What is a Mixed Credit File?

What is a Mixed Credit File

A mixed credit file occurs when your credit information gets combined with someone else's on your credit report, leading to inaccuracies that can negatively affect your credit scores. This can happen due to data entry errors, sharing a name with a family member, having a common surname, similar name spellings, sharing a birthday, or having a Social Security number similar to someone else's.

Consequences of Having a Mixed File

Having a mixed credit file can have several consequences, including poor credit ratings, credit denials, and higher interest rates. When your credit information gets combined with someone else's, it can lead to inaccuracies in your credit history and identifying information. This can result in you being denied for credit, receiving higher interest rates on loans or credit cards, and even being denied for a job or a home rental or mortgage. It can also lead to confusion and difficulty in fixing the errors, as well as potential violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

How to Check If You Have a Mixed File

To check if you have a mixed credit file, you should periodically review your credit report for any unfamiliar information. You can do this by obtaining your credit report from the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can check your reports for free once a week at: https://www.annualcreditreport.com

Look for any errors or inaccuracies, such as unfamiliar addresses, accounts, or personal information. If you find someone else's information on your credit report, you may have a mixed credit file. In this case, you should submit a dispute with all the credit bureaus that have incorrect information on your credit reports and provide documentation to verify your identity. This may include your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current address.

If you find a mixed credit file, you should take the following steps to resolve the issue:

1. Obtain Your Credit Reports: Regularly check your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—to look for any errors or inaccuracies, such as unfamiliar addresses, accounts, or personal information.

2. File a Dispute with the Credit Reporting Agency: Contact the credit reporting agency that has the mixed file and file a dispute. You can do this online, by mail, or over the phone. Clearly explain the issue and identify the specific items that you believe are incorrect. Provide documentation and evidence to support your claim, including your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current address.

3. Provide Supporting Documentation: Ensure that you provide consistent and correct information to all of your creditors and financial institutions, including your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current and previous addresses.

4. Follow Up: Follow up with the credit reporting agencies to ensure that the errors are corrected and that your credit reports are accurate.

It's important to address any discrepancies as soon as possible to prevent any adverse impact on your credit and financial opportunities.

Contact us if you are having trouble disputing these errors. We can help!

Real Example of Mixed Credit File

Siblings, especially twins are more likely to have their credit files mixed than most people. One man had realized that his credit file continued to be mixed with his twin sisters file. The US credit rating agencies can’t seem to tell them apart. Sometimes they associate his social security number with her name and vice versa.  

When he applied for a job, his background check listed his name as hers; and his actual name was listed as an alias. They have both been consistently rejected for credit cards, despite both of them having good credit. Mitchell was denied a car loan by a bank that he had used for years. However, they did have luck obtaining housing. 

This is a problem that they have to worry about anytime they apply for credit. They never know what information is coming up when their file is pulled. 

The problem doesn’t lie within the banks or lenders, but the credit system. In the United States, the Big Three: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian have the most control over our information. These companies obtain hundreds of data sources to predict your credit score. In this mass of data, mistakes happen. 

When a credit system messes up, consumers are supposed to have a recourse in fixing the problem. Each agency has a dispute process. When a consumer disputes an error, the credit bureaus are required to do an investigation. When that fails, consumers are oftentimes unsure of what to do. The next step is to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which will forward your complaint to the appropriate ratings agency. 

Unfortunately, these situations go in circles. The furnishes will verify your information with the creditors and the creditors will verify your information with the furnishes. In the twins situation, the male pulled his files and mailed in physical proof of his identity, such as his social security card and drivers license. After investigation, his reports still listed his sister as an alias or a former name. 

These situations are rarely heard of, but happen often. In this situation, it is likely due to their social security numbers “matching” in the system. Since they are twins, they were likely given social security numbers that are one digit off. The credit bureaus consider this a match, since they only verify 8 out of 9 digits. They also have the same last name, and likely lived in the same household growing up, giving the bureaus verification that they are the same person. 

