When your credit report contains incomplete, outdated or erroneous information, it can have a devastating impact on your ability to find a job, obtain a loan or credit card, and even get insurance. The law entitles you to keep track of your credit report and request that inaccurate information is removed. If a creditor refuses to remove inaccurate information when the necessary proof has been provided, you may be able to file suit to recover compensation for losses. Our Ft. Lauderdale credit report dispute lawyer has years of experience helping consumers clear credit report errors and recover damages for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is designed to foster accuracy, privacy and fairness in the files kept by consumer reporting agencies such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. FCRA offers consumers protection against credit reporting agencies, banks and lenders reporting inaccurate credit information, failing to fix credit report credit errors, or using a credit report for illegal purposes.
Violations of FCRA include:
- Failing to report a discharged debt in bankruptcy
- Reporting information that is more than seven years old or reporting old debts as new
- Reporting debts that have been settled
- Charging late fees on debts that were paid on time
- Providing credit information even though identity theft has been reported
- Mixing the credit information of different parties
- Failing to correct inaccurate information from a debtor’s file
Violations of FCRA by credit card companies, banks and other entities that provide information to a credit reporting agency (CRA) include:
- Notifying CRAs that a debtor has disputed a debt
- Failing to investigate a disputed debt within 30 days
- Failing to provide a debtor with information needed to complete the dispute process
- Failing to report results of an investigation to the debtor
- Providing information to CRAs that is known to be inaccurate
If you believe a creditor, credit bureau, or credit information provider has committed one or several of the above violations, contact our Ft. Lauderdale FCRA attorney as soon as possible for an evaluation of your case. We may be able to file a lawsuit and obtain compensation for damages on your behalf.