What does 'consumer disputes' mean on my credit report?

Phrases like “consumer disputes this account,” “account information disputed by consumer,” or “disputed, investigation in progress” are dispute notations. They tell anyone reading the report that you have challenged the item.

Where the notation comes from

The FCRA requires disputed information to be flagged in three ways:

• Bureaus, in every report. When a consumer reporting agency is notified that you dispute information, it must indicate that fact in each consumer report that includes the disputed information (15 U.S.C. § 1681c(f)).
• Bureaus, after an unresolved reinvestigation. If a reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute and you file a statement, later reports must clearly note that the item is disputed and include your statement or a clear and accurate summary of it, unless the bureau has reasonable grounds to believe the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant (§ 1681i(b)–(c)).
• Furnishers. If you dispute the completeness or accuracy of information directly with the company that reported it, and the information is in fact disputed, that company may not report it to a bureau without notice that you dispute it (§ 1681s-2(a)(3)).

The FTC also notes that if a business keeps reporting an item after you dispute it, the bureau must show that you dispute it, and recommends checking that the notice appears.

What the notation does and does not do

• It creates a record, visible to report users, that you challenged the item.
• It does not correct, update, or delete the information. Only a successful dispute, correction by the furnisher, or the item reaching its reporting time limit does that.

Checking and managing the notation

1. After disputing, check each bureau’s report for the notation on the item.
2. If you disputed directly with a furnisher and the notation is missing, raise that with the furnisher and the bureau in writing and keep copies.
3. Once a dispute is fully resolved, for example the item was corrected, you can ask the bureau or furnisher whether the notation should remain.

For the full process, see how to dispute credit report errors.

Related

• How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
• What Is the FCRA? The Fair Credit Reporting Act in Plain English

Sources

• 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(f) — Indication of dispute by consumer (Cornell LII)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(b)–(c) — Statement of dispute; notification in subsequent reports (Cornell LII)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(3) — Duty to provide notice of dispute (Cornell LII)
• FTC — Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports

Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.