Credit Repair: Make a Plan, Improve Your Credit, Avoid Scams

By Amy Loftsgordon and Cara O'Neill

Bad credit can get better

A bad credit report can prevent you from getting a mortgage, car loan, credit card, apartment, or even a job. The sensible strategies in Credit Repair help you take control of your finances, clean up your credit report and rebuild your credit. Learn how to:

• prioritize debts and create a budget
• reduce debts and cut expenses
• negotiate with creditors
• correct credit report errors and remove old information
• add positive information to your credit report
• adopt strategies to rebuild your credit, and
• avoid identity theft and credit repair scams.

Updates to the 15th edition of Credit Repair include new credit reporting standards for medical debts and revised rules about what debt collectors must include in collection notices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NOLO
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781413330007

Amy Loftsgordon

Amy Loftsgordon is a legal editor and writer at Nolo, focusing on foreclosure, debt management, and personal finance. She edits several Nolo books and is also the coauthor of The Foreclosure Survival Guide and Solve Your Money Troubles. Before joining Nolo, Amy worked in the areas of foreclosure and debt collections for over 15 years. Her broad experience includes helping people fight collection actions and enforcing debtors’ rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and other laws. As part of a national settlement involving the mortgage industry, she has also reviewed servicer records to uncover extensive credit reporting errors. Amy received a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado.

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15th Edition

Credit Repair

Attorneys Amy Loftsgordon

& Cara O’Neill

Logo: Nolo

FIFTEENTH EDITION

OCTOBER 2022

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CARA O’NEILL

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Names: Loftsgordon, Amy, author. | O’Neill, Cara (Lawyer), author.

Title: Credit repair / attorneys Amy Loftsgordon & Cara O’Neill.

Description: 15th edition. | [El Segundo]: Nolo, 2022. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022019337 | ISBN 9781413329995 (paperback) | ISBN 9781413330007 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Consumer credit--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Finance, Personal--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Consumer credit--Law and legislation--United States.

Classification: LCC HG3756.U54 L46 2022 | DDC 332.7/43--dc23/eng/20220511

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About the Authors

Amy Loftsgordon is a legal editor and writer at Nolo, focusing on foreclosure, debt management, and personal finance. She edits several Nolo books and is the coauthor of The Foreclosure Survival Guide and Solve Your Money Troubles. Before joining Nolo, Amy worked in foreclosure and debt collections for over 15 years. She has drafted foreclosure-related training programs and loan servicing compliance procedures and written training manuals for collection operations. Amy was also instrumental in preparing expert reports used in lawsuits against banks and servicers accused of mishandling collection, preforeclosure, loss mitigation, foreclosure, and REO processes. Amy received a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado.

Cara O’Neill is the bankruptcy and small claims legal editor at Nolo. She authors and coauthors several Nolo book titles, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims in California, and Solve Your Money Troubles. Before joining Nolo, Cara practiced for over 20 years in criminal and civil litigation and bankruptcy. She also served as an Administrative Law Judge, taught undergraduate and graduate law courses, and worked as house counsel for a large insurance company. In 1994, she earned her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and graduated Order of the Barristers—an honor society recognizing excellence in courtroom advocacy.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the previous coauthors of Credit Repair, John Lamb and Margaret Reiter, for whipping this book into excellent shape and adding valuable insights based on their many years of consumer and debt experience.

—The Nolo Editorial Staff

Table of Contents

Your Credit Repair Companion

1The Elements of Repairing Credit

2Credit Reports and Credit Scores: The Nuts and Bolts

How Creditors Evaluate Your Creditworthiness

Credit Reports and Credit Scores: What Are the Differences?

Your Credit Reports

Getting Your Credit Reports

What Is in a Credit Report?

Investigative Reports

Who Can Look at Your Credit Report

Your Credit Score: What It Is and Why It Matters

How Credit Scores Are Calculated

What Credit Score Do You Need to Get Credit?

