How to read, analyze and dispute your Experian credit report

Posted by Joe on March 10th, 2008

Welcome to the first in a series of "how to" guides designed to help consumers better understand the information on their credit report.

Experian is one of the three major credit reporting bureaus in the United States. You may know them better as FreeCreditReport.com which is the consumer brand name that they promote primarily through television and radio commercials.

In this guide we are going to walk through a sample version of Experian's online credit report which is offered by FreeCreditReport.com. We will explain how to read each section of the report and how to spot potential errors that may be lowering your credit score and costing you money or impacting your financial life in other ways.

Like most of the other credit report and monitoring services, Experian offers consumers the option to purchase what is known as a "3-in-1" or "three bureau" credit report which includes information from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Keep in mind that if you purchase a three bureau credit report from Experian, which we strongly suggest since it will give you insight into how lenders view you across all three bureaus, the information from the Equifax and TransUnion sections of the report will have been provided by the respective bureaus.

So, even though you will be able to view the information side by side any disputes on non-Experian information will need to be taken up directly with the appropriate credit bureau. In future installments of our "How to read, analyze and dispute credit reports" series, we will explain how to review information from Equifax and TransUnion.

If you don't already have your Experian credit report you can get instant online access to an Experian or three bureau credit report at either CreditCheck Total or FreeCreditReport.com. Both of these services will provide you with a free Experian credit report, a free Experian credit score and a free trial of credit monitoring service that will help you keep an eye on any changes to your credit file. Since both CreditCheck Total and FreeCreditReport.com have free trials (7 and 30 days respectively) you can sign up without any risk.

You are also entitled to one free credit report per year from annualcreditreport.com. Keep in mind that credit reports ordered through annualcreditreport.com do not include a credit score, which is a good indicator of your overall credit health.

With that said, lets dive right into your Experian credit report…

Section #1: Personal Profile

The purpose of this section of your credit report is to document your personal information such as name(s), age, address and work history.

The specific information listed in this section includes:

• Full legal name
• Any alternative names you may currently or have previously used to obtain credit
• Year of birth
• Current and previous addresses
• Current and previous employers

Here are some important things to look for in this section:

• Make sure that your name is correctly displayed and that any alternative names or alias are accurate. If there are alternative names listed that you have never used then it could be a sign that Experian has confused your credit file with that of another consumer with the same or a similar name.
• Make sure your year of birth is accurate. Again, a error in this section of your credit report could mean that you are being confused with another consumer.
• Make sure that there are no addresses where you have never lived or employers that you have never worked for listed in the respective sections. Keep in mind that it make time some time for these sections to update when you move to a new residence or take a new job. For this reason, it is OK if the information is outdated as long as it is still accurate. For example, if you have recently changed jobs and your credit report still lists a former employer as your current employer that is not a problem. However, if your credit report were to show that you currently or previous worked for an employer by which you were never employed then you may have a problem.

Section #2: Credit Summary

The purpose of this section is to provide a quick snapshot of your current and prior credit history by showing the total number of open and closed credit accounts in your name, your outstanding balances for different types of credit accounts in your name and your history of delinquent accounts.

This section lists a variety of information all of your credit accounts. The types of accounts in this section include:

• Real estate – this section includes accounts related to real estate that you have purchased. For example, your mortgage account would be included in this section.
• Revolving – this section includes revolving credit accounts such as credit cards. They are called revolving accounts because although they may have an upper limit on what can be borrowed at any given time you can use as much credit as you have available.
• Installment – this section includes fixed amount credit accounts such as auto loans. Installment accounts are typically for a fixed amount and are paid off over time.
• Other – this section includes additional accounts that don't fit into any of the other category types.
• Collections – this section includes all account, regardless of type, that have been sent to collections due to non-payment.
• All – totals for all of your credit accounts.

For each type of credit account listed above this section will list the following information:

• Count – the total number of credit accounts by type that have been reported to Experian throughout your recorded credit history. This number will include both open and closed accounts. For example, if the count for your installment accounts is '2' then it would mean that Experian has data about two different installment accounts in your name even if some of those accounts have been closed by you or the creditor.
• Balance – the outstanding balance of all accounts of a particular type. This is what you own to all the creditors of this particular credit account type according to information reported to Experian and will be listed as an actual dollar amount.
• Current – the total number of open accounts that have been reported to Experian in your name and that are being paid in a timely manner per your agreement with a particular creditor.
• Delinquent – the total number of 'past due' accounts that have been reported to Experian in your name. These accounts are currently open but have not been paid in a timely manner. Creditors will typically report a delinquent account to Experian if it has gone unpaid for at least 90 days although it can technically be reported sooner.
• Other – this is the balance of remaining accounts that are neither current or deliquent. This number typically includes accounts that have been closed by either you or the creditor.

