The public information (public records) section is the part of your credit report you want untarnished. Any information that shows up as a public record reflects poorly on your ability to handle personal finances. Public information is supplied not by a creditor but by a court of law and is specific to bankruptcies, tax liens and judgments. Credit repair clinics can't remove public information from your credit report, and neither can you, if the records are accurate and timely. The only time you can remove public information from your credit report is when the records are still reflected in your credit history after the date on which they should have expired.
Step 1
Obtain copies of your credit reports from the three consumer reporting agencies (see "Tips") if you have filed for bankruptcy, a taxing authority (such as the Internal Revenue Service) has filed a lien against you or a creditor has obtained a judgment against you in court. These will show up in the public records section of the reports for a certain amount of time. Bankruptcies remain on record for 10 years, and judgments for seven years (after the filing date). Liens remain on your record for seven years after you pay the taxes, while unpaid liens can remain on file indefinitely.
Step 2
Determine if the public records on your credit reports are out of date. This may require you to gather your legal documentation or, if you cannot locate it, get a copy from the court. For example, if you have a judgment on your credit report, it should have expired seven years after the suit was initially filed. If any of the public information on your credit reports is out of date, proceed to Step 3.
Step 3
Submit a written dispute with the consumer reporting agency in question (Experian, Equifax or TransUnion). For a sample dispute letter, see "Resources." Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, these agencies are required by law to remove outdated information from your report, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Along with your letter, send a copy of your credit report with the outdated record highlighted or circled, as well copies of supporting legal documentation---never send originals. Send your correspondence by certified mail, return receipt requested to make sure it is received.
Step 4
Give the consumer reporting agency around 30 days to investigate your dispute. The agency must contact the court in question to verify that the record submitted is indeed outdated. After the agency receives a response, it will contact you in writing and let you know if the record was removed. If there are changes made to your credit report, you'll receive a copy of the revised report.
Tips and Warnings
- Federal law permits you to receive a free copy of your credit reports once a year. The government-authorized website approved to distribute free credit reports is annualcreditreport.com. Other "free" credit report sites are copy-cat sites created to get you to pay for credit monitoring services. How does a consumer reporting agency like Experian get your public information? It buys it from a public record vendor, which collects relevant public data. PACER is a paid service that reports bankruptcies to consumer reporting agencies within mere days after the date of filing.
- Stay away from credit repair clinics unless you want to pay someone to do what you can do yourself for free. These "letter writing" services are considered unethical---and sometimes illegal, warns Credit.com. Read more about what credit repair really does in "Resources."
Things You'll Need
- Copies of your credit reports
- Copies of supporting legal documentation
Member Comments