Articles
Plain-English guides to checking your credit reports and disputing errors yourself. Start with the basics if you have not pulled your reports yet; move to Letters 101 when you are ready to dispute. Everything here is general education, not legal advice.
Dispute basics
Get your reports, read them properly and know what an error looks like.
How to read your credit report line by line
A tour of every section, and the errors people miss most often.
How to get your free credit reports
The official free source, three ways to order, and other situations where a free report is available.
Common credit report errors and how to spot them
Identity mix-ups, wrong account status, bad balances and outdated items, with what evidence to gather.
Letters 101
Which right to use, where to send your dispute and what happens next.
Section 609 vs. 611: which letter should you send?
Two different rights, two different jobs. Here's how to choose.
What happens in the 30 days after a dispute
The investigation timeline, and what each possible outcome means.
Bureau vs. furnisher disputes: where to send yours
Two routes to the same correction, and when each one makes sense.