Here are some important things to look for in this section:

• Make sure that the number of accounts of a specific type, total accounts or total balances don't seem higher than they should be.
• Make sure that the number and dollar amount of delinquent accounts for each type of credit looks accurate. This is an important area to focus on because errors by creditors or accounts fraudulently opened in your name by identity thieves are likely to become delinquent accounts before they are sent to collections. By catching delinquent accounts early you can prevent them from being sent to collections which can have a significant negative impact and, often, a higher cost to you.
• Make sure that the number of collections accounts looks accurate. Once an account has been sent to collections it will begin to have a significant negative impact on your credit score. Whether you simply have not been able to pay your bills, the creditor has made a reporting error or you have fallen victim to identity thieves the collections section should be carefully scanned for accuracy.

If you see any inaccuracies in any area of the credit summary section you should move immediately to the account history of your credit report which will have more detailed information on an account by account basis. This will help you further investigate whether or not your credit report contains errors.

Section #3: Public Records

The purpose of this section is to document any federal district bankruptcy records, state and county court records, tax liens and monetary judgments that have been levied against you. In some states overdue child support is also reported in this section. Public record items typically will stay on your credit report for 7 to 10 years.

The specific information listed in this section includes:

• Type – the classification of public record.
• Date filed – when the public record was filed with the applicable agency.
• Reference number – identifying number for the record.
• Court – the court of record.
• Plaintiff – the party which brought the legal action against you.
• Liability – the amount the court ruled your were required to pay (typically only included with bankruptcy items).
• Asset amount – the dollar amount of personal assets used by the court in their judgment (typically only included with bankruptcy items).

Here are some important things to look for in this section:

• Make sure that any public record items are accurate.

Section #4: Credit Inquiries

The purpose of this section is to show what companies have requested your credit report from Experian. This includes both voluntary, or hard, inquiries, and involuntary, or soft, inquiries. Experian treats hard and soft inquiries very differently.

Hard inquiries:

• Are generated as a result of action taken by you such as completing a credit, insurance, mortgage or other loan application or due to the transfer of an account by the creditor to collections.
• Remain on your Experian credit report for two years from when they are first reported.
• Are viewable by creditors when they review your credit report.

Soft inquiries:

• Are generated when a company pulls your credit report to evaluate you for an offer of credit that you have not requested. Pre-approved offers from credit card companies that you receive in the mail are typically generated as a result of a soft inquiry by the creditor who sent the offer to you, for example.
• Have no impact on your credit report or credit score.
• Are not viewable by anyone other than you.

For each inquiry, whether it is a hard or soft inquiry, the following information will be listed:

• The name of the company that requested the inquiry.
• The type of business that company operates. For example, if you filled out a credit card application with your bank the resulting inquiry would be listed as 'Banks & S&Ls'.
• The date the inquiry was requested.

Here are some important things to look for in this section:

• Make sure that all of the hard inquiries are accurate. If you don't recognize the name of a company listed in this section then research it to find out whether or not you had actually initiated a credit inquiry with them. Keep in mind that some organizations have consumer brand names that are different than their actual corporate names, so you may not recognize the name list in the report even if it is a valid inquiry. Searching for the company name in an Internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo is a good way to find out who they are.
• Make sure to take note of the total number of hard inquiries and their dates. Since hard inquires stay on your credit report for two years and have some negative impact on your credit report and credit score it is good to be aware of the number and age of hard inquiries that have been reported to Experian.

If you find hard inquiries that don't appear to be accurate it is best to contact the company that made the inquiry first. The creditor will be able to research the purpose of the inquiry and assist you with getting it removed from your credit report if it was mistakenly reported to Experian.

While soft inquiries won't impact your credit report or credit score in any way, as they are only viewable by you, there are ways to eliminate or at least limit the number of soft inquiries you receive. The fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows consumers to opt-out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit by calling 888-567-8688 or by visiting optoutprescreen.com.

Section #5: Account History

The purpose of this section is to provide detailed information on all credit accounts that you have ever opened that have been reported to Experian.

For each account listed in this section some or all of the following information will be listed:

• Account name – the name of your creditor.
• Account number -a truncated version of your account number with the creditor. For example, the last four digits of a credit card number account would be listed so that you can identify which account is being referenced.
• Account type – the type of credit this creditor provides. This will be one of the categories from the credit summary section of your credit report.
• Account status – the current status of your account with a creditor such as open or closed.
• Monthly payment – the amount you pay each month per your terms with the creditor. This will be used for installment or real estate accounts but not revolving accounts.
• Date open – the month, day and year that the creditor opened this account with you.
• Balance – the unpaid amount that you still owe the creditor.
• Terms -
• High balance – this highest amount you have owed this creditor in the lifetime of an account.
• Limit – the amount of credit this creditor is extending to you. For example, this would be your credit limit on a credit card account.
• Past due – the amount of money that is unpaid but due to the creditor per the terms of your account. for example, if you owe $500 per month on an auto loan but your payment is 30 days late then the creditor could report this amount as past due to Experian.
• Payment status – the overall status of your account in comment form. For example, an open account in good standing may be reported as 'Pays account as agreed' on your Experian credit report.
• Comments – additional information from the creditor about the account. Creditors may use this field for any number of comments although it is often used to detail the specific type of account, such as 'CREDIT CARD' to further clarify the type of account it is.

