Credit glossary
Method of verification
The description of how a bureau confirmed a disputed item, which you can request after a reinvestigation under 15 U.S.C. 1681i.
When a bureau finishes investigating your dispute, its results notice must tell you that you can ask for a description of the procedure it used to determine accuracy. That description has to include the business name and address of any furnisher it contacted, plus a phone number if reasonably available. Under 1681i(a)(7), the bureau has 15 days from your request to provide it.
People usually ask for it after a dispute comes back verified. Even a short answer tells you who to contact next. With proof in hand, your options are a direct dispute with that furnisher, a new bureau dispute with fresh evidence, a consumer statement, or a CFPB complaint that puts the issue in front of the company again.
Guides that go deeper
- Your dispute came back "verified": what to do nextA verified result doesn't end your options. Ask how it was verified, dispute with the furnisher, add a statement, complain, or call an FCRA attorney.
- Disputing directly with the lender or collector that reported itHow to dispute a credit report error directly with the lender or collector under 1681s-2(a)(8) and 12 CFR 1022.43, and when that beats a bureau dispute.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1681i: Procedure in case of disputed accuracy, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports, Federal Trade Commission
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.