Austin Fair Credit Reporting Act Attorneys
We Take Credit Bureaus and Financial Institutions to Task for Credit Report Errors
Why Your Credit Scores Matter—More Than Just Numbers
Your credit report is far more than a three-digit score. It’s the gateway to opportunities that shape your life—whether it means buying a home, getting approved for a mortgage or auto loan, qualifying for low-interest credit cards, securing affordable insurance, leasing an apartment, landing certain jobs, or even financing your education. Fundamentally, your credit profile signals to the world how reliable you are financially.
But what happens when your credit report contains mistakes? Unfortunately, common errors—ranging from duplicate accounts and identity mix-ups to outdated balances, false delinquencies, or phantom bankruptcies—can push your score downward. That means higher interest rates, tougher loan approvals, and even job or housing denials. The impact isn’t hypothetical; an inaccurate report can cost you literally thousands. Yet, when errors appear, credit bureaus and lenders often show little urgency in fixing them.
That’s where we come in. At FCRA Attorneys, we do more than spot inaccuracies—we take on the responsible parties under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to restore your financial standing and secure what you deserve.
(512) 503-2070
The Fair Credit Reporting Act: Your Shield & Sword
Enacted by Congress, the Fair Credit Reporting Act empowers individuals in the United States to challenge errors in credit reports and demand accuracy. FCRA imposes obligations on consumer reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian) and any furnishers (creditors, lenders, collection agencies) who report information. These obligations include:
- Ensuring accuracy and completeness of every item in your report.
- Immediately correcting or deleting anything unverified, misleading, or obsolete.
- Complying with your dispute requests promptly and thoroughly—typically within 30 calendar days.
- Using your data lawfully and disclosing required notices and statements.
When these rules are skirted or ignored, the FCRA allows you to take legal action—without needing to show that you suffered actual monetary loss. That means one thing: you can recover damages—even if the error hasn’t cost you money yet.
Common Credit Reporting Problems We Help Fix
We routinely confront and fix the types of errors that frequently slip through the cracks:
1. Outdated or Debunked Negative Information
Creditors must refresh data promptly. Typical violations include:
- Continuing to show a loan that was discharged in bankruptcy.
- Re-aging an old debt to make it look recent.
- Marking an account as “open” long after it’s closed.
- Listing repossessions, charge-offs, or bankruptcies after federal time limits have expired.
- Reporting duplicate accounts—like two entries for the same credit card.
- Merging your records with someone else’s due to similar names or Social Security numbers.
- Even declaring you “deceased” by mistake.
- Restoring previously deleted accounts back onto your report.
2. Misleading or Partial Reporting
Even truthful facts can be twisted:
- A charged-off debt improperly flagged as “write-off” or “settled.”
- Inflating your outstanding balance or loan limit.
- Misreporting late payments (e.g., marking a payment 60 days late when it was on time).
- Creating unauthorized accounts in your name.
- Tagging you as the primary borrower when you were merely an authorized user.
- Ignoring your counters about identity theft.
- Hiding payment histories or important details that impact your repayment track record.
3. Ignored or Incomplete Dispute Responses
FCRA sets deadlines and processes. Credit bureaus must:
- Share your dispute with the original source (furnisher).
- Conduct a fair review.
- Correct or remove any unverifiable or false details within a month.
But failures abound:
- They don’t alert furnishers.
- Perform cursory mini-investigations.
- Overlook multiple claims at once.
- Forget to send corrections to credit agencies.
4. Other FCRA Violations
Failing to flag consumer statements you request or hide required disclosures
Inaccurate privacy logging
Improperly pulling your credit without authorization
Your Legal Rights for FCRA Violations
Willful Violations
- Unrestricted Actual Damages
- Statutory Damages: $100 – $1,000 (no need to prove actual loss)
- Punitive Damages: At the court’s discretion
- Attorney’s Fees and Associated Costs
Negligent Violations
- Unrestricted Actual Damages
- Attorney’s Fees and Associated Costs
Reach out to us to regain your credit reliability and secure your future.