What happens after you file a credit report dispute

Once you’ve sent a dispute to a credit bureau, the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets deadlines for what happens next. Knowing the timeline helps you track your dispute and decide what to do when you get the results.

The first few days

Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, a bureau has 5 business days from receiving your dispute to notify the business that supplied the information. That notice has to include the relevant information you sent. If you send more relevant information after that, the bureau must pass it along promptly while the reinvestigation is still open.

The furnisher then has to investigate, review what the bureau sent, and report its results back. The FTC describes the same process: the bureau forwards your evidence, and the business that reported the information must investigate and respond.

If the bureau says your dispute is frivolous

A bureau can end a reinvestigation if it reasonably decides the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant. Not giving it enough information to investigate is one example the law gives. If that happens, the bureau must tell you within 5 business days of its decision. The notice has to explain why and identify what information it needs from you.

If you get this kind of notice, read it closely. The FTC says you may need to send more evidence.

The 30-day reinvestigation

The bureau generally has 30 days from receiving your dispute to finish a reasonable reinvestigation, at no charge to you. During that time it must review and consider all the relevant information you submit.

That period can be extended by up to 15 days if you send the bureau relevant information during the original 30 days. The extension doesn’t apply if, within those 30 days, the bureau finds the item inaccurate or incomplete, or decides it can’t be verified.

Keep a note of the date your dispute arrived. If you used certified mail with a return receipt, that receipt gives you the date.

What the results can look like

When the reinvestigation is complete, the bureau must send you written notice of the results within 5 business days. Under the law, that notice must:

• Say that the reinvestigation is complete
• Include a consumer report based on your file as revised
• Explain your right to ask for a description of how the reinvestigation was done
• Explain your right to add a statement disputing the information
• Explain your right to have the results sent to certain people who got your report

The FTC notes that if your dispute leads to a change, you get a free copy of your report, and it doesn’t count as your annual free report.

If the information is corrected

If the item turns out to be inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, the bureau must promptly delete or modify it and notify the furnisher. It also has to keep reasonable procedures in place to stop that information from showing up again.

If the bureau resolves it within 3 business days

The law allows a shortcut. If the bureau takes the disputed information out of your file within 3 business days of receiving your dispute, it can skip some of the usual notices. In that case it must promptly call you to report the deletion, tell you about your right to notify recent report recipients, and send written confirmation with a copy of your updated report within 5 business days.

If deleted information comes back

Information that was deleted can’t be put back in your file unless the furnisher certifies that it’s complete and accurate. If it’s reinserted, the bureau must tell you in writing within 5 business days. That notice must include:

• A statement that the information was reinserted
• The furnisher’s name and address, and its phone number if reasonably available
• Your right to add a statement disputing the information

Your next steps

Depending on the outcome, here’s what you can do:

1. Check your report. The FTC suggests confirming that inaccurate information was corrected. If it’s still there, check whether the bureau added a notice that you dispute it.
2. Ask how the reinvestigation was done. If you ask, the bureau must give you a description of its procedure within 15 days of your request.
3. Notify people who saw your report. At your request, the bureau must notify anyone who got your report for employment in the past 2 years, or for any other purpose in the past 6 months.
4. Add a statement. If the reinvestigation doesn’t resolve your dispute, you can file a brief statement. See adding a statement of dispute.
5. Dispute with the furnisher. The CFPB suggests disputing with the company that reported the information, too. See disputing directly with the furnisher.
6. Submit a complaint. You can submit a complaint to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

The short version

• The bureau must notify the furnisher within 5 business days of getting your dispute.
• It generally has 30 days to reinvestigate, with up to 15 more in some cases.
• You get written results within 5 business days after it finishes, plus a free report if anything changed.
• Deleted information can only come back if the furnisher certifies it, and the bureau must tell you.
• If you still disagree, you can add a statement, dispute with the furnisher or submit a complaint.

Sources

• 15 U.S.C. 1681i: Procedure in case of disputed accuracy
• FTC: Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports
• CFPB: How do I dispute an error on my credit report?

General information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and government guidance change, so check the sources above for the latest.