Problems with credit bureaus

Nickote316 · #1 05-10-2011, 04:26 PM

Anyone ever have problems with credit bureaus?

I went to apply for a loan but got denied because there was a collection on my credit report.

The collection looks like its for my brother and other than that it has nothing to do with me. I phoned up equifax to solve the problem, but they have the wrong D.O.B and address on my credit file. There is nothing I can do until I have it changed. They won't even tell me what birthday they have my name under.

Anyone have any advice on how to solve this problem? Or similar expirences? Equifax wants me to send in my info via fax; but when I try to get more information on what to fax I get told different answers from their agents.

mooseknuckle · #2 05-10-2011, 04:33 PM

Prepare for war!!! I don't envy you.

dale7637 · #3 05-10-2011, 04:38 PM

I would think that this might be a bit of a rodeo for you.
In terms of the collection for your brother...is there any chance you co-signed something with him that would cause your name to be involved in it??

1shotwade · #4 05-10-2011, 04:40 PM

I had kinda the same problem! A guy with my same name had over 40 grand in unpaid student loans,ended up costing me about 5 grand in legal fees! Talk to your bank and get acomplete readout of your credit history most banks will look at it and can see the mistake! Good luck!!!

Nickote316 · #5 05-10-2011, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dale7637

I would think that this might be a bit of a rodeo for you.
In terms of the collection for your brother...is there any chance you co-signed something with him that would cause your name to be involved in it??

No its from the school we went to. Its from 2009 when he graduated and I graduated from there in 2007. My guess is the school effed up somewhere.

CaberTosser · #6 05-10-2011, 05:00 PM

Ken may have some advice for you in this regard, he's got a collections agency. As for any errors the Credit Bureau has about you; be it Equifax or Transunion or whoever; I'd lawyer up the instant they cost me a penny or inconvenienced me through their incompetence. They are in business to make a profit pimping out your records to financial institutions, so they damn well better well be accurate.

Emo · #7 05-10-2011, 05:23 PM

There should be some forms online on the equifax website... They would most likely just need proof of your actual SIN and a drivers license or birth certificate.

If the school made an error try contacting them and see if they can remove or switch the collection to the correct brother.

Equifax is based on information that is supplied to them, everytime you apply for a loan and the lender completes a loan application your work history, address etc... is all updated. One error or a lender who enters "unemployed" and that is what equifax receives.

I believe that you can request one free credit bureau per year but it has to be via writing.

donabb · #8 05-10-2011, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Ken may have some advice for you in this regard, he's got a collections agency. As for any errors the Credit Bureau has about you; be it Equifax or Transunion or whoever; I'd lawyer up the instant they cost me a penny or inconvenienced me through their incompetence. They are in business to make a profit pimping out your records to financial institutions, so they damn well better well be accurate.

X2 A letter sent to them from a lawyers office will get there attention

Grizzled · #9 05-10-2011, 07:36 PM

you can get a copy of your credit bureau report...find out who the collection is with and contact them as they can have it removed if it is an error. It's not that big of a deal.

slough shark · #10 05-11-2011, 12:31 AM

If you get a letter from the company that has this "collection" on "you" although it is actually your brother that states that they have no interest in this with you and this was an error on their part and provide that letter to the bank that will take care of your loan application as long as everything else is in line your application would likely be fine. Once you get that taken care of ensure that the company that has the collection out there gets your credit bureau cleaned up so you have no further issues down the road.

mtylerb · #11 05-11-2011, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickote316

Anyone ever have problems with credit bureaus?

I went to apply for a loan but got denied because there was a collection on my credit report.

The collection looks like its for my brother and other than that it has nothing to do with me. I phoned up equifax to solve the problem, but they have the wrong D.O.B and address on my credit file. There is nothing I can do until I have it changed. They won't even tell me what birthday they have my name under.

Anyone have any advice on how to solve this problem? Or similar expirences? Equifax wants me to send in my info via fax; but when I try to get more information on what to fax I get told different answers from their agents.

You'll need photocopies of your Driver's License (front & back), SIN and Birth Certificate. That should be enough to prove your identity. Mail those in to Equifax with a signed statement declaring what is wrong with your credit file and request that they fix it. Usually takes about 3-4 weeks to get it back, but they'll send you an updated copy of your credit report (minus the beacon score) for no charge.

I had two separate credit records, when I was younger, because I go by my middle name. I had one under my full legal name as well as just my middle name. Completely screwed up my credit score. I had to do the above to get it fixed. Might want to talk to Transunion, as well, to ensure your record is fine over there.

You don't need a lawyer, they're only reporting on what they've been provided by various credit reporting agencies. If some telephone agent got your birthday wrong when signing up for Shaw or Telus, for example, your birthday could be wrong with Equifax. In order to protect your information, they're not giving information out to someone they can't identify.

Equifax - Request to Obtain Free Credit Report
Equifax - How do I correct or dispute inaccuracies in my credit file?
Equifax - Consumer Credit Report Update Form

Transunion - Consumer Disclosure
Transunion - Consumer Disclosure Request Form
Transunion - Dispute an item on your credit report
Transunion - Investigations Form

Nickote316 · #12 05-11-2011, 10:46 AM

Quote:

you can get a copy of your credit bureau report...find out who the collection is with and contact them as they can have it removed if it is an error. It's not that big of a deal.

I'm going to try that today I think..

Quote:

You'll need photocopies of your Driver's License (front & back), SIN and Birth Certificate. That should be enough to prove your identity. Mail those in to Equifax with a signed statement declaring what is wrong with your credit file and request that they fix it. Usually takes about 3-4 weeks to get it back, but they'll send you an updated copy of your credit report (minus the beacon score) for no charge.

I had two separate credit records, when I was younger, because I go by my middle name. I had one under my full legal name as well as just my middle name. Completely screwed up my credit score. I had to do the above to get it fixed. Might want to talk to Transunion, as well, to ensure your record is fine over there.

You don't need a lawyer, they're only reporting on what they've been provided by various credit reporting agencies. If some telephone agent got your birthday wrong when signing up for Shaw or Telus, for example, your birthday could be wrong with Equifax. In order to protect your information, they're not giving information out to someone they can't identify.

Thanks for the info Tyler. I'm also going to give transunion a call today to see if they have all my correct credit information.

Thanks everyone for the input, I'll let you guys know how all this crap turns out.

Nick