Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law

Section 01

You may dispute inaccurate information in your credit report, at no cost

You have a right, under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 and following ("FCRA"), to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your credit file directly with the credit reporting agency, without any charge to you. If you contact a credit reporting agency in writing and it does not have proof that you have seen a copy of your report, it must give you one free copy.

Under FCRA, the credit reporting agency must reinvestigate and modify or remove inaccurate or unverifiable information, usually within 30 days. There is no charge for this reinvestigation.

You may also obtain one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each nationwide credit reporting agency at annualcreditreport.com — the only website authorized by federal law to provide this.

Section 02

Your rights if you hire a credit repair organization

If you choose to use a credit repair organization instead of handling disputes yourself, the federal Credit Repair Organizations Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1679 and following ("CROA"), gives you these specific rights. This is the required statutory statement.

The paragraphs above are the required statutory language of 15 U.S.C. § 1679c, reproduced here in full and provided to every client as a separate written document before any contract is signed.

Section 03

No advance fee, ever

CROA makes it unlawful for a credit repair organization to charge or receive any money or other valuable consideration for the performance of a service before that service is fully performed. This is the single most commonly violated rule in this industry, and it is the one you should check first with any company you consider.

• How we apply this. We charge $99/month for an individual plan ($159 for a couple's plan), and every billed month corresponds to a round of dispute correspondence we prepare and send on your behalf that same month. We do not charge at signup, for your report review, or for your written Blueprint, and we don't charge for a month with no round sent.
• A red flag with any company. If a credit repair organization asks for payment, a deposit, or a card charge before it has done any work, that is very likely a violation of this section — regardless of what the charge is called.

Section 04

What any contract with a credit repair organization must contain

CROA requires that any contract for credit repair services be in writing and include, at minimum, the following. If a company won't put these in writing, don't sign.

• The terms and conditions of payment, including the total amount of all payments.
• A full and detailed description of the services to be performed, including any guarantee and an estimate of the time necessary to perform them.
• The organization's name and business address.
• A conspicuous statement, in bold type, of your three-day right to cancel, together with two copies of a completed notice of cancellation.

Every one of these appears in our Terms and Conditions and in the client agreement you're given before you sign anything.

Section 05

Practices no credit repair organization may lawfully use

CROA specifically prohibits a credit repair organization, in exchange for compensation, from:

• Making any untrue or misleading statement to alter a consumer's identification to prevent accurate credit history from being reported.
• Advising a consumer to make any statement that is untrue or misleading to a credit reporting agency or a creditor, with respect to a consumer's creditworthiness.
• Making, or advising a consumer to make, any statement the intent of which is to obtain an EIN or any number other than a Social Security number for use in place of a Social Security number.
• Charging or receiving money for services before those services are fully performed.
• Making any statement that could constitute mail or wire fraud, in the course of selling or advertising credit repair services.

Section 06

If a company violates these rights

CROA allows you to bring a private lawsuit against a credit repair organization that violates it, including as a class action, and to recover actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages where appropriate, and attorney's fees. Any waiver of these rights that a company asks you to sign is void and cannot be enforced against you.

Section 07

State law — additional protections, and where we can't operate

Many states regulate credit services organizations separately from and in addition to federal law, often under a name such as "credit services organization act" or "credit services businesses act." Where a state gives you a longer cancellation period, a bond requirement, a registration requirement, or any other protection greater than CROA provides, that state law applies and nothing in our terms limits it.

We are a bonded credit services organization operating under Texas law: surety bond #445054M, $10,000, issued by Westfield Insurance Company, on file with the Texas Secretary of State.

Section 08

How to dispute an item yourself, step by step

You are never required to hire us or anyone else. Here is exactly what we would do on your behalf, so you can do it yourself for free if you'd rather.

1. Get your reports. Pull all three from annualcreditreport.com and read them line by line.
2. Identify what's wrong. Look for accounts you don't recognize, wrong balances or dates, duplicate collections, or anything you can't verify as accurate.
3. Write to the bureau in writing. State clearly what's inaccurate and why, and include copies (not originals) of any supporting documents.
4. Send it so you can prove it arrived. Certified mail with return receipt, or the bureau's own online dispute portal with a saved confirmation.
5. Wait for the response. The bureau generally has 30 days to investigate and respond in writing.
6. Escalate if needed. If an item is verified but you still believe it's wrong, you can request the method of verification, or dispute directly with the furnisher (the bank or collector reporting it) as well as the bureau.

People hire us when they want someone who reads these files every day to do this for them, tell them plainly which items are worth pursuing, and handle the back-and-forth. That's a convenience, not a right you're missing without us.