This section also includes a 24 month payment history of each account listed that gives potential creditors insight into how you have kept up on your existing accounts. This information is represented graphically with one of several possible images placed in each month to show your account performance in that month.

The information that is reported in account payment history includes:

• OK – This account is paid on time and in full.
• NO – No data is available for a particular month. This is usually because either the account was not open or the creditor has not reported information to Experian in a given month.
• 30/60/90/120 – The number of days the account has been past due.
• KD – This stands for 'Key Derogatory' which can mean many things including: Claim, Term Default, Government Claim, Paid by Dealer, Bankruptcy Chapter 7, 11 or 12 Petitioned, or Discharged and Bankruptcy Chapter 7, 11, or 12 Reaffirmation of Debt Rescinded.
• RF – Property related to this account has been repossessed or foreclosed.
• PP – The creditor has established a revised payment plan with you.

Here are some important things to look for in this section:

• Make sure that the information in this section is accurate. Pay especially close detail to any information related to delinquency, collections or past due accounts either in the the account details area or in the 24 month payment history as all of these things negatively impact your credit report and credit score.
• Make sure all of your accounts in good standing are represented. Not all creditors report account data to all credit bureaus, so Experian may not have access to information on all of your positive account information (of course, this means that they may not have access to negative account information as well). If you don't see an account listed in your Experian credit report that you believe to be in good standing then contact your creditor and ask them if they report your account information to Experian.
• Make sure you recognize all of the creditors and accounts listed in this section. Any unrecognized accounts could mean that your financial information may have been compromised and that identity thieves may have opened accounts in your name.

Keep in mind that different creditors report information to Experian in different cycles so some information, such as the balance listed on your account, may not be totally up-to-date. This is OK as long as you have verified that it is an account that you recognize and that the information listed was accurate at some point in the recent past. If you don't see this type of information update over time it is a good idea to contact your creditor to see if there are any problems with your account or ask what schedule they report your account information to Experian.

How to dispute information on your Experian credit report

If you find information that you believe is inaccurate on your credit report it is important to act quickly as these errors could not only be costing you money, but could also be early waring signs of possible identity theft. Luckily, Experian makes it fairly simple to dispute any credit report item that you believe to be inaccurate.

Here are the steps to take to dispute an item on your Experian credit report:

1. Make sure you have a copy of your Experian credit report that is dated within the last 90 days. The date of the report is very important because Experian will not let you dispute any information from reports older than 90 days.
2. Visit Experian's online dispute resolution form at https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=DISPUTE
3. Complete the following fields on the dispute form:
   1. Report number – this will be listed on the top or first page of your Experian credit report.
   2. Your Social Security number
   3. Your state
   4. Your zip code
   5. Click on the three check boxes to agree to all the terms and conditions. Keep in mind that only the individual whose credit report is being disputed may submit this form.
4. Enter the account number of the item you are disputing. You will find the account number in the account history section of your Experian credit report.
5. Provide an explanation as to why you believe that the particular item is inaccurate. You should be as descriptive as possible. Just saying "This is wrong" or something similar will not be sufficient. You should provide specific reasons as to why you believe the information on your Experian credit report is erroneous as well as any supporting evidence that you may have.
6. Experian will review your request and notify you within 30 days (45 days if you received a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com) of their decision on the dispute. If the dispute is resolved in your favor, Experian will remove or correct information that is inaccurate or cannot be verified during their investigation.

In addition to disputing inaccurate information with Experian, we strongly suggest that you contact the company that reported the account information to them in the first place. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) both the credit bureau and the company that reported the information are responsible for the accuracy of account information on your credit report. If you believe that one of your creditors has reported inaccurate information then contact them directly. Each company has a different dispute resolution process but it is a good idea to contact their customer service department as a first step as they will likely be able to provide you with the appropriate steps to take.

Conclusion

Your credit report is like your resume for potential lenders. It gives insight into the positive and negative elements of your credit history based off of information reported by your previous creditors. It is important to not only limit the number of negative items on your report by practicing healthy credit usage habits, but to make sure you have insight into any potential erroneous or inaccurate information as those errors may be costing your thousands of dollars or more.

We invite you to check out our online credit report monitoring service comparison guide where you can learn more about credit reports and monitoring from a variety of service providers.

We hope this guide has been a helpful tool in enabling you to better understand the information on your Experian credit report and, just as importantly, get a better idea as to how potential lenders may view you. Stay tuned for our next installment where we will cover the specifics of reviewing a your Equifax credit report.

In the meantime, let us know if you have any feedback on this guide or if there are any additional questions you may have about your Experian credit report by leaving us a note in the comments.

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