A credit report can show an account, a balance, or an inquiry without making clear who supplied the information or who obtained the report. Federal law gives consumers a way to ask a consumer reporting agency for both kinds of details. A written request can ask for the sources behind entries in your file and for the people or companies that procured your report, along with their contact details.
What you can ask the reporting agency to disclose
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer reporting agency must disclose the information in your file when you ask. It must also identify the sources of that information. The disclosure is meant to show both what is in the file and where the information came from. The source details are part of the same request, so you do not need to make a separate demand for them. See 15 U.S.C. § 1681g.
These are related, but different, details. A file entry might show a collection account and the amount reported. Its source could be the company that supplied that account information. Asking for the source can help you identify whom to contact if the entry looks wrong. It does not by itself resolve a dispute or require the source to change the entry.
There are limits. The agency does not have to disclose a source used only for an investigative consumer report and for no other purpose. It also does not have to include credit scores or other risk scores and predictors in this disclosure. A request for file information and sources should not be treated as a request for a score.
Ask who obtained the report, too
A company or person that supplies information about an account is not necessarily the same as a person or company that procured, or obtained, your report. The law requires the agency to identify each person that procured it within a set lookback period. For employment purposes, the period is the prior two years. For other purposes, it is the prior one year. The agency must provide the name, or the full trade name, of each procurer.
You can also ask for the address and telephone number of a procuring person. That information can help you check an inquiry you do not recognize or ask why your report was obtained. The request for procurers and their contact details is separate from asking for the sources of file information, so name both requests in your letter. The statutory disclosure rules are at 15 U.S.C. § 1681g.
Put the request in clear terms
Address the request to the consumer reporting agency that maintains the file. In plain language, ask for all information in your file at the time of the request and the source of each item. Also ask for the identities of people or companies that procured your report during the applicable one-year or two-year period, and for each procuring person's address and telephone number. Be specific about which time period applies to an employment-related report.
Keep a copy of what you send and any response you receive. The available federal sources establish what the agency must disclose, but they do not state how long the agency has to send this source disclosure or whether the disclosure itself is free. They also do not provide mailing addresses or phone numbers for reporting agencies. Check the agency's official contact information and instructions before sending a request. If a deadline or other issue matters in your situation, an appropriate qualified professional can help explain the rules that apply.
Asking for these details is not the same as disputing an entry. If you already know an item is inaccurate, you can make a separate written dispute that explains what is wrong and why. The source information can help you identify the company that supplied the entry, often called the furnisher.
Use the source details in a dispute
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises consumers generally to contact both the credit reporting company and the company that provided the information when trying to correct a report error. Start with a written dispute to the reporting company. Identify each item, explain the problem, and say what correction you are requesting. Include copies of supporting documents, not originals. The CFPB's dispute instructions describe the information to include.
For a mailed dispute, include your full name, address, and telephone number. Add the report confirmation number if one is available, the account number for each disputed item, a clear explanation, and a request to correct or remove the information. Include a copy of the report section with the disputed entries marked, plus copies of documents that support your explanation. Certified mail with a return receipt can provide a record of delivery. Keep a copy of the letter and attachments.
You may also need to send a dispute to the furnisher. The CFPB provides sample dispute letters and instructions. If you think an error may be connected to identity theft, the CFPB points consumers to IdentityTheft.gov. The process and documents that fit depend on the circumstances, so avoid sending original records or information that is not needed to explain the disputed item.
Track the dispute timeline and its limits
A reinvestigation of a disputed item must be free. Generally, the agency has 30 days from receiving the dispute to investigate and either record the status of the information or delete the item. The period can be extended by up to 15 additional days if you send relevant information during the first period. That extension does not apply if the item is found inaccurate or incomplete, or cannot be verified, within the original 30 days. The agency must notify the furnisher of the dispute before the end of five business days after receiving it. These timing rules appear in 15 U.S.C. § 1681i.
Keep the dates of your letters, delivery records, and responses together. The cited sources describe the reinvestigation period, but they do not explain what to do if an agency or furnisher misses a deadline. They also do not set out how to ask a furnisher directly for its own source records or contact details. The federal regulation titled Direct disputes covers a separate topic, but the available material here does not provide enough detail to summarize its requirements. For a question about a missed response or a specific dispute, consult the official rule text or a qualified professional.
Please seek a professional. This article is general information, not financial, tax or insurance advice. Please seek a licensed financial, tax or insurance professional about your own situation.
