Atlanta Experian Credit Report Errors Lawyer
Skilled Experian Credit Report Error Attorneys In Atlanta, Georgia
Experian is one of the three largest consumer reporting agencies. It sells credit reports, employment background reports, tenant screening reports, and other types of consumer reports to third-party companies. These companies use Experian’s reports to decide whether a person qualifies for a loan, credit, insurance, employment, and even housing. If there is an error on your Experian credit report, then you could face serious harm, including loan denials, job loss, housing denials, and worse terms on a loan (interest rate, credit limits, etc.). The Atlanta Experian credit report error lawyers at Weiner & Sand LLC offer consultations to evaluate your Experian credit report, help guide you through Experian credit report disputes, and, when necessary, file a lawsuit against Experian on your behalf.
What Is In An Experian Credit Report?
Typically, your Experian credit report will include the following:
Personal Information: Your Experian credit report will include a variety of personal information about you, including your name, prior names, current and previous addresses, phone numbers, social security number, birth date, and employment history. You should monitor this information for suspicious information that does not belong to you, such as names or addresses you do not recognize. This can be signs of identity theft, fraud, or a mixed file.
Public Records: Experian credit reports may include public record information about you, including bankruptcies, judgments, liens, lawsuits, and foreclosures.
Accounts In Good Standing: Experian credit reports will include your financial accounts that are in good standing, in other words, that are not in default or charged off. With respect to these accounts, a report will report:
- The identity of the creditor
- Account status (open, closed, transferred, etc.)
- The type of account (mortgage, credit card, student loan, etc.)
- Relationship to the account (owner, authorized user, joint owner)
- Payment/balance information
- Payment history
Adverse Accounts / Potentially Negative Items: Your Experian credit report will also include adverse accounts, including accounts that have late payments, have been sent to collections, or have been listed in the bankruptcy.
Inquiries: Every time a third party orders your credit report, Experian will record that transaction as an inquiry. Inquiries come in two varieties. Hard inquiries occur when you apply for credit and authorize a company to check your credit report. Soft inquiries occur when you check your own credit or third-party checks your credit report to send you a promotional offer. It is important that you carefully review the inquiries on your credit report. If you find any inquiries that appear suspicious, then it could be a sign of identity theft.
Errors On Experian Credit Reports
Your credit report should accurately include information about you and your financial history. Unfortunately, credit reports can contain errors. Here are some typical credit report inaccuracies:
- Mixed Files. A mixed file happens when somebody else’s data is included in an individual’s report. Your Experian credit report should only include your information. If you see accounts, employment history, or personal information that does not belong to you, then you may be the victim of a mixed file.
- Identity Theft. When identity thieves use your personal information to apply for credit, housing, or even employment, your credit report will show signs of their criminal activity. You need to monitor your credit report for signs of identity theft, including accounts that do not belong to you, unexpected changes in your credit reports, collection accounts for accounts you never opened, and addresses or phone number you do not recognize.
- Inaccurate Account Information. You should review the accounts on your Experian credit report for any errors. For example, pay attention to the payments history for each account to make sure there are no inaccurately reported late payments. You should also review the status of the account to ensure it is correct (e.g., closed accounts being reported as charged-off).
- Public Record Inaccuracies. Experian may also report public records about you, including prior lawsuits, judgments, evictions, criminal records, and bankruptcies. These public records must belong to you, and accurately reflect what is in the public record.
- Fraudulent Inquiries. The inquiries on your credit report could be a sign of identity theft or fraud. You have the right to dispute any inquiries you do not recognize.
How To Dispute Errors On Your Experian Credit Report
The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute any inaccuracies on your Experian credit report. Follow these steps to dispute an error on your Experian credit report:
Step 1. Choose How To Dispute
Experian allows you to dispute in several different ways, including online, by mail, and by fax. We prefer that consumers dispute with a written letter sent by certified mail. This allows you to retain the proof of your dispute along with proof of mailing.
Experian
Online: https://www.experian.com/disputes/main.html
By Phone: (888) 397-3742
By Mail: Experian, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
Step 2: What To Include In Your Dispute
Your dispute should be concise. You should: (1) identify each item of information that is inaccurate; (2) explain why it is inaccurate; and (3) explain how it should be corrected. You should include any documents that support your dispute, and be sure to reference them in your dispute letter.
If you have questions about how to write a dispute to Experian, the Atlanta Experian credit report error lawyers at Weiner & Sand LLC are happy to assist you through the process. We do not charge for these services.
Here is a sample that you can use for your dispute:
Date
Your Name
Your date of birth
Your address
To: Experian, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
Dear Experian:
I am writing to dispute the following inaccurate information on my Experian credit report:
Dispute 1:
[Identify inaccurate information]
[Explain the reason for the dispute and why it is wrong]
[Explain how it should be fixed]
Dispute 2:
[Repeat]
I have enclosed documents supporting my dispute. [Explain how documents support your dispute].
