According to The FCRA, you’re entitled to correct and accurate information in your credit report.
In this provision, section 609 of this act explicitly states that credit bureaus should disclose information in credit reports to consumers, at their request.
If you’ve been working on your credit, there are certain items you need to have them removed.
They include resolving inaccuracies, errors, unverifiable items and solving identity theft and fraudulent activity.
For many people, removing all these inaccuracies and working to have a perfect credit report seems like climbing Mount Everest, but did you know that there is a loophole that can help improve your credit score?
Unlike the opinions of many people, 609 dispute letters work, and you can be guaranteed to get tangible results once you use them.
According to The FCRA, at least 20% of Americans have errors in their reports. While this sounds alarming that close to a fifth of US citizens unknowingly have errors in their reports, it’s evident that credit errors still happen.
Regardless of this trend, the fact remains that a single error item could hurt your credit report and tank your score significantly.
Besides locking you out of viable opportunities, these errors would cost you lots of money when you want to fix them.
While this theory is speculation and a considerable number of consumers are arguing about it, it’s still popular that 609 letters could be a solution to your credit issues.
Let’s take a look.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
The FCRA is a regulatory body that governs how the credit reporting agencies collect, manipulate and store your information.
Keep in mind that there is a mammoth if things the credit bureaus – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax – can do without your permission.
From collecting information without your authorization to storing then selling the information in your credit report, the data centers have several permissions at their disposal.
Even worse, selling this information could expose you to all sorts of cyber risks, but the credit data centers do not say it.
Thankfully, The FCRA has regulations that limit the extent to which the data centers could go with your information.
The FCRA is the ‘chief sheriff’ that tells the credit bureaus what they can do with your information, and what they can’t.
What is section 609?
Section 609 refers to a chapter in The FCRA that outlines your rights to request information about your credit reports and its accompanying data items.
To clear any doubts, section 609 does not, in any way, state that you have the right to challenge entries in your credit report. Simply said, there is a huge difference between having the right to accurate information and having the legal right to challenge inaccurate listings, and section 609 of The FCRA means the former.
The good news, however, is that your right to dispute inaccurate entries is taken care of in section 611 of The FCRA. In this statue, you enjoy the right to challenge any incorrect entries, which have to be removed if the respective parties cannot verify the legitimacy of the records.
The 609 Dispute Letter
One of the legal loopholes in section 609 is the provision for the 609 letters.
Often, this letter is recommended as a credit repair tool that works to the leverage of many people with bad credit.
Primarily, its goal is to make the credit information centers delete specific pieces of inaccurate entries from your credit report.
If the loan issuer failed to document something accurately, they will have to delete it from your report.
Conventional dispute systems say that if an item is inaccurate or belongs to someone else, it should be eliminated. The 609 letter, on the other hand, states that it acknowledges that the item might belong to you, but if the loan issuer can’t prove that you consented a hard credit check, they have to remove it.
This provision partly contributes to the “legal loophole” name given to this repair tool
Credit disputes
Before delving into how 609 letters work, let’s take a look at general credit disputes and how to go about them.
Since 609 letters fall in this category, understanding the items that you can remove with a 609 letter and those you can’t is imperative.
Essentially, a dispute lets you challenge the correctness of any element in your credit report, which you believe to be inaccurate.
Below are some takeaways to have in mind.
- You can send disputes directly to your loan issues or collection agencies.
- You can submit disputes with the three data centers or with the respective bureau that created it in your report.
- You can handle disputes on your own, although this action isn’t recommended.
- You can initiate disputes with the credit bureaus through their online channels, through phone or certified mail.
- A credit repair company can work on disputes on your behalf.
The responsibility of the credit bureaus
A massive portion of the obligation to accurate reporting falls on the credit data centers.
This is the explanation for which the dispute process starts with them most of the time.
According to The FCRA, the data centers should only include information that is accurate and can be verified on your credit report.
In other words, if the data center fails to get a satisfactory response from the loan issues, they should remove the negative information from your credit report.
Information that you can dispute with the 609 letter
One notable benefit of having your rights taken care of by FCRA is that you can dispute any piece of information you think is incorrect.
The following is a set of information that you can question if you think they’re incorrect.
- Incorrect balances
- Inaccurate dates
- Fraudulent information
- Any unverifiable item
While you have the provision for disputing any information you think is inaccurate, disputing it doesn’t necessarily mean the information will be removed.
Benefits of the 609 Dispute Letter
- The 609 letter asserts your right to have accurate information in your records, which includes verifiable and accurate information.
- With this provision, credit bureaus can remove any element that is erroneous, outdated, or can’t be verified.
