Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law

You have a right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit report by contacting the credit bureau directly. However, neither you nor any "credit repair" company or credit repair organization has the right to have accurate, current, and verifiable information removed from your credit report.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. Under the FCRA, furnishers of data (creditors) and credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) are legally mandated to report information with "maximum possible accuracy."

  • Right to Know What is in Your File: You may request and obtain all the information about you in the files of a consumer reporting agency. You are entitled to a free file disclosure every 12 months from AnnualCreditReport.com.
  • Right to Dispute Incomplete or Inaccurate Information: If you identify information in your file that is incomplete or inaccurate (such as conflicting balances across the three bureaus), you have the right to report it to the consumer reporting agency. The agency must investigate unless your dispute is deemed frivolous.
  • Credit Bureaus Must Correct or Delete Inaccurate Information: Inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information must be removed or corrected, usually within 30 days. However, a consumer reporting agency may continue to report information it has verified as accurate.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

The FDCPA protects consumers from abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by third-party debt collectors.

  • Right to Debt Validation: Under Section 809 of the FDCPA, if you send a written request for validation within 30 days of receiving a collection notice, the debt collector must cease collection efforts until they mail you verification of the debt.
  • Prohibition on False Statements: Debt collectors may not falsely misrepresent the character, amount, or legal status of any debt.

ClearPath Disputes Statement of Limitations

ClearPath Disputes does not provide legal advice, nor do we act as a traditional "credit repair agency" that promises to improve your score. We provide an automated software suite that allows you to manage the logistics of analyzing your own credit files, spotting factual inconsistencies across the Tri-Bureau matrix, and printing your own legally-formatted dispute letters.

No Guarantees: We do not—and legally cannot—guarantee that negative information will be removed from your report, nor do we guarantee any resulting impact on your credit score. If negative information is accurate, timely, and verifiable, it has a legal right to remain on your credit file for up to seven years (or ten years for bankruptcies).