Section 609 loophole

What is the 609 loophole?

Simply put, it’s a process where you send letters to the three credit bureaus asking them to validate the collection accounts listed on your credit report.

Thanks to section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, this method is often used to dispute errors and other inaccuracies in your report. This includes things like collections, bankruptcies, late payments, evictions, repossessions, hard investigations, and anything else that shows up on your credit report.

Since you have to keep sending these types of letters, a person often doesn’t have the time to draft them, gather all the necessary information, and track the status of each letter for each credit reporting agency.

What information do I need for the Section 609 Loophole?

You need basic information about yourself or someone helping you with this, as well as information about items that you want to have removed. It also helps to have a copy of your credit report from the credit bureau you are sending this letter to. Read our article on how to get yours for free and what’s in your credit report.

What are the dispute addresses of each credit bureau?

Transunion:

TransUnion Consumer Solutions
PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016-2000

Equifax:

Equifax Information Services LLC
PO Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0256

Experian:

Experian National Center for Consumer Support
PO Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013

Section 609 Template 1

your name
Your adress
telephone number
Date

Address of credit reporting agency goes here

For whom it concerns,

I am writing this letter to exercise my right to question the validity of any debt your agency believes it has.

Under Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, (2)(E): A consumer reporting agency is under no obligation to remove accurate discrepant information from a consumer’s record unless the information is out of date under Section 609 or cannot be verified.

Therefore, I exercise my right to request verification of the following items:

List any or all of the items you want to dispute. Include the account names and numbers as stated on your credit report.

I have also marked these items on the attached copy of my credit report.

I also request that all future correspondence be made by post or email. As stated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are required to respond to my dispute within 30 days of receiving this letter. If you do not answer, all disputed information should be deleted.

I appreciate and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Your signature
Your full name

See Appendix: List names of all documents you attach

Include a copy of your ID such as name, date of birth, social security number, current mailing address, along with a copy of your credit report with relevant items marked, as noted above in the letter.