If you spot any spurious information, demand that the credit bureau investigate and correct it.
Lewis Perling, a defense attorney for the Atlanta-based credit bureau, declined to comment on the litigation.
Ask to see the full report, and find out which credit bureau generated it.
Remember that companies voluntarily file information with a credit bureau and clerical errors may creep in.
Instead, the FTC recommends writing a letter and sending it and copies of supporting documents via certified mail to the credit bureau.
He cites another possible example, in which an advertising company purchases a credit bureau, which then sells that information to an insurance Web site.
There are dozens of credit score models generated by each credit bureau and unique to different industries like mortgage lenders and auto insurance providers.
If so, it's generally not a concern, but inform the credit bureau if you're disputing an entry directly related to how you pay your bills.
Sony suggests that those users watch out for spam and ask a credit bureau like Transperian or Equifax to place a fraud alert on their accounts.
Azteca has an 18% stake in a credit bureau with credit histories on 26 million low-income people, and it now offers auto loans, savings accounts, pension funds and insurance.
Auto loans in particular have gone to the head of the line for households that have to decide which bill to pay first, according to Chicago-based TransUnion, the credit bureau.
FORBES: When It Comes To Car Payments, The Check Is In The Mail, Honest
Poland, it is true, has had a western-style credit bureau since 1999, and the Czech Republic is setting one up, but these will be little use until borrowers build up a credit history.
ECONOMIST: Consumer lending is taking root in central Europe
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's settlement with a major credit bureau that hit consumers with charges after promising a free credit report is a victory for all those who don't read the small print.
According to a study last year by TransUnion, another credit bureau, consumers in the latest recession were more likely to keep up with their car payments than other forms of debt, like credit cards or mortgages.
FORBES: Why More Late Payments On Auto Loans Are Actually A Good Thing
Fifty-one percent of student loans were in deferment, forbearance or belonged to students still in school as of March 2012, up from 44.3% a year prior, according to data released by credit bureau TransUnion earlier this year.
WSJ: Weighing Merits of Loan Deferments Today to Keep Defaults Away
There isn't a formal appeals process, but if the first dispute is rejected, consumers can "absolutely" protest again to the credit bureau or lender and send more information, says Kareem Rogers, Equifax's global consumer and business services leader.
Citigroup has begun notifying some 3.9 million U.S. customers that computer tapes containing information about their accounts have been lost by United Parcel Service (nyse: UPS - news - people ) while in transit to a credit bureau.
Entrants to the consumer-finance business are soon expected to gain access to valuable data when Terranet, a new industry-run credit bureau, is set up next month (assuming blocking efforts by Takefuji, the industry leader, which claims that it might be illegal to disclose some data, fail).
The federal agency began accepting credit-bureau complaints in October and is authorized to oversee the three big credit bureaus.
Starting in June, the industry's information-exchange network will allow files to be attached so credit bureaus can send documentation to lenders, says Steve Wagner, president of Experian's North American credit-bureau operations.
During a week where markets fluctuated as much as 5%, when a major credit rating bureau downgraded the value of U.S. debt, when consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in 31 years, it was reported that, for at least one fleeting moment, Apple was the most valuable company in America.
Yet another company employs anonymized credit card complaint data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help consumers monitor their credit and debit cards for suspicious charges.
The credit goes to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which in 1937 pushed through laws ending the growth, trade and consumption of all forms of cannabis, including the inert but commercially useful hemp plant.
They want the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to change the Credit CARD Act.
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The Bureau has also begun to oversee the credit reporting industry, implementing a federal law that requires such companies to remove or correct inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information within 30 days of being notified.
The Citizens Advice Bureau says it is too easy to obtain such credit and is calling for tighter regulation.
In a recent study, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looked at scores based on 200, 000 credit reports to evaluate the differences between FICO and Vantage scores, as well as scores typically provided to consumers and those sold to lenders.
Inquiries or complaints on credit or mortgage products should be directed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But a recent study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that only less than 20 percent of consumers check their credit report each year.
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