Credit Reports, Disputing An Inaccurate Report

The SEC sometimes receives complaints from persons who want help in removing what they believe to be inaccurate information on their credit reports. However, the SEC regulates the federal securities laws and not the credit laws. The Federal Trade Commission is the federal agency that administers and enforces credit laws.

Under the credit laws, both the company that provides information about your credit (such as a bank or credit card company) and the consumer-reporting agency (also known as a "credit bureau") that receives the information and sells credit reports must investigate your credit dispute. You can call the three credit bureaus that sell most credit reports to obtain a copy of your report or to file a dispute:

Experian (formerly TRW)	Equifax	Trans Union
P.O. Box 2104 Allen, TX 75013 (888) 397-3742	P.O. Box 105873 Atlanta, GA 30348 (800) 685-1111	P.O. Box 390 Springfield, PA 19064 (800) 916-8800

For information about your rights under the credit laws and the steps you can take to dispute an inaccurate or incomplete credit report, please visit the FTC's website on credit. At its site, you can find publications for consumers. To report a credit scam, you should contact your local consumer affairs office or your state attorney general.