Category Archives: Credit Report Errors

African American Last Names And Credit Errors

A person’s surname can reveal a lot of information about them, particularly their ethnicity or ancestry—but it’s not always safe to assume that you know who someone is because of their last name. Plenty of folks get their name from marriage; others take the name of their adoptive family. Some people make up their name […]

No Need To Buy A Vowel: Most Popular Italian Surnames

You’re probably aware that many Italian surnames have a vowel as the final letter, but the number of them that end with an A, E, I, or O might surprise you. Of the top 100 Italian surnames, 96 fit that convention! Piras, de Angelis, de Santis, and Dal are the only four that do not […]

Germans in America: Fun Facts, Possible Problems

The story of German people in America is as old as the story of America itself. Most people know that immigrants from all over Europe flocked to the United States in the 1800s, but the German population here had some 200 years of American life under their belts by then. A few of the notable […]

Are You Indian-American? Here’s Why You Need to Check Your Credit Report with a Microscope

India is well-known as one of the world’s most populous countries, with just under 1.4 billion people calling that South Asian nation home—but Indians are living all over the globe, of course, and the Indian diaspora is the largest in the world. As of 2020, there are 18 million Indians living outside of their home […]

Japanese-Americans Face Unique Credit Issues Due to Their Surnames

If you had to guess, which U.S. city has the largest population of Japanese-Americans? There’s a good chance you said “San Francisco,” and that’s not far off—but San Fran, or “Soko,” as it was known to the first wave of Japanese immigrants, only comes in third. Honolulu tops the list, followed closely by second-place Los […]

How Debt Collectors Furnish Data to Credit Bureaus (Part Two)

If you haven’t yet, read part 1! Though tradelines—reports of outstanding debts—can considerably impact a consumer’s credit report and credit score, a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reveals that debt collection reporting is uneven and suspect. Updating the information on a credit report often does not depend on the debt resolution. Instead, […]

How Debt Collectors Furnish Data to Credit Bureaus (Part One)

According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), debt collectors provide vast amounts of data to the three national credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The bureaus then use the debt collectors’ data in calculating the credit reports (and credit scores) of 220 million consumers. And concerningly, the CFPB has identified critical issues […]

Incidence and Types of Collection Tradelines on Credit Reports

Many consumers don’t even know what a “collection tradeline” is, but the reality is that collection tradelines may impact your life daily. A “collection tradeline” is the term for when a creditor or collection agency report of a delinquent debt appears on your credit report. Having a collections tradeline on your report influences your credit […]

Understanding Section 611(e) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of American consumers frustrated by problems with their credit reports—maintained by one of the nation’s three largest credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—you may wonder if there’s anything you can do. But there are ways to repair your credit. Let’s briefly look at one such tool: Section […]

Common Customer Complaints about Credit Reporting Bureaus (Part 2)

In our last post (click here to read part 1), we looked at the dramatic increase in consumers’ complaints against the national credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. But, of course, we need to do more than know the number of complaints we need to pay attention to. We also want to examine the types […]