20, 2026 You generally cannot have current, accurate negative information removed from your credit report simply because it is unfavorable. Before drafting a dispute, separate what you dislike about the entry from a specific factual problem you can explain. An account can be yours and still contain an incorrect field. Conversely, an entry can affect how your report looks without being inaccurate. Your first task is to compare the information with your records, not to choose a stronger-sounding reason for removing it. The distinction helps you decide which questions need investigation and which records do not support a dispute at all. Can you remove inaccurate information from a credit report? You can dispute information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, but a dispute is not a promised removal. The CFPB's guidance on negative information distinguishes accurate unfavorab...

How to describe an incorrect balance in plain English CheckDispute · Sources checked September 20, 2026 To explain an incorrect balance in a dispute letter, identify the account and the balance shown on the report, state what your supporting record shows, and name the document and date behind that comparison. Ask for the specific information to be investigated and corrected. Keep the explanation as narrow as your evidence allows. A difference between two numbers gives you something to examine; it does not, by itself, establish which number is wrong. You can build that explanation one sentence at a time. Start with the report and the relevant account record open together, rather than searching for a more forceful template. What should I say in my dispute letter? Say what is reported, why you believe it is inaccurate, and what change you are requesting. The FTC's sample dispute-letter guidance uses those elements. It does not require a dramatic accusation or a claim about every...

How to read your credit report, one section at a time CheckDispute · Sources checked September 20, 2026 Read your credit report in the order it arrives — personal information, credit accounts, collection items, public records, inquiries — and stop at the end of each section to pick up the one document you would compare it against. That second document is the part most guides leave out, and it is what turns "this looks wrong" into a sentence naming an account, a field and a date. This guide walks the five sections, names the field worth reading in each one, and says plainly what a difference between two documents does and does not prove. What are the five sections, and what do you compare each one against? Your report has five parts, and each one has a natural counterpart in paperwork you already own. The CFPB describes a credit report as a statement of your credit activity and current credit situation , including loan payment history and the status of your credit accounts...