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The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why two letters and not one
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, both the credit reporting agency and the company that supplied the information are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete items. Disputing only with the bureau can end with 'the furnisher verified it'; disputing only with the furnisher leaves the file unchanged everywhere it was already sold.
The items automated matching produces are often identity problems rather than debt problems: an account belonging to someone with a similar name, an old address that pulled in another file, a balance that was discharged, or a status derived from data that was never about you. Say which of those it is, attach what proves it, and ask for a specific correction — deletion, a status change, or suppression of the item while the dispute is open.
The protocol
- Get your reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com and check all three bureaus — the same error is often present in only one or two.
- Identify each disputed item precisely: the creditor's name, the account number as shown, the reported status, and the date it first appeared.
- Work out which kind of error it is: not yours (a mixed file), yours but wrong (status, balance, dates), outdated, or the result of identity theft.
- Write to the credit bureau: list each item, state the fact, say what correction you want, and attach copies — never originals — of anything that proves it.
- Write separately to the company that reported the item with the same detail. Both have a duty to investigate, and both should answer in writing.
- Note the deadlines: investigations generally take about 30 days, and if you were denied credit, insurance, or employment because of the report you are entitled to a free copy from the bureau named in that notice if you ask within 60 days.
- Keep every reply. If the item is not corrected, ask for a statement of dispute to be added to your file and escalate to the CFPB.
What the tool does
Build a two-letter credit report dispute: one to the credit bureau and one to the company that reported the item, with the evidence list and the deadlines that apply. It stores nothing and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a letter-preparation aid, not legal advice, and it does not determine whether an item is inaccurate. Timelines and rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act are general guidance here; outcomes depend on your file and your jurisdiction.
Open the companion tool →One human next step
If the dispute is refused and the item is costing you credit, housing, insurance, or a job, file a complaint with the CFPB and with the FTC and talk to a consumer-law attorney — many offer a free first consultation, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows recovery for willful noncompliance. If the item comes from identity theft, start a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov and place a fraud alert or a freeze.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. The artifact is two letters and a documented dispute; whether an item is accurate is decided by the bureau and the furnisher, and a model's opinion about it would carry no weight in that process (§1.2 UIC-10). §6.9 disclosed: no assist path — the evidentiary value is in the reader's documents and dates. §6.10: not a frontier-pace topic; the entry names automated matching as a source of error without asserting anything about any company's models or safety posture.
§0.5 protection result: category is rights-recourse; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.