Getting Your Credit Score

3The First Step to a Better Credit Score—Cleaning Up Your Credit Report

Common Errors in Credit Reports

Your Right to an Accurate Credit Report

Review Your Report for Errors and Incomplete or Prohibited Information

Dispute Incomplete and Inaccurate Information

Add an Explanatory Statement to Your Credit File

Add Positive Information to Your Credit Report

Check Your Credit Reports Often

Avoid Credit Repair Clinics

4

Assess Your Financial Situation

How to Assess Your Financial Situation

Determining Your Credit Repair Options Based on Your Financial Situation

5Reducing Current Expenses and Debts

Cutting Expenses

Reducing Current Debt Obligations

Reducing Mortgage Debt

Filing for Bankruptcy

6Finding Money to Pay Your Debts

Ways to Raise Money

Options to Avoid

7Negotiating With Creditors and Debt Collectors

Prepare a Plan

Negotiating With Creditors and Debt Collectors

Dealing With Debt Collectors

Tax Consequences of Forgiven Loans

8Getting Help Negotiating and Managing Debts

Avoid Most Debt Relief Services

How Does a Debt Management Plan Work?

Debt Management Plans vs. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Choosing a Good Credit Counseling Organization

After You’ve Chosen an Agency, Monitor Your Plan

9Building Positive Credit History

First Steps to Rebuilding Credit

Ways to Improve Your Credit History Without Getting New Credit

Next Step to Rebuilding Credit—Getting New Credit

Putting It All Together: Preventing Future Financial Problems

Be on Guard for Credit Discrimination

10

Choosing and Using Credit Cards

Choosing Credit Cards

Using Credit Cards: How to Protect Yourself

11Avoiding and Dealing With Identity Theft

The Crime of Identity Theft: The Scope of the Problem

What’s in a Stolen Name?

How Can an Identity Be Stolen?

How to Protect Yourself

Protecting Your Social Security Number

If Your Identity Is Stolen

Identity Theft Protection Products and Insurance

Appendixes

AResources

Debtors Anonymous

Nolo Publications

Other Publications

Online Resources

Where to Complain: Federal Agencies

State Consumer Protection Agencies

BAdditional State Protections Concerning Credit Repair Clinics

CHow to Use the Downloadable Forms on Nolo.com

Editing RTFs

Downloadable Forms Available on the Nolo Website

Index

Your Credit Repair Companion

During an unexpected financial crisis, it’s easy to fall into debt, and it can be hard to pay that money back—especially when the crisis strikes on a worldwide scale. If you’re one of the millions recovering financially after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a divorce, an illness, or a job loss, you’re not alone. Many people managing credit are coping with the consequences of missing payments, defaulting on loans, and recovering after repossessions—even foreclosures and bankruptcy are on the rise.

Once these problems find a way into your credit report—which will happen—you can expect trouble:

getting a loan or new credit card

opening a checking account

renting a home, or

receiving a job offer.

But the consequences don’t stop there. If you have credit cards or other lines of credit and your credit goes downhill, expect increased interest rates, decreased credit limits, and possibly even a cancellation of your credit privileges. Getting new credit won’t be a picnic, either, because you’ll likely pay more interest and fees than people with good credit. Bad credit can even increase how much you pay for car insurance.

A credit hit can also lead to a repetitive cycle that prevents you from doing the things that would help you get back on your feet financially. But it’s a cycle you can break.

Whether you’ve fallen behind on your bills, been sued, faced repossession or foreclosure, or even declared bankruptcy, this book will help you take practical steps to repair your credit. You’ll learn how to make a budget, negotiate with creditors, clean up your credit report, build good credit, and maintain it in the future.

As you read through this book, remember these things:

You’re not alone. Millions of honest, hardworking people like yourself have trouble paying their bills because of rising inflation, falling disposable incomes, and dwindling savings accounts.

You have legal rights. Debtors who stand up for themselves are more likely to get additional time to pay, have late fees dropped, settle debts for less than they owe, and get negative marks removed from credit reports.

You can do it yourself. You won’t need a lawyer, although you might want to consult with one in limited situations—we’ll tell you when it might be a good idea—and paying for costly credit repair services is unnecessary. (Chapter 3 explains why you should avoid using credit repair clinics.)

