A dispute letter is how you can challenge the accuracy or validity of a bad credit item on your report. In your letter you must include the reason for the dispute and what item is being disputed.

Common reasons for a dispute are; account is not mine, account paid in full, item is out of date and more. When the credit bureaus receive your dispute and deem it valid they will investigate the dispute.

During and investigation the credit bureau will contact the lender or collection agency that made the negative mark and verify the debt and its dates and amounts. If the account can not be verified then it must be removed from your report.

An investigation often results in a negative mark being removed. This is because many businesses will not spend the time and money to verify a disputed item.

There are rumors that credit bureaus do not check public records to verify debt. This means that bad credit marks such as a judgment or foreclosure are often removed through a dispute.

A credit repair service can also be hired to dispute bad credit marks on your behalf. This can be a tremendous benefit if you are disputing multiple marks.

Frequently dispute letters will result in the credit bureaus requesting more information from you. In addition you must dispute a bad credit item with each credit bureau separately.

This means organizing your disputes can become a challenge on its own. Many services can also use advanced dispute techniques in case a bad credit item is verified. These techniques include; creditor direct intervention, escalated dispute information requests, and debt validation.

Many services will employ attorneys this will enable you to go to court if it is necessary. In addition you may be a victim of illegal debt collection practices and may be able to file a lawsuit against a collection agency.

Credit repair is your responsibility. Unfortunately it is very common for inaccurate information to be reported on your credit report. It is estimated that 1 in every 4 Americans have inaccurate items on their report.

In sum, dispute any inaccurate or unverifiable bad credit marks on your report. You do not have to wait 7 years for a mark to be removed from your credit.