Student loans

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I have 6 late payments on my credit report from AES when I was on maternity leave. I assumed if I deferred my loans with FedLoan, that AES would automatically defer as well since they are associated. That was not the case however. Anyway, I noticed on my credit report that all of the payments are not matching the bills they sent me. They "amount due" on the credit report is not the same as the bills. They're around $10 higher. My question is, is this something I can dispute? Should I go directly through the credit bureau or through AES if so? Thank you in advance.

[RobertEG]

A creditor is required under FCRA 623(a)(2) to "promptly" update any prior reporting as necessary to maintain its currrent accuracy, so if the reported current balance is not accurate, it can be disputed.

A reasonable interpretation of "promptly" would be in their next regular reporting cycle after receipt of any payment, so there should not be more than a one month delay in reporting the accurate current balance.

As for how to dispute, the FCRA provides two alternate dispute processes.

You have the option of either filing a dispute with the CRA and letting them handle the processing, including referral to the creditor for their investigation, or filing the dispute directly with the creditor under the direct dispute provisions of FCRA 623(a)(8), thus avoiding any involvement of the CRA, and having the results sent directly to you.

You choose one or the other, and cannot do both.