We recommend that you check your credit reports a few times a year. This is especially important if you may have a relative with a similar name. Many people do not realize their credit has been compromised until they are denied credit. You can check your credit reports for free once a week until April of 2022 at www.annualcreditreport.com 

If you have investigations that keep failing, contact us for help. You may be entitled to a settlement. 

What to Know About the 3 Major Credit Bureaus

Credit reports affect your life more than most people realize. When you are leasing or buying a new home, applying for loans or credit cards, getting insurance coverage, or applying for a new job, there is likely someone using one of your credit reports to evaluate you. 

Because your credit reports carry so much of your information, the companies in charge of putting together and selling them have a major influence over your financial life. These companies are known as credit bureaus. In this blog we will look closer at what the credit bureaus do and the rules they must follow. 

The three main credit bureaus in the U.S. are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. They are the three largest nationwide providers of consumer credit reports to lenders, insurance providers, employers and other companies who use credit information to help predict risk. 

Credit reporting has been around for over 100 years, but it has evolved over time. Credit bureaus use to be small and localized, but overtime the “Big Three”, as the major credit bureaus are known, attained may of these smaller credit agencies and consolidated their data into larger databases. 

Presently, each of the three major credit bureaus maintains a database with information of approximately 220 million U.S. consumers. When you apply for a loan and/or credit card, it is a given that the lender will access at least one of your credit reports provided by these three companies during the application review process. 

Big data, as the credit reporting industry is often called, brings in big money. The three main credit bureaus earn billions of dollars every year selling credit information to other companies. They collect information about you and sell it to others who are willing to pay for the data.  

How They Get Your Information

You may not recall giving credit bureaus permission to create a credit file about you, and you shouldn’t. This is because that is not how the bureaus work. Many companies that you and others owe money, are willingly sharing details about their customers with the bureaus. These companies include lenders, banks, credit card issuers, collection agencies, and others. These businesses are called data furnishes. Data furnishers opt to share information with the credit bureaus for many reasons. The biggest motivator is that credit reporting give a company’s customers extra motivation to pay their debts and to pay on time. 

Most of the data in credit reports comes from data furnishers, but the credit bureaus collect information in other ways too. When it comes to public records such as bankruptcies, the credit bureaus seek out purchase information from data aggregation companies like PACER, AKA Public Access to Court Electronic Records, and LexisNexis. 

Information the Credit Bureaus Collect

The credit bureaus collect a great deal of data to include in your credit report but ignores some details about your life also. For example, your credit reports do not include criminal records, income, or bank account balances. The information that they do collect for credit reporting purposes can generally fit into one of the five categories.

Categories:

1.Personal Information

• Name (current and previous)

• Addresses (current and previous)

• Date of Birth

• Employer

• SSN

2. Collections

• Accounts sold to, or managed by third-party debt collectors

3. Public Records

• Bankruptcies

• Previously included judgements and tax liens as well

4. Credit Inquires

• Details about when your credit was accessed during the last two years.

5. Accounts 

• Credit obligations (current and previous)

• Account numbers

• Payment History

• Current Balance

• Status (current, closed, past due, charged-off, etc.)

• Credit Limit

• Date of account opening

Credit bureaus collect this information for the reason that it is profitable. Other companies are willing to pay for your credit reports. Credit reports are helpful to lenders and other companies to predict the risk of doing business with you. Scoring models, like FICO and VantageScore, can also use these details to calculate your credit score. 

Credit Bureaus Must Follow Federal and State Laws

It I can be aggravating that the credit bureaus are allowed to collect sensitive financial information without your permission. Even though these companies are allowed to gather your information and sell it to others, there are rules in place to help protect you. 

At the federal level, the credit bureaus are obligated to follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act, also known as the FCRA. The FCRA is in existence to protect consumers and regulates what consumer reporting agencies are required to do when it comes to your information. The full text of the FCRA is over 100 pages, but here are some of the key provisions of the act:

• Credit Report Accuracy: The bureaus must impose “reasonable procedures” to assure “maximum possible accuracy” of the information concerning the individual. They should only be including accurate information on your credit reports. Should you discover credit reporting errors or fraud, the FCRA allows you to dispute the information. When you submit a credit dispute, the bureau must investigate your claim. They have 30 days to respond to the dispute and to delete information that isn’t verified as accurate. 

