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TRW has recently changed their name to Experian. Although the name may have changed the procedure for requesting your credit report still remains the same. If you find negative marks on your credit report, you should start by writing the credit bureau that is reporting the information you would like to remove.

It is important to be aware that there are three major credit bureaus that collect consumer information. Those three bureaus are Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian (formerly known as TRW). One of the major downsides that these three bureaus have is they do not cross reference their information.

One credit bureau may show that you have errors on your credit report. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the other two will show the same thing. The worst part is they may show totally different things. Sending a letter of dispute to one credit bureau does not take care of the errors shown by the other two.

You should cover all of the bases by requesting copies of all three credit reports. Once you have all three credit reports in hand you should submit a letter of dispute. Make sure that you provide your full name, address, and social security number. Don’t forget to attach a copy of your credit report which contains the errors you wish to dispute.

I advise my students to highlight all negative marks that may appear on their credit report. I also advise them to write a detailed letter explaining why they feel that each item is inaccurate. It is also important that you include any supporting documentation that you may have.

Did you know that over 70 percent of credit reports contain errors. If yours is one of them your application could go from the short list to the round file in a nanosecond.

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