You can benefit from COVID-specific information. People affected by COVID-19 receive special credit protections, such as free credit reports and relaxed reporting guidelines. Check for new developments at www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/covid-19.

Nobody’s credit is beyond repair. Many creditors will work with people with less than stellar credit when they’ve turned their financial situations around. As long as your financial troubles are behind you, you’ll probably qualify for limited types of credit relatively quickly and be eligible for a major credit card or loan within one to two years.

Overall, through effort and consistency, you can repair your credit and pave the way for a better financial future. You can count on the in-depth information and easy-to-use forms provided on this book’s companion page to help.

Get Legal Updates and More at Nolo.com

This book’s online companion page contains important updates to the law, links to online articles on debt, credit, bankruptcy, and foreclosure, and downloadable forms. To learn how to access the companion page, see Appendix C.

CHAPTER

1

The Elements of Repairing Credit

Credit repair is not a quick fix. Some steps will require hard work, and you might have to wait until your finances are under control before diving in, but others are reasonably simple. In both cases, this book provides the support you’ll need throughout your credit repair journey. We walk you through your options, warn you about pitfalls that could worsen your situation, and give you sample letters and forms you can refer to when you need to contact creditors, debt collectors, credit reporting agencies, and others. Here’s what you can expect.

First steps: Learning about your credit report and assessing your financial situation (Chapters 2, 3, and 4). You’ll want a clear picture of your current financial situation and credit history before beginning. You’ll start by learning about credit reports and the factors involved in credit scoring. Chapter 2 covers how to get and review credit reports. Chapter 3 addresses fixing errors and explains how adding positive information increases reporting accuracy.

You’ll also learn why it’s essential to analyze your finances and create a budget. Once complete, you’ll be ready to determine whether it’s time to implement credit repair strategies.

Next steps: Getting your income, debts, and expenses into balance (Chapters 5 and 6). The most direct way to improve your credit is simple: Pay your bills on time. But it’s also one of the hardest things to do after experiencing financial problems. These chapters cover why you’ll likely need to lower your debts and increase your income before saving money. We also explain how foreclosure and bankruptcy could impact your credit history while steering you away from scammers ready to take your money and derail your credit repair efforts.

Paying and negotiating debts (Chapters 7 and 8). Negotiating with creditors can help you settle debts for less, get better payment terms, and delete negative credit entries. In Chapter 7, you’ll learn about negotiation goals and techniques. Chapter 8 explains how to find legitimate credit counseling and debt relief services and avoid the rest.

Stepping toward the future: Rebuilding and protecting your credit profile (Chapters 9, 10, and 11). Chapter 9 recommends ways to improve your credit profile without getting additional credit. And, when you’re ready to use credit again, Chapter 10 provides information on choosing and safely using credit and debit cards. Finally, Chapter 11 covers identity theft and keeping credit secure so you can enjoy the benefits of your hard work.

CHAPTER

2

Credit Reports and Credit Scores: The Nuts and Bolts

How Creditors Evaluate Your Creditworthiness

Credit Reports and Credit Scores: What Are the Differences?

Your Credit Reports

Getting Your Credit Reports

Getting Your Free Credit Report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion

Getting a Free Credit Report from a Specialty Consumer Reporting Agency

Getting Additional Free Credit Reports

Paying for Additional Credit Reports

What Is in a Credit Report?

Personal Information

Accounts Reported Monthly

Accounts Reported When in Default

Public Records

Inquiries

Investigative Reports

Who Can Look at Your Credit Report

Your Credit Score: What It Is and Why It Matters

What Is a Credit Score?

Who Uses Credit Scores?

How Credit Scores Are Calculated

FICO Scores

VantageScore

Other Scores

What Credit Score Do You Need to Get Credit?

Fannie Mae

The Federal Housing Administration

Experian Automotive

Getting Your Credit Score

When You Can Get Your Credit Score for Free

Should You Pay to Get Your Credit Score?

