Credit glossary
Reinvestigation
The FCRA's word for a credit bureau's investigation of information you dispute in your credit file.
Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, a bureau generally must finish within 30 days of receiving your dispute. It can take up to 15 more days if you send new information during that period, and disputes made after you receive your free annual report get 45 days. The bureau must pass your dispute to the furnisher, usually through e-OSCAR, and send you the results within 5 business days of finishing.
Information that's inaccurate, incomplete or can't be verified must be deleted or corrected. A deleted item can't come back unless the furnisher certifies it as complete and accurate, and the bureau must tell you within 5 business days if one is reinserted. A bureau can also end a reinvestigation it reasonably finds frivolous, such as one without enough information, if it tells you why within 5 business days.
Guides that go deeper
- Dispute timelines: the 30-day and 45-day clocks, and the othersHow long a credit bureau has to investigate your dispute under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, when 30 days becomes 45, and the 5-day deadlines nobody mentions.
- How to dispute a credit report error, step by stepA step-by-step guide to disputing credit report errors with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion: online vs. mail, what to include, and how to keep proof.
- 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.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1681i: Procedure in case of disputed accuracy, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- How do I dispute an error on my credit report?, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.