Can Bad Credit Be Deleted?

Be careful who gives you that answer about your credit repair questions. In this case, I suggest you can believe this answer because it’s given by qualified attorneys who specialize full time in credit repair and charge extremely reasonable fees.

So can Bad Credit be deleted? Yes, it can. Despite the fervent proclamations of bureaucrats and credit bureaus everywhere, a simple fact remains: negative credit listings are deleted from peoples’ credit reports by the thousands each and every day.

A few years ago, an attorney from Lexington Law. visited with a regulatory agency for a casual conversation with two agents. The Agency’s office, as a matter of course, believed the credit bureaus’ claim that bad credit couldn’t be deleted. The visiting Lexington attorney asked, “How many negative listings would you have to see deleted from consumer credit reports before you would believe that bad credit can be deleted: ten? fifty? a hundred? one thousand?” The agents responded with only blank stares.

“How about 50,000 deleted listings, would that convince you?” continued the Lexington attorney. From his briefcase he pulled a stack of papers six inches high.

“In these pages, we have listed the permanent deletion of over 50,000. listings from our clients’ files in the last two years alone,” he explained. The agents pulled the stack across the conference table and began to pick through the pages, taking in the massive list.

“But have you deleted any bankruptcies?” shot back one of the agents, “we know that bankruptcies can’t be deleted.” The Lexington attorney leaned across the table and ran his finger down the first page.

“There’s one deleted bankruptcy… and, there’s another,… and another,… and another. Should I go on?” asked the Lexington attorney.

The agents sat back in their chairs. “You know,” began the junior agent, “I have this one listing on my credit report that simply must belong to somebody else…”

How is credit repair possible?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows a consumer to challenge the information on his credit report on the basis of “completeness and accuracy.” When a consumer files a dispute, the credit bureaus must contact the source of the credit information (the creditor) and confirm that the information is accurate, verifiable, and not obsolete. In some circumstances, the credit bureau is required to go beyond a simple verification of the creditor’s own computer record. If, within 30 days, the credit bureau has not received verification from the creditor, then the credit bureau must promptly delete the credit listing. Learn More.

When it comes to credit repair the law IS on YOUR side for a change - and without having to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an attorney! The problem is that most people do not understand the law and think they cannot use the law to protect themselves from impersonal and often greedy corporations. If that’s how you feel, please keep reading…

Many consumers have the mistaken idea that credit bureaus are federally supported organizations backed by a vast array of laws meant to protect creditors. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aside from the government simply recognizing the need for credit reporting, credit bureaus have absolutely nothing to do with the government. Credit bureaus are simply huge bureaucratic companies which exist for the soul purpose of making money by selling information about you-information they never bothered to verify.

Because of the vast potential for error in the credit reporting system, the United States Congress has enacted laws to protect the consumer from being victimized by the credit bureaus. It is your right and responsibility to make use of these laws.

The Law versus Practical Reality

As the credit bureaus computerized their processes and greatly expanded their reach and influence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, consumer complaints began to mount at the FTC and state attorney general offices. The credit reporting agencies quickly became huge bureaucracies second only in size to the federal government. The credit bureaus expressly served only the needs of their clients, the credit grantors. Many consumers were negatively affected by the credit bureaus, but they had no way to correct or change their credit information.

The American consumer lay completely at the mercy of the credit bureaus. The United States Congress enacted the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in 1971 to insure that the credit bureaus investigate the credit items disputed by consumers. This federal law set procedural guidelines, which gave the consumer the right to challenge the accuracy, validity, and verifiability of the credit listings appearing in their consumer credit report. It also required that the credit bureau delete any credit listing if it was inaccurate or could not be verified. Learn More.

In theory, the FCRA charges the credit bureaus with responsibility to the consumer as well as the credit grantor. In reality, the credit bureaus resist, resent, and reject consumer disputes. The credit bureaus would rather be left alone to make a profit. And, each time a consumer challenges his credit, profit is lost.

The credit bureaus first defend their profits by erecting walls of stall tactics, including requests for more information, further clarification, and additional identification. The vast majority of consumers give up before they even receive copies of their credit reports. If a consumer manages to get a credit report, decipher the codified information, write a coherent dispute, and mail it, the bureaus may still find some reason to disregard the challenge. The entire dispute system is designed to frustrate and discourage the consumer.

Many consumers have the idea that the credit bureaus must complete their investigation within thirty days or be forced to remove all disputed information. They threaten to sue the credit bureaus if they don’t conclude their investigation in time. In practice, such thinking is delusional. Nobody forces the credit bureaus to do anything.
However, if you manage to submit a valid dispute letter, and the credit bureau investigates your dispute, the chances of success are good.

If a credit bureau cannot verify an item before completing its investigation, that item will be removed. Many creditor grantors are simply reluctant to take the time to verify the data. While the credit bureaus are in the business of reporting credit histories, creditor grantors are not. Click Here.