 TITLE: How to Write a Credit Dispute Letter CONTENT: Writing to a credit reporting agency (Experian, TransUnion or Equifax) to notify them that you believe certain information on your credit report is inaccurate is sometimes referred to as a \"credit dispute letter.\" In your dispute letter, you'll list any items you feel are being reported incorrectly and tell the credit reporting agency specifically what is incorrect and how you believe the item should be reported instead. If you're disputing information on your Experian credit report, we will begin the investigation process when we receive the letter; the process can take up to 30 days to complete.\nYour right to dispute information contained in your credit file originates with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal law that regulates the way credit reporting agencies can collect, access, use and share the data they maintain in your consumer reports. As part of the FCRA, you have the right to access your credit report for free from each of the credit bureaus (at AnnualCreditReport.com) and to dispute any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.\nWhen you dispute information on your credit report, the credit bureau will generally contact the information provider (usually a lender or other business) and ask them to verify that the account is being reported correctly. If the lender finds that there is information that needs to be corrected, they will update or delete the account accordingly.\nIf you've been searching online, you may have come across the term \"609 dispute letter\" as a tool for improving your credit. What's a 609 letter? The term refers to section 609 of the FCRA, which outlines your right to request copies of your credit reports. (Technically, it's section 611 that affirms your right to dispute information, but that's beside the point.) You can purchase 609 dispute letter templates online, but there's no real value in doing this: Disputing information on your credit report is free when you go directly through the credit reporting agencies, and you don't need any specific template to do so. END