A single wrong entry on your credit report can cost you a mortgage on the east side, a car loan, an apartment, a security clearance at Fort Bliss or a job that runs a credit check. Common errors we see in El Paso include accounts that belong to a relative with the same name, debts discharged in bankruptcy still showing a balance, paid collections reported as open, identity theft accounts, and files mixed with someone across the border with a similar name and birth date. Online disputes through the bureaus' websites are processed largely by automated systems that often return a verified result without anyone looking at your evidence. A properly documented written dispute changes that.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681, is the framework. Under § 1681i, once you dispute an item, the credit bureau must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, forward your dispute and supporting documents to the creditor or collector that furnished the data, and delete or correct anything it cannot verify, generally within 30 days. Under § 1681s-2(b), the furnisher must also investigate and correct its own records. If either one fails to do so, §§ 1681n and 1681o allow you to recover actual damages, statutory damages of up to $1,000 for willful violations, punitive damages and attorney fees. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 20 adds state-level requirements on the bureaus, and Chapter 20 also governs security freezes.
Navar Law handles credit report disputes entirely by mail and correspondence; there is no hearing and no court appearance. We pull all three reports, identify every inaccurate item, gather the proof, and send certified written disputes to each bureau and each furnisher that lay out exactly why the entry is wrong and what the law requires. If the bureau returns a verified result on an item we have proven false, that response becomes the foundation of an FCRA damages claim, which shifts our fees to the bureau or creditor. Attorney Robert Navar has seen too many El Paso clients waste months on online dispute forms; doing it correctly the first time is faster. This service often works alongside debt settlement, debt collector harassment claims and background check review.
Errors worth disputing (and what the bureaus must remove)
Accounts that are not yours, including identity theft and mixed files. Balances that are wrong or were paid. Collections that duplicate the original creditor's entry. Late payments reported when you paid on time. Accounts included in a Chapter 7 discharge still showing a balance owed. Negative items older than seven years from the original delinquency, or bankruptcies older than ten years, which § 1681c requires the bureaus to drop. Hard inquiries you never authorized. Wrong names, addresses or employers that suggest a mixed file.
What the FCRA does not let you remove is accurate negative information within the reporting window. Companies that promise to erase true late payments for a monthly fee are selling something the law does not allow, and Texas Finance Code Chapter 393 regulates those credit services organizations for exactly that reason.
What happens after the dispute
Each bureau has 30 days from receipt (45 if you send additional documents during the investigation) to complete its reinvestigation and send you written results plus a free updated report. Items that are deleted or corrected must be updated at every bureau that received the dispute. If an item is verified and you believe it is still wrong, you may add a 100-word consumer statement to your file, but more importantly, we evaluate whether the bureau or furnisher conducted a reasonable investigation. If they simply rubber-stamped the data, that failure is the FCRA violation, and we send a demand for damages and attorney fees.
What's included
- Review of your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion reports and a written list of every disputable item
- Attorney-drafted dispute letters to each bureau under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, sent certified mail with return receipt
- Direct disputes to the furnishing creditor or collector under § 1681s-2
- Identity theft package where applicable: FTC identity theft report, police report guidance and § 1681c-2 block request
- Security freeze and fraud alert placement instructions
- Review of the bureaus' written results and a follow-up dispute or FCRA demand letter if items are wrongly verified
How it works
Report review
We obtain your three credit reports, sit down with you in our El Paso office or by video, and mark every item that is inaccurate, outdated or unverifiable. You bring the proof: statements, payoff letters, discharge orders, police reports.
Written disputes
We draft and send detailed disputes to each bureau and each furnisher by certified mail, with exhibits attached and the specific FCRA sections cited. This creates a paper trail that online forms never do.
Results and enforcement
Within about 30 days we review the results. Corrected items are confirmed on an updated report. Anything wrongly verified becomes the basis of a second dispute or an FCRA damages demand at no additional upfront cost to you.