A direct dispute is one you send straight to the lender, collector or other company that reported the information, rather than to a credit bureau. Under Regulation V, the furnisher must investigate most direct disputes about your account and report the results to you within the same time a bureau would have.
Also called: dispute with the furnisher, dispute with the creditor, furnisher dispute, Regulation V direct dispute, 1022.43 dispute
What it means
You can dispute a credit report error in two places: with the credit bureau, or directly with the furnisher, meaning the bank, lender, collector, or servicer that reported it. A direct dispute is the second kind. The FTC recommends contacting both the bureau and the business that supplied the information.
Where it comes from
Congress added the right in 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(8), and the CFPB’s Regulation V spells it out in 12 CFR 1022.43.
What’s covered. A furnisher must reasonably investigate direct disputes about whether you owe the account, the account’s terms, your payment history and other conduct on the account, and other account information bearing on your creditworthiness.
What’s not. Disputes about your name, birth date, Social Security number, phone numbers or addresses, past employers, inquiries, and fraud or active-duty alerts are excluded, as are disputes the furnisher reasonably believes were prepared or sent by a credit repair organization. Public records are excluded unless the furnisher has its own account relationship with you.
Where to send it. To the address the furnisher lists on your credit report, an address it gave you for disputes, or, if it gave none, any business address.
What to include. Enough to identify the account, the specific information you dispute and why, and supporting documents such as a report excerpt, police report, identity theft affidavit, court order, or statements.
What the furnisher must do. Investigate, review everything relevant you sent, and report the results to you within the same period a bureau has under § 1681i, generally 30 days. If the information was wrong, it must tell each bureau it reported to and send corrections. If it decides the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant, it must tell you within five business days and explain what it needs.
Common problems
- The furnisher answers with a collection letter instead of an investigation.
- It agrees the information is wrong but never sends the correction to the bureaus.
- It keeps reporting the account without noting that you dispute it.
How to send one
Use certified mail to the dispute address, keep copies, and follow the checklist above. Send a dispute to the bureaus at the same time.
When it can be an FCRA violation
Under § 1681s-2(c) and (d), the duties in § 1681s-2(a), including the direct-dispute rule, are enforced by government agencies, not private lawsuits. Your private claim usually comes from disputing with a bureau, which triggers the furnisher’s duties under § 1681s-2(b). That’s why disputing both ways matters.
If a lender ignored your dispute and the error is still on your report, FCRA Attorneys offers a free case review, and you pay no fee unless we win.
Related
- Furnisher
- Reinvestigation
- Frivolous or irrelevant dispute
- ACDV (automated consumer dispute verification)
- AUD (automated universal data form)
- Statement of dispute (consumer statement)
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
- How to Write a Credit Report Dispute Letter That Gets Investigated
- Dispute letter builder
Sources
- 12 CFR 1022.43, direct disputes (CFPB Regulation V)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2, responsibilities of furnishers of information (Cornell LII)
- FTC, Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports
Updated November 2026. This glossary is written by FCRA Attorneys from public sources. It is general information, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any credit bureau or industry association.