If you want to repair your credit, a 609 dispute letter could solve your problems.
This is a letter any consumer may send to the three credit bureaus requesting additional information after finding an inaccuracy on your credit report. It usually includes a request to remove the inaccuracies from the credit report.
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Our take
- A 609 dispute letter is a credit dispute notification that you send to a credit bureau that requires them to provide documentation of items on your credit report
- It usually includes a request to remove the inaccuracies from the credit report
- It is not an official dispute
- It gets its name from section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- There is no need to pay someone to craft the letter. Just use the template we’ve provided
What is a 609 dispute letter?
The 609 dispute letter is simply a credit dispute notification, similar to a debt verification letter with debt collectors, not an official dispute.
It’s named after section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal law that protects consumers from unfair credit and collection practices. It’s not a dispute. Instead, it provides a simple way to request that a credit bureau provide you with documentation confirming the authenticity of the credit bureau’s reporting.
Pro tip: The item may be considered inaccurate if a credit bureau cannot or will not provide the documentation.
What is the 609 credit repair loophole?
Section 609 also grants you the right to request information about the items listed on your credit report(s) as other sections of the FCRA cover disputes. However, many borrowers have discovered a loophole to erroneous information: the credit reporting agencies will automatically remove unverifiable information after receiving the letter.
Send a 609 letter to dispute debts on your credit report
You will compose a 609 dispute letter when you’re trying to confirm that a debt owed is legitimate, which is your right as a consumer under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
The FCRA states that only accurate and timely information can be listed on your credit report. Inaccurate information — or information that cannot be verified — must be removed.
Pro tip: Section 609 grants the right for a consumer to see any negative information that a furnisher (i.e., a lender, creditor, collector, or court) sent to a credit bureau as evidence that the information is accurate. All information must be verifiable, and should a credit bureau be unable to complete validation of the debt, it must be removed from your credit report entirely.
It will help your credit score
Ultimately, a 609 dispute letter may or may not help you repair a credit score falling into the poor or bad category — it will depend on whether or not the item you’re disputing is proven to be accurate.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to write the letter and send it to one or all the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, or Experian. In fact, it may help you feel relieved if you spot a possible mistake.
Success stories
- One user submitted letters to all three major credit bureaus questioning seven negative entries on their credit reports. Five were removed. FICO scores increased between 25 to 35 points depending on the credit bureau.
- Another letter writer started with 17 collections accounts on his credit reports. His credit score increased by 15 points within the first two weeks of sending the letters.
- A third letter writer went from a 610 to a 640 FICO score after one negative entry was removed from his credit report. This was enough of a boost to qualify for mortgage approval.
Remember that it will take at least a couple of weeks for the credit bureaus to receive your letter and take action. Sometimes it can take even longer. You will need to be patient.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” one letter writer said.
How to write a 609 dispute letter
If you have no idea how to write a 609 Dispute Letter, that’s no problem. Writing and sending a Section 609 letter is not difficult.
Even though various services have templates you can buy, there’s no need to pay. Many sample letters are available online for free.
Gather the paperwork
To begin, compile all the documents needed, such as:
- A credit report (Provide the account number you’re inquiring about)
- A copy of your birth certificate
- A copy of your Social Security card
- Your current address and any other addresses where you’ve lived during the past two years
- A government-issued ID: This means a copy of your driver’s license, a state-issued identification card, or a copy of the identification page on your passport
- A tax document with your Social Security number
- A rental agreement or mortgage contract that includes your name and address
- Any utility bills, including your name and address (gas, electric, etc.)
Obtain and review free copies of your credit report
Remember you’re entitled to a free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax — once per year and all are available via annualcreditreport.com. You can also file for these online with each of the three credit bureaus on the credit bureaus’ websites.
After you’ve obtained the reports, review them carefully. Flag any negative or inaccurate info.
Also, be aware that you’re entitled to additional free credit reports if you’ve been denied credit or have been a victim of identity theft.
Compose your letter
The easiest and most inexpensive way to compose a 609 Dispute Letter is to download a template for free. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers various guidelines and a sample letter.
Start the letter by including the dispute information, your legal name, current address, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number, and the date.
609 dispute letter template
You can copy and paste this sample text into your own document and fill in the key details:
Dear [credit reporting agency]:
I am requesting information regarding [item in question] on my credit report. Per my rights under Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, I understand that I am entitled to view the source of this information in the form of the original contract containing my signature.
Per my rights under Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, I am requesting information regarding [the item in question] on my credit report. I understand that I am entitled to view the source of this information, which is the original contract that contains my signature.
This information was brought to my attention via [insert prospective collection agency or account name, list account numbers associated].
Here is my identification information:
Social Security number:
Date of birth:I am attaching additional information to help with your search. This includes: [whatever information may be useful, including copies of your driver’s license, passport, or the bill in question.]
I am also including a copy of my credit report. I have circled and highlighted the account for which I’m requesting verification.
If you’re unable to verify the account in question by providing the original contract, please remove the information in question from my credit report within 30 days.
Thank you for assistance. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Name
Address and contact information
Plenty of other free letter templates help you get started, including one from USlegalforms.com.
Make four copies of the letter and all the identification paperwork you send to each bureau. Keep one copy for yourself.
Where to Mail Your 609 Letter
Send the 609 letters to each credit reporting agency and clarify the account that requires validation.
Experian
- P.O. Box 4500
- Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion Consumer Solutions
- P.O. Box 2000
- Chester, PA 19016-2000
Equifax
- P.O. Box 740256
- Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Pro tip: Take the packages to the post office and send them by certified mail with a return receipt requested. Depending on where you live the cost should be about $7 per package, or around $6 if you opt to get the return receipt via PDF. Don’t skip the return receipt. Even though it costs extra, it will serve as proof that the credit bureaus have received your letter.
What a 609 letter can and cannot do
While it may sound like a miracle, there are some things the letter will – and will not — provide in the process.
When a credit bureau receives your letter, you should get a response that will either be a copy of the contract you signed that supports or validates the furnisher’s claim, or you’ll be notified that it doesn’t have the original contract.
This is where the loophole comes in: if the credit bureau can’t access the contract, the incorrect information may be deleted from your file, requiring no follow-up.
If inaccurate information remains on the credit file, you must formally dispute this with the credit bureau. When you fill out the dispute form, you must state that you or the credit reporting agency could not validate the information, which must be removed from your credit report.
If the credit bureau produces the original contract you signed, the information will stay on your credit report until it has timed out, which is about seven years.
Pro tip: Don’t waste time and money writing by sending a 609 Dispute Letter if you know that the credit report information is accurate or that verifiable debt will be confirmed. You will not be successful and you will have wasted time and money.
The bottom line
In the end, a 609 Dispute Letter might be the simplest way to resolve your credit report issues. Be sure to write a detailed letter explaining the problem, the inaccuracies, the who, what, where, and why after discovering the incorrect/inaccuracies on your credit report.
Mail it to the three bureaus, wait for a response, and hopefully, it will solve your problem.
