Also, remember to send the mail registered so that you have a receipt of when they actually received the correspondence.
The sample letters for dealing with creditors and collection agencies are right below and have a yellow banner above them to denote their topics.
Sending this letter will help clear up any inaccuracies that you find in your credit report. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<<Credit Report Company Name>>
<<Credit Report Company Address>>
Dear Sir/Ma’am,
This letter serves as a formal request to you to update all inaccurate information on my credit report.
The following items are inaccurate and need to be updated.
[[enter item information here]]
I am asking that you kindly investigate these inaccuracies immediately and correct the reports to show only the accurate information. Since the accuracy of my credit report is vital to my financial well-being, I ask that you take prompt action and do not delay in investigating these inaccuracies.
When you have removed the inaccuracies from my credit file, I request that you please forward me a copy of my updated credit report to the address listed above.
If you should find that these are not inaccurate, I respectfully request that you provide me with a complete description of the process used for verification, as well as the names of the companies and individuals you spoke with. This request is in compliance with the FCRA and should be completed within 15 days of the completion of the investigation.
Sincerely,
_________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
Use this letter when requesting that outdated information be removed from your credit report. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<< Credit Report Company Name>>
<< Credit Report Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern,
I am hereby formally requesting that all outdated information be removed from my credit report immediately.
The following items are outdated and must be removed.
[[enter item information here]]
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, items may only be reported for 7 or 10 years, depending on the item. This information referenced above has expired and must be removed from my credit report immediately.
I am respectfully querying you to remove all outdated information immediately as identified above. When you have removed the outdated information from my credit file, I request that you please forward me a copy of my updated credit report to the address listed above.
If you should find that these are not outdated, I respectfully request that you provide me with a complete description of the process used for determining whether it is outdated. This request is in compliance with the FCRA and should be completed within 15 days of the completion of the investigation.
Sincerely,
__________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
When a credit agency fails to respond to your letter in a timely manner, this letter can be used as a follow up letter. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<< Credit Report Company Name>>
<< Credit Report Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to formally inform you that you have failed to respond within 30 days of my previous letter requesting that you review my information. The letter, dated [[insert date here]] was sent via registered mail and was delivered to you by the Post Office on [[insert date here]]. This is a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
For your benefit, I have included a copy of the previous letter with this one. That letter details the inaccuracies on my credit report concerning the following items:
[[enter items here]]
These items are inaccurate and must be removed from my credit report immediately.
When you have removed the inaccuracies from my credit file, I request that you please forward me a copy of my updated credit report to the address listed above.
Further failure to comply with the FCRA will result in a formal complaint about your company.
Sincerely,
__________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
This letter will help you respond if verification proves that one of your inaccuracies is not inaccurate. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<< Credit Report Company Name>>
<< Credit Report Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you for investigating my previous claim that there were inaccuracies in my credit report. However, since you have found that these are not inaccuracies, I am hereby formally requesting that you provide me with:
- Detailed description of verification method used
- Full name of the person you contacted
- Company name that you contacted
- Company address and phone number
- Date of verification
I believe the information being furnished is inaccurate, incorrect, incomplete, and/or invalid and I am officially requesting that it is corrected immediately. Any non-compliance with this request is a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and will be dealt with as such. I am keeping a thorough record of all communication with you on this matter.
As previously stated, please provide me with the above requested information within a reasonable time frame to the address listed above.
Sincerely,
__________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
Send this letter within the initial 30 days after receiving your first communication from the collection agency. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<<Collection Company Name>>
<<Collection Company Address>>
I am writing to respond to your recent collection letter to dispute the debt you state that I owe. I do not believe that I owe this debt.
Since this is the first time that you have written to me on this matter, I am writing in accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Section 809(b): Validating Debts:
"If the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector."
I am officially requesting the following information
1 – Company name from original creditor
2 – Total debt allegedly owed
3 – Photocopy of contract which I have signed stating that this is a legal debt
4 – Written proof that you are licensed and able to collect debts in this state
I am officially disputing this debt, therefore until validation, all of the information from this debt must be considered inaccurate. You must report that this debt is inaccurate until it is verified. Any reporting of inaccurate information to credit bureaus is a violation of the FDCPA.
Additionally, I have kept written records of all communication and will provide them to the appropriate people should you fail to comply with the FDCPA.
Additionally, if you do not own this debt, you are required to also send an additional copy of this dispute to the original creditor.
Thank you in advance,
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
_____________________________________________________
This letter will help you let the credit card companies know that you no longer wish to be called except at one certain number. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<<Collection Company Name>>
<<Collection Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern:
As you are already aware, I am not able to make payments to this account at this time since I am currently experiencing significant financial trouble. Although I would like to be able to make my payments, I am not able to make any payments at this time and could not support any payment plans.
Until recently, I have been making regular payments to this account and have only recently come upon hard times. I fully intend to resolve my debts when I am able and get back in good standing with your company.
In order to assist me, please provide me with the following information so that I may use it to improve my situation.
- Current amount due
- Current fees, broken down by type and amount
- Any other charges, broken down by type and amount
- Current account status
- Any information provided to credit reports
If you still wish to contact me, please contact me in writing. Any phone calls should be directed to this number only [[enter phone number here]] and calls should be made only between the hours of 8am – 5pm.
Thank you for your help in assisting me with resolving this matter. Additionally, thank you for your patience and understanding as I work through this issue and attempt to make this account current.
Sincerely,
__________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
Send this letter to each company to which you owe debts that you intend to repay. This will allow you to establish a repayment plan that meets your needs. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<<Collection Company Name>>
<<Collection Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern,
I currently owe you an amount of [[enter dollar amount here]] and have recently verified this amount against your records.
I fully intend to pay back the entire amount that I owe you. In order to ensure that you receive all of your money that is owed to you, I have created a repayment plan that I believe will benefit both of us. This plan will enable you to receive all of the money owed on this account, although it will be paid back at a different rate than previously agreed.
To enable this, I have created a budget and allotted 20% of my income to the repayment of my debts to all creditors, including this debt mentioned above. You will receive a portion of this amount every month until the entire debt is paid. This will enable an eventual full repayment, which is better than the other alternatives.
In my efforts to repay my debt and restore my credit score, I am requesting that you alter how you report this account information to each of the three main credit bureaus. I require that you remove all negative comments and information from these credit reports since I am intending to repay the debt in full.
To accept this plan, please concur in writing to the address listed on this letter.
Sincerely,
__________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________
This letter will inform the collection agencies and creditors that you no longer wish to receive any form of communication from them. |
<<Enter Today’s Date>>
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
<<Collection Company Name>>
<<Collection Company Address>>
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter will serve as your legal notice that under federal law provided by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), you are required to cease all communication with me in reference to the account listed here:
[[enter account information]]
Failure to comply with this cease communication notice will result in a formal complaint to the FTC against you and your company. Formal complaints will also be filed with the American Collectors Association as well as the State Attorney General’s office.
Any attempts to contact me will not be honored. I fully understand that the only time you may contact me is when you intend to inform me of any legal action regarding this account.
If this notice results in any adverse information being posted to my credit report, legal action will be taken against you and your company.
Sincerely,
_________________
<<Your First and Last Name>>
<<Your Address>>
SS: << >>
DOB: << >>
_____________________________________________________