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Using Credit Repair Letters to Help Repair Your Credit Reports
http://www.netarticles.org/articles/4847/1/Using-Credit-Repair-Letters-to-Help-Repair-Your-Credit-Reports/Page1.html
Don Tate
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By Don Tate
Published on 03/11/2010
 
As you get started with gathering information about repairing your credit score, you will find that there are a variety of types of credit repair letters you may need to use. Here are a few categories of credit repair letters you may come across as you attempt to fix your credit reports.

Credit Repair Letters: One Size Doesn't Fit All
As you get started gathering information about cleaning your creditscore, you will find that there are a variety of types of credit repair letters you may need to write. Unfortunately, there is no perfect credit repair letter that works for for everyone. You will need to find the right letter for the task at hand.

Credit Repair Letters

are a few examples of types of letters you may come across as you work to clean up your credit score. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does give you a general idea of the variety of letters you may need to write.

Credit Bureau Dispute Letter

This is the letter that most people think of when talking about credit repair. The credit bureau dispute is you telling a credit bureau that you would like them to verify the accuracy of a listing in your credit reports. In a credit bureau dispute, you are basically telling the credit bureau they need to prove that an item is accurately listed on your credit report. If they cannot do so, then the account must be corrected or removed.

By law, you can dispute any items that are inaccurate or, in your opinion, give whoever looks at your credit reports an unfair impression of your creditworthiness.

Credit Bureau Dispute Follow-up

The credit bureaus are supposed to process your dispute and follow up with you within 30 days, but this does not always happen. You may need to follow-up your initial dispute letter with another letter stating that you have already sent in a dispute, that the credit bureau was supposed to have replied, and again detailing which item you are disputing. This letter lets the credit bureau know that you are serious about your dispute and you will not quit just because you don't hear back.

Goodwill Letter

Not all negative listings in your credit report can be disputed with the credit bureaus. In addition, removed. Sometimes you will have to bypass the credit bureaus and work directly with the creditor who is reporting the negative item.

The goodwill letter is the least confrontational of these credit repair letters to creditors. In it, you are asking nicely for the creditor to stop reporting the negative item. To help your case, you may bring up your current good standing with the creditor or request sympathy because of the effect the listing is having on your credit score in your request for the deletion.

Debt Validation Letter

If a credit bureau dispute is ineffective and your creditor is not receptive to your playing nice, it's time to play hardball.

By taking advantage of your rights under a number of consumer protection statutes like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you can make creditors and collections agencies have to jump through specific hoops to prove that a debt is owed. As is the case with the credit bureaus, if they are unable or unwilling to do so, the negative accounts must be deleted from your credit reports.

Getting Assistance with Credit Repair

After spending some time looking into credit repair, or even after beginning the process of cleaning their own credit reports, people often times see how difficult credit repair can be. Fortunately, there are many quality credit repair companies who have the knowledge and the experience to help make the process simple and effective.