Getting a Free Estimate of Your FICO Credit Score

People sometimes assume their credit is much worse or better than it really is. Others believe they can improve their credit scores while ignoring their credit reports. The truth is that your credit repair attempts will be more successful if you understand how credit reports and scores interrelate.

How Creditors Evaluate Your Creditworthiness

A potential creditor won’t loan you money unless it’s reasonably likely you’ll repay the debt. So when you apply for a credit card, a loan, or an installment sale contract, the lender will evaluate your creditworthiness before deciding whether to offer you credit at a particular interest rate. A current creditor will also routinely check for adverse changes to your financial situation and reduce your credit limit or raise your interest rate when your payment risk increases.

Most of the information creditors use to evaluate your creditworthiness comes from credit reports and scores, but not everything. Below are factors many creditors consider.

How much debt you can handle. Creditors look at job length, income level, the likelihood your income will increase, whether you’re in a stable industry, and sometimes whether you’re professional. It’s also common for mortgage lenders to check your debt ratio by comparing the amount you want to borrow to your total debt obligation. You’ll likely provide most of the information evaluated in your credit application (although sometimes, employment information appears in credit reports), so present yourself in the best possible light. But don’t lie—providing inaccurate information to obtain credit is considered fraud.

Your existing credit and credit limits. Expect to be denied additional credit if you have a lot of open credit lines with credit cards, bank loans, and mortgages. Lenders will also review each account’s age and payment history and check credit limits to see if you’re maxed out.

Your assets. Creditors like to see that you have assets they can take if you don’t pay your debt. Owning a home or liquid assets like mutual funds might offer considerable comfort to a creditor reviewing an application, especially if your credit report has late payments or other negative notations. Your credit report won’t state what you own directly, but the amount owed on a mortgage or car loan will give the creditor a clue.

Your financial stability. Creditors assess financial character through objective stability factors. A creditor will consider how long you’ve lived at your current residence or held your current job, whether you rent or own your home (you’re more likely to stay put if you own), and whether you have checking and savings accounts.

Credit Reports and Credit Scores: What Are the Differences?

A credit score is a number found on a credit report that’s generated after evaluating your credit history. The number quickly tells someone a lot about how you handle credit.

Creditors use credit scores to decide whether you’ll repay an account or a loan. Credit scores save money by providing a shortcut. The creditor doesn’t need to evaluate each applicant’s credit history individually. If your score is high, you’re likely to be offered credit at good rates. A creditor might reject you if your score is below the creditor’s threshold for routine approval or charge you higher rates or fees.

More than one type of credit score exists. Some companies use specialized formulas and evaluation models when determining credit scores, and others offer different scores for different uses. Regardless of the type used, all credit scores can change and get better or worse with time.

But knowing what is in your credit reports is even more important than knowing the score itself. Why? Because the contents of your credit reports determine your credit scores, if you want better credit scores, you must deal with what is in your credit reports.

Your Credit Reports

Your credit reports come from credit reporting agencies. Reports can include information about a consumer’s creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and other financial information. The creditor decides whether to use a particular agency’s report, score, or some other combination when determining creditworthiness.

Credit reporting agencies are generally for-profit companies that gather and sell information about a person’s credit history. Creditors provide most of the information they collect about you using a standard electronic reporting system. You might hear it referred to as Metro 2. It has several fields (boxes or blank spaces) in which a creditor can insert pertinent information.

Credit reporting agencies often sell the compiled credit information to banks, mortgage lenders, credit unions, credit card companies, department stores, car dealers, debt collectors, insurance companies, landlords, and employers. Many use credit information to supplement credit, insurance, housing, and employment applications.

Credit reporting agencies might also provide identifying information and credit reports to government agencies to use when extending credit, reviewing the status of an account, attempting to collect a debt, granting a license or another benefit, or investigating international terrorism.

The three nationwide credit reporting agencies are:

Equifax

Experian, and

TransUnion.

Smaller regional credit reporting agencies usually get their information from the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. National specialty reporting agencies gather and report particular information types, such as rental history.

Terminology: Credit Bureau, Credit Reporting Agency, or Consumer Reporting Agency?