• Free Annual Credit Reports: It is a good idea to review your credit reports frequently. An amendment from 2003 to the FCRA, known as the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act or FACTA, provides free access to each of your credit reports once every year. AnnualCreditReport.com is the website you should visit to access these free reports. The three major credit bureaus are offering a free weekly credit report access at this website until April 2021 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

• Permissible Purpose: The credit bureaus are only allowed to sell your credit reports to certain entities such as Lenders, insurance companies, landlords, and employers (with written permission). They may have “permissible purpose” to buy a copy of your report. In good news, someone such as your ex-partner or random creepers would be out of luck.

• Freezing Your Credit Report: You have the right to freeze your credit reports as a protective measure. When a credit freeze or security freeze is in place, companies you don’t have a current relationship with cannot access your credit information. In order to grant them access to your data, you must first unfreeze your report. An amendment established in 2018 to the FCRA, known as the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, lets your freeze and unfreeze your reports for free.

• Opting Out: The credit bureaus are able to sell your information to certain companies for marketing purposes, even if you are not applying for financing. Your credit data may have been sold without your knowledge if you have ever received a prescreened offer of credit or insurance in the mail. Use the link OptOutPrescreen.com or call 888-5-OPTOUT (888-567-8688) if you wish to stop sharing your credit information for marketing purposes

Along with the FCRA, the credit bureaus must comply with state laws as well. For example, on top of the free annual credit reports provided by the FCRA, state law might require the credit bureaus to give you more free reports. In some states, employers aren’t allowed to review your credit information as a part of the background check. 

Different Credit Bureaus Contain Different Information

When reviewing your credit reports from all three bureaus, you will likely find similar information on each report. But, there are probably some differences as well. For example, your Experian credit report might show a collection account, while that account may be missing from Equifax and TransUnion. 

There are many reasons why your credit reports could contain slightly differing information. Here are a few examples:

• The credit bureaus are competitors and they do not share data with one another.

• Credit reporting is voluntary. Just because a data furnisher opts to share information with one bureaus does not mean it has to report information to all of them. The most major lenders will report to all three credit bureaus.

• The consumer doesn’t always understand the dispute process. Someone might dispute an incorrect item with one credit bureau, but not the other two. This could results in an incorrect account being deleted form one credit report while it remains on the others.

• Dispute results can be inconsistent. Even if you dispute an inaccurate account with all three credit bureaus, the results may vary. Each bureau will conduct its own investigation. So, while a data furnisher might verify the account as accurate with one credit bureau, it could also fill to respond to the others. This might lead to a disputed account remaining on one or more of your reports, but not all of them.

• Your credit file could be mixed. Credit bureaus can make mistakes. One major mistake is combining your credit file with someone else’s file. This often occurs when people have similar names. Generally, mixed files occur with just one credit bureau at a time.

It is critical to understand how the credit bureaus work, whether you’re building credit for the first time, rebuilding damaged credit, or trying to maintain your already good credit rating. The credit bureaus are important but they do not control every aspect of your financial life. 

The credit bureaus don’t assign your credit scores. They don’t approve or deny loan applications. They don’t decide which accounts you will open or how you will manage your credit obligations. Knowing what the three credit bureaus are allowed to do and which behaviors are wrongful can protect you and help you keep your credit intact. 

Keeping Good Financial Health

The most important financial document you can have is your credit report.  It is used by lenders to determine if you qualify for a loan, insurance, renting a property, and it may even be checked when you apply for a new job. 

Information contained in your credit report is used to calculate your credit score. To maintain and/or increase your credit score, you have to check that the information that the credit bureaus are collecting are is accurate and the activity is remaining positive. 

Keeping your credit score up comes from :

• Paying bills on time

• Not opening too many credit accounts

• Keeping your credit card balance below 30% 

Even government-regulated agencies such as Transunion, Equifax, and Experian can make mistakes. The Federal Trade Commission reported that 1 in 5 people had an error in their credit report in 2012.