- 609 letters help you take advantage of your right to request information from the data centers. It makes the credit bureaus disclose all information in your report at your request.
Disadvantages of the 609 Dispute Letter
- Debt collection agencies could add some information to your credit report on your unpaid debts.
- If the removed item gets verified later, it will be added to your credit report later.
- Even if the letter removes a genuine query from your report, you still will have to pay it to completion.
Do 609 Dispute Letters work?
Like any other venture, there is no assurance that you can get all negative items removed from your credit report using a 609 Dispute Letter.
However, the great news is that several consumers have had a great deal of success after using these letters, mainly because several loan issuers extract information online without outlining all the appropriate frameworks and disclosures as they’re supposed to.
Many lenders are aware of the implications and how the 609 letters could help consumers, but they see that the time and effort they’re saving themselves is worth the risk.
If you’ve been trying to delete some negative items in your credit report, a 609 letter could be the solution you need. Additionally, if there are some small but stubborn items, you can try out a 609 letter.
What 609 Dispute Letters don’t do
Keep in mind that while 609 Dispute Letters might help you with repairing credit, they don’t help you relieve your existing debt.
If it’s a genuine debt, you are obligated to working on it till you complete it.
So, although the credit data centers will delete an item is the loan issuer does not reply within 30 days, they can still add it at a much later date once they get the justification.
Besides, if the creditor sold your debt to a collection company, the debt could still appear, but with a different bearer.
This is especially prevalent on accounts you still owe money to if you continue defaulting with the payments.
609 Dispute Letter template
There are hundreds of 609 Dispute Letter templates online, and several providers charge for them.
The great news is that if you stick to the basic structure and appropriate wording, you can write one for yourself with maximum efficacy.
One notable thing is that you should make sure it’s worded like a dispute to make it sound you’re fighting to have the item removed.
Besides, you’ll have to one to each of the credit bureaus addresses, as shown below.
To whom it may concern:
I am writing as a requisite to validate the information regarding specific items in my credit report in line with the FCRA’s section 609.
<<List account numbers and names you’re disputing>>
I would like to confirm that these loan issuers obtained my information according to the law by requesting that they avail the sources of information to me.
This set of information should include the identity of the person who made the request, my original contract and agreement and any other supporting documentation.
That said, if you’re unable to verify this information, please delete the items from my credit report since their accuracy cannot be validated.
Sincerely,
<<Your legal name>>
<<Address>>
<<SSN>>
<<Date of Birth>>
Options to consider when writing a 609 letter
If you want to write this letter to the credit bureaus, you’ll have the following options to consider:
1. DIY approach
The do-it-yourself approach comes with much room for helping you save some bucks, but you won’t be guaranteed reliable results.
After writing it, send the letter to the three credit information centers via certified mail if all the entries appear in all three bureaus.
2. Purchase a template
This approach is more similar to the first one, only that you have to spend some bucks on a template online.
Ensure that the template is in line with your type of request before purchasing it.
3. Hire a credit repair expert
Like any other business, hundreds of credit repair companies offer closely similar services – with a considerable disparity in the efficacy of the services.
Ultimately, your choice should be in line with your preferences and boil down to your personal preference.
Tips for writing and sending a 609 dispute letter
Be clear
Clarity is one of the make-or-break factors when stating your request.
You want them to verify the legitimacy of the records, and you also don’t want to pull strings too much.
While it’s essential to be firm and state that some items could be illegitimate, pushing them to the wall may not work to your leverage.
Send 609 dispute letters via certified mail
The benefits of sending your request through certified mail include the provision to track the query and avoiding being intercepted by paranoid firewalls.
This way, you’ll be sure that your query reaches the company and that the relevant team is working on it.
Include your identity information
We recommend that you include your full legal name as it appears in your identity documents.
Some consumers feel uncomfortable, including this set of information, but it’s the only way the credit bureaus can verify your identity.
List all items in question
Make sure to list all elements that you want to be scrutinized.
If you include them in a paragraph, it could be hard for the professionals to read and identity all of them, hence you should list them to simplify their work.
How long does it take for a 609 dispute letter to work?
The period it takes for the entries to be removed depends on the severity of the elements in question.
Most consumers have reported seeing positive results after 30 days, while others claim that it took between 2 and 6 months.
Nonetheless, you should receive a report within five business days once the team finalizes the investigation.
Conclusion
Credit repair isn’t something that happens in the twinkling of an eye.
Some people have reported seeing positive results after a considerably short period, but it could take as long as six months.
Overall, maintaining good financial habits and working on improving your credit is the ultimate recipe for taking hold of your financial life.