You might hear about credit reporting agencies, credit bureaus, or consumer reporting agencies. Those are three names for the same thing. Sometimes you will hear about credit reports or consumer reports, again, the same thing. Consumer reports and consumer reporting agencies are the terms used in the federal law that protects consumers in connection with their credit reports, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et.seq.) But most people refer to them as credit reports and credit reporting agencies.

Getting Your Credit Reports

Even if your credit is strong, consider getting and reviewing your reports once every year. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), credit reporting agencies that collect public record information and consumer credit account information must give you a free copy of your credit report every 12 months if you ask for it. Specialty credit reporting agencies (explained below) must also provide a free report every 12 months if asked. Other ways to get free credit reports exist, or you can buy one.

Where Do You Find Your Credit Report Rights?

Most protections for your credit reports and scores come from federal law, including the 1970 Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et.seq.), regulations, including Regulation V, Fair Credit Reporting, and enforcement actions by federal and state agencies. The FCRA establishes what is in your credit reports and your rights to correct errors.

The 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) lets you get free credit reports each year. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act requires creditors, in many cases, to give you the actual credit scores used when denying credit or offering credit with unfavorable terms.

Getting Your Free Credit Report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion

Here’s how to contact the Annual Credit Report Service to get free reports from the three nationwide credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion:

online at www.annualcreditreport.com

by phone at 877-322-8228, or

by mail at Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 (download the form at www.annualcreditreport.com/gettingReports.action).

Get Free Weekly Credit Reports During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are helping consumers manage their credit during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering more reports than required by law. You can learn more about the free weekly reports at www.annualcreditreport.com.

When requesting a report online, expect to enter your state, full name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, and previous addresses if you’ve been at your current address less than two years.

The Annual Credit Report Service will ask which of the three nationwide credit agency reports you’d like to receive and transfer you to that company’s website to answer security questions such as How much is your mortgage payment?

Although you’re entitled to all three, it’s often best to start with just one. You can monitor changes at no additional cost by requesting reports from the remaining two agencies at four-month intervals.

Also, try not to get sidetracked by advertisements for additional services, such as credit monitoring or paying for a credit score. Just get your free annual credit report. If you prefer, you can call or write to request a copy of your credit report. (See above for contact information.)

TIP

Review your report as you read this book. You might want to get one of your credit reports now and refer to it as you read through this chapter. You can keep track of anything you’d like to remember by notating it directly on the report.

CAUTION

Beware of imposter websites. Be sure to use the exact URL to reach the Annual Credit Report Service (www.annualcreditreport.com). Some businesses use similar names and URLs to get you to pay for a credit report or other services. If a website claims to provide free credit reports, beware. The free report often comes with strings attached, such as a service you must pay for when the introductory period ends. Don’t respond to an email or click on a pop-up ad claiming to offer free credit reports. The official Annual Credit Report Service website won’t require you to respond to an email solicitation before giving you your free report, use pop-up ads, or call you for personal information. Although the law requires advertisers to clearly disclose that they aren’t offering the free annual credit report you’re looking for, not all comply, so be on guard.

SKIP AHEAD

If you’re ready to review the information in your credit report, get a credit report from one of the three national credit reporting agencies, and skip to What Is in a Credit Report? If you’re not ready to get a copy of your report but want to see what will be included, you’ll find an example of a credit report at www.experian.com/assets/consumer-products/credit-educator/experian-sample-report.pdf.

Equifax Data Breach Settlement

In September 2017, hackers breached the Equifax computer network, exposing the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers of approximately 147 million people. After numerous lawsuits and governmental investigations, Equifax agreed to settle for up to $700 million, with much of the money—around $500 million—going to provide victims with the following benefits:

free credit monitoring services or a small cash payout

compensation for time spent dealing with identity theft issues, and

identity restoration services.

The initial claim deadline was January 22, 2020. You can still file a claim, however, if you incurred expenses between January 23, 2020, and January 22, 2024 (the extended claims period) due to:

suffering losses from unauthorized charges to your accounts

paying accountants, lawyers, or other professionals to help recover from identity theft, or

incurring other related expenses, like notary fees, postage or document shipping fees, mileage, and phone charges.

