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Credit File Stability (Continued...)

Your telephone number

Your telephone number especially if it's unlisted. If you haven't yet given the credit bureaus your phone number, consider doing so now. A creditor who cannot verify a telephone number is often reluctant to grant credit.

Your date of birth

A creditor will probably not grant you credit if it does not know your age. However, creditors also cannot discriminate against you based on your age.

Your Social Security number

Your bank checking or savings account number

Your bank checking or savings account number is is an excellent sign of stability. Again, however, you won't want to add this information if you've been sued or you think a creditor may sue you. A creditor with a judgment against you will likely use this information to try to collect.

Are credit bureaus required to add this information to your credit file?

Credit bureaus aren't required to add any of this information to your Credit Report, but they often do. They are most likely to add to your Credit Report information on jobs and residences, as that information is used by creditors in evaluating applications for credit. They will also add your telephone number, date of birth, and Social Security number, because those items help identify you and lessen the chances of "mixed" credit files. You may need to pay a small fee when a credit bureau adds information to your credit file.

What documents should I provide to credit bureaus when requesting them to add information to my credit file?

When requesting credit bureaus to add any information to your credit file, enclose any documentation that verifies information you're providing, such as copies (never originals) of your driver's license, a canceled check, a bill addressed to you, a pay stub showing your employer's name and address, or anything else
similar. Remember to keep photocopies of all correspondence.

What does the credit bureau do after investigation of a Credit Report dispute?

The agency is required to consider information and documentation from you as well as contact the creditor whose item you are disputing. Once all of the facts have been reviewed, the agency must:

• give you the results of the reinvestigation within five days of the completion;
• remove the item you are disputing if you are correct or if it is unverifiable (most creditors destroy records after twenty-five months, so it is very possible that the item you are disputing can no longer be verified);
• ensure that an item that was corrected does not incorrectly reappear on your report; and,
• provide you with a copy of your corrected report.

What happens if the credit bureau determines that the item being disputed is correct?

If the credit agency determines that the item you are disputing on your Credit Report is correct and that you are wrong, then the item will remain on the report.

If your report is corrected, the agency must send a copy of the corrected report to any creditors who have requested your report in the last year and to any employer who has requested it in the last two years.

Wait a few months after your Credit Report has been corrected and then request a copy of it. Verify that the error was corrected and has not reappeared. If it has reappeared (and this does happen), send a letter indicating this to the credit reporting agency and detail the history of the matter.