Credit bureaus

Are the accounts in question inaccurate, or not yours? If you have disputed with the Data Furnisher with no results, and disputed with the CRA, and the data furnisher verified it as accurate, then if not satisfied, your next step is to go after the data furnisher for their error and what it is costing you.

 

Data Furnishers is just the generic term for original creditors or collection agencies who have sent information to a credit bureau to put information on your reports.

Have the CRAs sent you the results in writing of your dispute with them? Did it indicate that the creditors had verified the items, and that they were staying on your reports? Have you received any communication in any form from the creditors?

 

You may have to file suit against the DF for posting erroneous negative credit information.

Can you show you are being damaged by this information? Have you been declined for credit, or had your rates on existing accounts raised, with the reason given information on CRs that contain these items?

To get their attention, you might still contact and file a complaint with your state AG, since both the DF and CRAs are ignoring your "not mine" dispute.

 

Can you show the creditors received your disputes? Were they sent CRRR?

If you have to go to the trouble, get all your ducks in a row. You also have no obligation to be quiet about it. Hence complaints to state AG and FTC before you even start.

If they fix it fast, you're still better off than stretching it out and trying to recoup damages, but if you are forced to fight it, you want them appearing to be negligent, willful, incompetent, etc, so you can get paid for your trouble.

You want your documentation in order, so that their lack of documentation undermines their claims of bona fide error and adequate procedures.

 

It sounds like you have your documentation in order.

Add regulatory complaints to the stack, to leave a visible trail in case they settle and want a NDA. Send simultaneous complaints to FTC, your state's AG, their state's AG, and BBB.

If they don't respond, your only remaining option is legal action. Since you have been denied credit, you might talk to several attorneys to see if you can find one who is competent in this area and will take it on contingency. Because of the amounts involved, you might still need to handle it yourself.

 

NDA = non-disclosure agreement, often included as part of settlement agreements.

To achieve a climate of compliance with consumer law, there must be some cost to those companies who thru incompetence or deliberate practice choose to violate them. Otherwise, since only a few consumers file complaints, it will be beneficial to unethical companies to skirt the law, covering up their actions in the few cases where they get caught.

Regulatory agencies often do not intervene in individual cases, but only when a body of complaints justifies their action. By that time substantial damage has already been done to many consumers, and any compensation obtained seldom covers that damage adequately.

The starting point for forcing broad compliance must be public and regulatory visibility of the illegal actions. If initial attempts to resolve a problem in good faith fail, it is likely that that company's policies are resulting in additional non-compliant activity damaging other consumers. Thus all indications of legal non-compliance not resolved on first contact should be reported.

 

Put it in a form to make it easy. It will also organize your files for if you later have to review it with your attorney:

On one page:

Concisely summarize your complaint.

Concisely list in chronological order, indicating dates, the steps you have taken to try to resolve it, referencing what you sent and when, any replies, phone contacts and dates, and the results.

Summarize that you have not been able to get this corrected and the parties that have not been complying with law.

Summarize the list of attached, enclosed documents, in order.

Attach copies of your letters referenced in the above, green card or delivery confirmations, and reply letters, etc.

 

Of course, keep a complete copy of the full set as sent to each party, for your files, and note on it the date sent, attaching the "certified" receipt if appropriate.

Your goal is to drive this to a final conclusion, and to do so you need to overcome the usual excuses of "I didn't even know there was a problem. We don't have any communication from him. Our records show this correctly."

That BS reply will translate as "We don't have adequate procedures to prevent similar problems and comply with law, so we are worth looking into further."

You want your opponent to fold and not even risk court.