Compensation is limited to $25 per hour for up to 20 hours, depending on available funding. Also, you can get six free credit reports per year (through 2026) from Equifax.

If you filed a claim for free credit monitoring, you should have received an email or a mailed letter by February 25, 2022, with an activation code and instructions on claiming the benefit.

Some benefit requests are still under review, such as reimbursement for time spent addressing breach-related issues and compensation for out-of-pocket losses. Go to the Equifax Data Breach Settlement website for updates (www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com). You can check your status using your claim number at https://secure.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/en/checkstatus.

Getting a Free Credit Report from a Specialty Consumer Reporting Agency

Besides the three nationwide credit reporting agencies, nationwide specialty credit reporting agencies keep records on particular transactions like tenant histories, insurance claims, medical records or payments, employment histories, and check writing. In addition to free yearly credit reports from the regular nationwide credit reporting agencies, you can also get a free yearly credit report from each nationwide specialty credit reporting agency.

You’ll contact each agency individually and might need to call multiple phone numbers if you need different reports from the same agency. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to know which reporting agency your landlord, employer, or insurance company uses. You’ll find the contact information for some commonly used nationwide specialty credit reporting agencies below.

LexisNexis Personal Reports. LexisNexis compiles various reports on insurance claims, among other things, and provides the data to businesses or the government for insurance underwriting, credit transactions, and more. To learn the information the agency could provide about you in a Consumer Disclosure Report, go to https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com.

Experian RentBureau. RentBureau is a specialty credit reporting agency owned by Experian that allows participating property owners and managers to provide positive and negative rent payment information directly to the agency. In the past, RentBureau concentrated on the multifamily rental industry, which meant that tenants who rented from smaller-volume landlords or property management companies weren’t always included in the reports. Now, however, the service offers property managers, individual landlords, and independent rental owners with 500 or fewer units, the ability to report rental payments by signing up (along with their tenants) for a rent payment service. To request a copy of your rental history report, download a form at www.experian.com/rentbureau/rental-payment.html or call 877-704-4519.

Medical Information Bureau. For a private health insurance medical history report, go to www.mib.com or call 866-692-6901.

ISO. For an insurance claims report, go to https://fcra.verisk.com/# or call 800-627-3487.

Telecheck. For a check writing report, go to www.firstdata.com/telecheck or call 800-366-2425.

ChexSystems. For a check writing report, go to www.chexsystems.com or call 800-428-9623.

Certegy. For a check writing report, go to www.askcertegy.com or call 800-237-3826.

Also, you can find a list of most credit reporting agencies (medical, employment, tenant, insurance) on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website at www.consumerfinance.gov. Search for list of consumer reporting companies and follow the link. The list indicates which companies provide free reports.

Get More Free Credit Reports from Equifax.

A data breach at Equifax in 2017 compromised the personal information of at least 147 million consumers. As part of a court settlement, Equifax agreed to provide consumers with six yearly credit reports free for seven years, starting in 2020. These reports are in addition to the free reports you can request from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Getting Additional Free Credit Reports

In addition to your free annual reports, you are entitled to another free credit report if any one of the following is true:

You were denied credit, insurance, employment, or a government benefit or a license.

An unfavorable action was taken related to your employment, insurance coverage, a government benefit, or a license.

You were granted credit, but you received far less than requested or on different terms.

Your credit account was terminated.

A creditor made unfavorable changes to your account but not to other similarly situated accounts.

A creditor or another user took action or made a determination adverse to your interests in response to your request.

You’re also entitled to the name and address of the credit reporting agency that provided the information leading to the denial of credit or another adverse action. If you want a copy of the report, you must request it from the credit reporting agency within 60 days from the denial of credit or adverse action. (You can use Form F-1 Request Credit Report to get your report.)

If a creditor takes any of these unfavorable actions without giving you notice of your right to a free credit report or telling you the name of the credit reporting agency that supplied the report, you have a remedy. You can use Form