Any tips for removing dispute remarks with Equifax?

[Anonymous]

Ive had success with TU and experian was easy, but not getting anywhere with EQ. I called 404-885-8300 and ask for executive consumer service and get a voicemail for Dorothy. She never calls back. Today i asked the operator if there was someone else besides Dorothy and she said there are only two ladies and they go back and forth between a walk up desk and are busy?? i left a voicemail with the other lady today. I then just tried regular customer service and got a man who barely spoke english and he gave me the "creditor put the remark there and they are the only one who can remove" spill....uughhh....any other ideas? i have GOT to get these last few remarks off to move forward with my mortgage! HELP

[lola1886]

Hmmm...I had great luck with Dorothy.  Make sure when you are leaving her a message that you leave your SSN and ask to have disputes and dispute comments removed.  She called us back the same day both times saying it was taken care of and then we got the score watch alerts within the next day showing the updates.

[chan85]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Ive had success with TU and experian was easy, but not getting anywhere with EQ. I called 404-885-8300 and ask for executive consumer service and get a voicemail for Dorothy. She never calls back. Today i asked the operator if there was someone else besides Dorothy and she said there are only two ladies and they go back and forth between a walk up desk and are busy?? i left a voicemail with the other lady today. I then just tried regular customer service and got a man who barely spoke english and he gave me the "creditor put the remark there and they are the only one who can remove" spill....uughhh....any other ideas? i have GOT to get these last few remarks off to move forward with my mortgage! HELP

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Just curious but what effect do dispute remarks have on your credit and the mortgage process??

[IOBA]

The majority of the time, the UW will not allow funding for a mortgage if there is the word "DISPUTE" anywhere on your CR.  This also applies to accounts that are closed.   The UW is worried that the account will surge back to life and cause you financial woes.

You can get pre-approved for a mortgage with the words there - just (usually) get the final close with the words there.

[terrymac]

Sorry to hijack, but what if the account for the dispute is paid in full?

[IOBA]

terrymac - sorry - no go.   The lender told me recently (a week or two ago) that as far as they are concerned, it doens't matter if the account is closed and reporting as zero --- it could come back to life and bite you.  So the UW will not authorize a close/final funding for any mortgage if the word dispute is on the CR.

I have one that is a CA, that reports closed, zero balance, and hasn't updated in over a yr.   The CA put the word "dispute" on the account.   (On the CR it says subscriber (that's the CA) reports consumer dispute.)    Yes, I do dispute it cuz the CA never had the account - the OC was paid directly by more than a year BEFORE the CA put the collection on the CR.  Can't go to closing with this lender.   And yes, I did call the CA to ask them to remove it and they said no.

The lender said that in the last 12 months, not one mortgage has closed with the word dispute.

If you can, clear it off asap.

[terrymac]

Thanks IOBA. Now I am getting scared. It is only reporting on my EX report that the lender pulled and it was a dispute to Verizon for $161. I paid it last year and thought everything was resolved. So, do I need to contact Verizon or Experian to get this resolved?

Thanks so much..

[IOBA]

terrymac - I have heard suggestions both ways.   If this was me, in your situation, I would contact the CB and ask them to remove the note that it's in dispute.    Verizon would be the back up --- maybe GW Verizon and ask them to remove the tradeline completely.

In my case, the CA put it on the CB and wont' remove it.  The CB verified it.  *eye roll*   Four more years, just three and half technically more years until it falls off.  argh.  My case is the exception, not the rule, so don't loose faith!!  

[chan85]

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@IOBA wrote:

The majority of the time, the UW will not allow funding for a mortgage if there is the word "DISPUTE" anywhere on your CR.  This also applies to accounts that are closed.   The UW is worried that the account will surge back to life and cause you financial woes.

You can get pre-approved for a mortgage with the words there - just (usually) get the final close with the words there.

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This is why i love this board! I NEVER knew that and would have been blindsided if they brought it up in a few months when i go to apply. I will start working on it now!

I assume in the last sentence you meant get the disputes/dispute comments removed before getting to the final closing right?

I know I had to dispute some things on a now closed and PIF car loan and then some credit cards that are still open. Additonally there was a collection for a previous eviction that I disputed after PIF. Will I need to dispute them all or just the collection- even on the open accounts? What about inquiries that are disputed? Do those show as "disputed" as well in the mortgage process? Would I need a current credit report to call the bureaus to get them removed or can I just call since I know I have them already on there?

[terrymac]

I know! I love this board too. Feeling a bit worried now because have applied for a mortgage and did not know that dispute was on it. When I paid, I asked Verizon to remove the tradeline which they did from TU and EQ. Since I couldn't see my EX didn't know it was there until the LO pulled my report.  Anyway, have put on offer on a house and just waiting for all the ducks to align so don't really want to dispute with the CB. Might have to though. Even though when I called EX today, the automated voice kept asking for a report number which I don't have. Do I have to dispute to get one? Am going to try Verizon tomorrow to see if they can erase the TL from EX, if not, will just have to keep trying with EX.

If anyone has a number for EX they can private message me, I would be so grateful! Thanks a lot.