Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
How to read a credit report together, catch the errors that slip in and use your right to dispute them.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Freezing and Unfreezing Your Credit File: Separate Requests for Each Bureau
A freeze protects only the credit file it is placed on, so you need a separate request with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and each one has its own steps and deadlines.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
A Freeze Keeps Lenders Out; a Fraud Alert Asks Them to Check Twice
A freeze restricts access to your credit file, while a fraud alert asks businesses to verify your identity, and the right choice depends on how much friction you want when credit applications come in.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Unfreezing One Bureau for a Loan Check, Keeping the Others Locked
Lifting a freeze only at the bureau a lender will check, for the dates it needs, keeps your other reports protected while your application moves forward.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Your Right to Challenge a Debt You Don't Recognize, Step by Step
A written dispute, sent to both the credit bureau and the business that reported the account, is the most reliable way to get an error corrected.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Using an Identity Theft Report With Credit Bureaus: Steps, Freezes and Records
An Identity Theft Report is a useful starting point, but each credit bureau has its own process, so check its instructions and keep a record of every contact.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Checking a Collector's Claim: Which Details in a Validation Notice Matter Most
A validation notice gives you the details needed to check whether a debt, amount and deadline are accurate before you respond.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
What a Debt Collection Notice Must Include and How to Check It
Federal rules set out the timing and contents of a collector's validation notice, and comparing it with your own records can show whether it holds up.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
How to Stop Debt Collector Calls in Writing
A written stop-contact request can end most calls and letters from a covered debt collector. It does not cancel the debt or block every lawful collection step.
- Credit Reporting & Consumer Rights
Settled Debt Still Wrong on Your Report? Check It Against Your Paperwork First
Compare the report with your settlement records, then send a specific dispute to both the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the account information.
By text
Kitchen-table money tips by text
Short money tips on credit, saving and staying safe from scams, about one a day.
More topics to explore
Credit Score EducationThe score, and the stories behind it
Personal Finance TipsMoney moves for busy households
Budgeting & Money ManagementA family budget that lasts the month
Identity Theft & Fraud PreventionKeeping scammers away from the family
Credit Card EducationCards at the checkout and on the statement
Consumer Financial NewsThe money news, over coffee
Cost of Living & InflationGroceries, rent and the paycheck
Banking & Savings EducationWhere the family money lives
Consumer Protection & Financial LiteracyYour rights as a customer