Importance of Noting a Debt as Disputed

An important right you have to improve your credit score is noting a debt as disputed during the credit report dispute process.

You have this right under many laws and it has been interpreted as applying to furnishers of credit report information under their obligations to investigate and modify information on a credit report.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act the furnisher has a duty to report the dispute.

15 USC section 1681s-2(a)(3) Duty to provide notice of dispute. If the completeness or accuracy of any information furnished by any person to any consumer reporting agency is disputed to such person by a consumer, the person may not furnish the information to any consumer reporting agency without notice that such information is disputed by the consumer.

For Washington consumers and business people, you have rights to note debts as disputed under the Washington Collection Agency Act 19.16.250(10)(a): licensee (ie collection agency) shall, upon receipt of written notice from the debtor that any part of the claim is disputed, notify the credit reporting bureau of the dispute by written or electronic means and create a record of the fact of the notification and when the notification was provided.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act 15 USC 1692e(8) Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed.

If you dispute the debt, you should send the dispute to the company furnishing your information when you are lodging a credit report error dispute.