 TITLE: When to Dispute Credit Report Information CONTENT: Disputing Can Delay the Credit Approval Process\n-----------------------------------------------\nPeople commonly discover issues on their credit report when a lender or credit card company runs a credit check as part of a loan or card application. Perhaps your credit score isn't as high as you thought it was due to late payments, high credit card balances or other factors.\nBut what if you feel there's information in your credit report that's wrong? What if the high balances are on accounts you believe were opened fraudulently, or you're confident the late payment being reported was sent on time? You can dispute the information, but you may have to put the credit approval process on hold.\nIt's best not to dispute information on your credit report when you're trying to apply for credit or a loan, especially a mortgage. Having an account in dispute on your credit report during the mortgage application process, for example, can prevent you from being approved for the loan until the dispute process is complete. For that reason, it's a good idea to review your credit reports several months prior to making a major credit application.\nWhen you submit a dispute, the credit reporting agency will contact the information provider (typically a lender, credit card company or bank) to verify the information you're disputing. If they can't verify the information or they confirm an error, the item will be updated or removed. Information verified as accurate will remain on your credit report.\nBefore you file a dispute, it's important to know what can be disputed in the first place. Successful disputes typically involve inaccurate or incomplete information, including items such as:\n*   **Account information,** such as closed accounts reported as open, timely payments incorrectly reported as delinquent, and inaccurate credit limits or account balances.\n*   **Fraud,** including accounts opened as a result of identity theft or account balances that are the result of credit fraud.\nThere's also information in your credit report that can't be disputed at all (more on that later). END