Step 3: Review the Results
The FCRA requires that Experian send you dispute results within 30 days. The results will have one of three outcomes: (1) Experian deletes or corrects the disputed information; (2) Experian modifies the disputed information; or (3) Experian refuses to correct the error. If the dispute results did not correct inaccurate information, you can add a statement to your Experian credit report explaining the dispute in your credit file.
Step 4: Consult A Lawyer
Unfortunately, sending a dispute may not fix your credit report. If that is the case, it is certainly time to speak with a lawyer. It may be the only means to fix the problem. The Atlanta Experian credit report error lawyers at Weiner & Sand LLC are experienced credit report lawyers, who can help guide you through the dispute process, and help you recover any losses or damages caused by inaccuracies on your credit reports.
What Kinds Of Damages Can You Recover?
Credit report lawsuits are complex. Our credit report lawyers have decades of experience maximizing their clients’ recoveries in FCRA lawsuits. While damages are case-specific, the following are some of the common categories of recoverable damage:
Economic Damages. Economic damages occur when an error on your credit report leads to loan denial, lowered credit limit, raised interest rate, job loss, or any other financial harm. Sometimes an error on your credit report can so badly damage your credit report that you choose not to apply for credit. This can also be a form of economic damage.
Emotional Distress. Credit report errors are not only stressful, but they can cause significant emotional distress. For some people, this translates into feelings of anxiety or anger that may be hard to describe because it’s personal and involves one’s emotions being hurt on behalf of themselves by something someone else did wrong in their life- an oversight when making payments perhaps? Talking about these things might seem challenging at first; however, talking through the experience with our Atlanta Experian Credit Report Error Lawyers will help you get past them so long as we know what causes these types of issues for clients. Some common experiences include:
- Stress as a result of credit denial, loan denial, or job loss
- The aggravation of repeatedly disputing without any correction
- Humiliation
- Anxiety
- Sleeplessness
- Sadness and depression
- Lost appetite
- Headaches
- Loss of interest in hobbies or other activities
- Worry that the credit report will cause future harm
- Worry that the credit report may be responsible for prior loan denials
Lost Time. Credit report errors can be a huge time drain. You can lose many hours of time disputing and trying to correct a credit report error. This is time spent writing letters, waiting on phone calls, meeting with creditors, and worrying about the credit report problem. Lost time is a form of recoverable damage in credit report lawsuits because it is time you could have spent doing things you enjoy. Instead, you spent your time and energy worrying about credit report errors and disputes, which were not your fault.
Statutory Damages. In addition to the damages described above, the FCRA allows consumers to recover statutory damages ranging from $100 to $1,000.
Punitive Damages. Punitive damages are awarded to deter future bad conduct by a defendant. The FCRA allows a plaintiff to recover punitive damages when a defendant’s FCRA violation was willful. Willfulness is a legally complex concept. It includes instances where the defendant intentionally violated the FCRA as well as when it acts in reckless disregard of the law. The size of a punitive damages award is affected by many factors including the harm to consumers by the defendant’s conduct, the defendant’s size and net worth, and the egregiousness of the defendant’s conduct.
How Do I Choose An Attorney For A Credit Report Lawsuit Against Experian?
Choosing the right lawyer for your credit report lawsuit is a difficult decision. Here are some considerations:
Experience. FCRA litigation is a highly specialized area of law, and you should be certain that your lawyer has litigated FCRA cases previously. You will maximize the value in your case with an attorney who knows how to effectively use their resources as Weiner & Sand does; they’ve been lead counsel for over 100 FCRA lawsuits including single-plaintiff suits as well as class actions and arbitrations. Before starting Weiner & Sand, our lead partners were both defense attorneys, where they represented some of the largest consumer reporting agencies in FCRA litigation. We now represent individuals against consumer reporting agencies, and use our prior defense experience to our client’s advantage.
Results. Does the lawyer have a track record of success, including taking cases to trial? We’ve successfully recovered millions in FCRA litigation. This includes confidential settlements and jury trials. Most cases settle – but if a defendant refuses our settlement offer for an amount that fully compensates you then it’s important to retain attorneys who can take a case to trial and get what their client deserves. The Atlanta Experian credit report error lawyers at Weiner & Sand boast significant arbitration experience as well.
Recognized by the community of law. Our attorneys have been named Super Lawyers from 2015 through 2021, a peer-nominated award given to less than 2.5% of lawyers. We have also been retained as amicus counsel on behalf of the National Consumer Law Center and the National Association of Consumer Advocates to advocate for consumers’ rights in FCRA class actions and they have also been recipients of awards for trial excellence, including awards from the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to these honors, our attorneys have been selected as speakers and authors on Fair Credit Reporting Act litigation at numerous national legal conferences including conferences held by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, the Privacy & Technology Law Section of the Georgia Bar, the Georgia Justice Project (multiple presentations), and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Contact us today!