If your credit report reflects inaccurate information, you can dispute the information with your creditor and try to have it corrected. In the case of erroneous information, an item should be deleted, saving you the trouble of writing additional remarks. However, sometimes even a dispute is not enough to clear up a situation. In that case, the three credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, allow you to attach short remarks to your credit report. While the remarks cannot remove accurately reported information, they can help explain things to future creditors who look at your report.
Step 1
Pull your credit reports from each of the three agencies. While it is natural to assume that all three agencies will report the same information, in reality that is not always the case. Some creditors only report to certain agencies, while others may report derogatory information in a different manner from agency to agency. To properly tailor your remarks to the information on the report, you need a current copy of each report.
Step 2
Check reports for instructions. Each of your credit reports should provide specific instructions for how to add remarks to your credit report. Some agencies may provide a mailing address for comments, while others may off you an online option. Experian, for example, provides a secure online system you can use to enter your own remarks. You can also choose from a number of pre-written statements provided by Experian if you don't want to write out your own specific remarks.
Step 3
Limit your remarks. Brevity and precision are critical with credit report remarks, as each of the three agencies limits remarks to just 100 words. Keep your remarks focused on the facts. Don't waste your limited space with emotional rants. Include specific reasons for your objections and comments.
Step 4
Confirm the information has been added. It can take the agencies at least 30 days to update your reports.
Step 5
Update your comments regularly. According to BCS Alliance.com, personal statements only remain on credit reports for two to three years. If the information drops off, you may want to resubmit it.
References
Warnings
- Future creditors may never see your written remarks if they only look at your credit score rather than reading your actual credit report.
- According to Lexington Law, adding remarks to your credit report might cause more harm than good.
Writer Bio
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA, John Csiszar earned a Certified Financial Planner designation and served 18 years as an investment adviser. Csiszar has served as a technical writer for various financial firms and has extensive experience writing for online publications.