How does this happen?

It could be that a lender had sent the credit bureaus the inaccurate information. This includes information about your transaction history, or you could have a mixed file with someone who shares a similar name and social security number. An error could also be a sign of identity theft. 

The only person who is keeping tabs on your credit report for accuracy is you. We recommend that you check your credit report at least once a year. You are allowed to request an annual free credit report at annualcreditreport.com. Since the Covid pandemic consumers are able to view their credit report once a week for free. Everyone should take advantage of this service, especially at this time where finances are are difficult. 

Lenders are not required to report to every company, so the information you find on a Transunion may report differently than on Experian and Equifax.  

The specific details in each credit report may be different, but they all follow a similar structure. It is important to check the personal information of your credit report carefully:

• Current and former names

• Current and former addresses

• Birthdate

• Social security number

• Phone numbers

• Spouse or co-applicants

• Current and former employers

Errors in this section could indicate a mixed file or a stolen identity. If you find an error it is important to dispute the wrong information immediately.

Your credit report contains a section for “Soft” and “Hard” inquiries. Soft inquires are requests made by outside parties, such as lenders who want to offer you unsolicited credit. They request your information to see your credit worthiness. These do not affect your score. Hard inquiries will affect your score. These are made by lenders when you apply for credit, employment, insurance, etc. You have to authorize the hard inquiry when you apply.

If you have debt related mistakes, it is important to contact the lender first and clearly explain the error that was made. They will likely fix the error without protest, especially if you have been a good customer. They are required to alert the bureaus of the mistake, but you should also file a dispute to the bureaus to make sure the communication was successful. 

When communicating with the credit bureaus about an error in your report, it is important to collect any and all documentation that supports your claim. This could be bank statements, bills, contracts, legal documents, and emails. An effective way to dispute is to write a letter to the bureau as opposed to disputing online, so that a real person must look over your information. In the letter you should clearly outline the error(s) and explain the steps you have already taken to fix it. When finished, send the letter along with copies of your documents to the bureaus using certified mail. It is important to keep track of all communication. 

If you need help with anything related to your credit report, use our contact form to send us an inquiry. We will get back to you within 24 hours! 

Protecting Your Credit Score Act

On June 29th, 2020, the Protecting Your Credit Score Act (H.R. 5332) was passed by the United States House of Representatives. This act will amend the federal FCRA to guarantee that consumer reporting agencies, such as Transunion, Experian, and Equifax, are giving fair and accurate information in consumer reports. The act will be making changes to strengthen the rights of consumers and increase the consumer data protection guidelines that reporting agencies must follow. This will increase the accountability of the agencies. 

A study of the Frederal Trade Commission shows that approximately 21% of consumers had errors in their credit reports, 13% of those errors affected the consumers credit score, and 5% had errors that were serious enough to cause a credit denial. For the consumer, fixing this errors can be complicated and a full blown nightmare. The reporting agencies favor the side of the creditor and/or debt collector. 

This new act takes a number of steps that will make it easier for consumers to fix the credit errors. It will also be easier to force the credit bureaus to reinvestigate the errors and fix the mistakes. 

A few notes from the act include: 

• Establishing an online consumer portal landing page

  • This is a single online consumer portal that has free and unlimited access to their reports and credit scores. 

• It will increase credit report accuracy and transparency. 

  • This will require Experian, Equifax, and Transunion to conduct preventative audits by matching ALL digits of the consumers social security number or the full legal name, date of birth, current address, and one previous address. The credit bureaus are known for only matching 7 of the 9 digits of the consumers social security number, which often results in a case of a mixed file. 

• It establishes a CFPB ombudsperson, or a public advocate to resolve these common errors made by reporting agencies. 

Be sure to check your credit report frequently. Many people do not realize that they have an error in their credit report until they are trying to apply for credit. This can effect your ability to get a credit card, get a loan, buy a car, a home, and more. 

If you have errors in your credit report, contact us for help. We can give you step by step guidance and let you know if you have a case! 

Protect Your Credit Score Act

Problems persist with Credit Bureaus

Problems persist with Credit Bureaus

Have you experienced issues with credit bureau’s? It seems to be a running theme. The three major credit-reporting bureau’s – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, have had the most complaints for four consecutive years. These complaints involve inaccurate information on credit reports. Fighting with these bureaus can be a hassle because the bureaus have more power than the consumer.

            Lawmakers have only begun to pay attention since the enormous data breach from Equifax just two years ago. This led to being able to freeze your reports for no fee but didn’t provide any new ways to protect the consumer. There have been a few reforms in the past few years, such as bureaus being required to inform the other bureaus when a credit file is found to be mixed with another person and that a report can no longer include debts outside of an agreement or contract. For example, The reports are not allowed to include medical records that are 180 days old or less or medical debts that have been paid by an insurer.

            Problems have been persistent, and it seems that reform is not happening fast enough. The disputes are converted into codes that summarize the complaints for the data furnishers, which can be thought of as computers talking to computers. This can be frustrating when you have a dispute that is more complex and you need to talk to a real person.

            During the data breach of 2017, Equifax had a settlement of $700 million, which is comparable to a parking ticket in their eyes. It is just the cost of doing business and easier than changing their business practices to be fair and partial to consumers. It is imperative as a consumer to check your credit report regularly, or you may find yourself unexpectedly rejected for credit when it is most crucial. annualcreditreport.com is a site where you can check your credit report for free annually. As a consumer, it is your job to identify that your accounts are in good standing and have all the correct information. If your personal information is wrong, it could potentially be a mixed file or identity theft. It isn’t uncommon for a credit file to be mixed with someone who has similarities to your identifying information. It is most likely to happen if you have a common first and last name or if you have a family member with a similar or the same name. Credit bureaus may even consider only 7 of the 9 digits of your social security number when matching your information. You have the right to dispute these errors and have them corrected and/or deleted. An error in your file could prevent you from getting credit, renting a home, or getting a job.

            If you come across an error, you should take action from both sides. You should contact the furnisher that provided data to the bureaus and to contact the bureau(s) reporting the error. It may even be best to write a formal letter by mail so that a person and not a computer will receive the information. It also provides you with a paper trail if you were to make a claim.  Being persistent is key, it is not easy to get a furnisher to immediately admit their wrongs. Filing a dispute with the credit bureaus as you communicate with the furnisher will help preserve your right to make a legal claim if the error fails to be corrected. You can find dispute information and mailing addresses through these links: equifax.com/disputes, experian.com/disputes and transunion.com/disputes Contact us today with any questions you may have regarding your credit report.

Trans Union Fails to Stop Cento Law

Yesterday the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in our favor and against Trans Union's efforts to block us from representing a consumer in a mixed file credit reporting case. Here is a link to the full opinion in Watkins v. Trans Union. In the coming days, we will be posting additional information about that opinion and the six year long saga which lead to this moment. For now, we are very pleased with the majority opinion.

What is a Mixed or Merged Credit Report?

A mixed or merged credit report is the result of a consumer reporting agency's inaccurate merging of credit information (commonly referred to in the industry as "tradeline" information) and/or an entire credit file belonging to one consumer onto the credit report of another consumer. There are many different possible causes for the merging of tradelines but all of them relate in one way or another the algorithms (the database rules) used by consumer reporting agencies to match tradelines to a particular consumer's credit file. The success or failure of these algorithms or rules is both a function of the rules themselves and of the information provided by the furnishers of the tradeline information to the consumer reporting agencies.  In other words, a mixed credit report could be caused by an improper algorithm just as it could be caused by the inaccurate reporting of a consumer's personal or "indicative" information (e.g., name, social security number, address, date of birth, etc.) by the furnishers to the agencies.  These rules also determine which credit files are merged to create a complete credit report.  Therefore, a mixed credit report is sometimes the result of the mixing of two or more consumer credit files belonging to different consumers into one credit report.  Just as with mixed tradeline information a mixed credit file can be the result of an improper algorithm just as it can be the result of the indicative information used to compile the credit report.