Credit Report Errors Lawyer, Texas & Alabama
Inaccurate Information on Your Credit Report?
What can I do about errors on my credit report?
In general, if the credit bureaus or a company that reports to them keep inaccurate information on your report after you dispute it, federal law may let you demand a correction and recover damages. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681, generally requires the bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and the businesses that furnish them data to investigate disputes and fix verified errors. The details, deadlines, and exceptions vary, and every situation is different, so it’s worth having an attorney review the specifics of your report.
Your credit report affects whether you can get a mortgage or car loan, the rate you pay, your ability to rent a home, and even some job offers. When inaccurate, outdated, or fraudulent information shows up and isn’t fixed, the consequences fall on you.
Common credit report errors
Errors show up in many forms. Some of the most common include:
- Accounts that aren’t yours, often from identity theft or mixed credit files
- Debts you already paid or settled still showing as owed
- A single debt reported more than once
- Incorrect balances, credit limits, or payment history
- Debts discharged in bankruptcy still listed as active
- Old debts “re-aged” to look more recent
This list is general and not exhaustive, other problems can support a claim too.
What should I do if I find an error?
Generally, the first steps are to get your reports from all three bureaus, dispute the error in writing with both the bureau and the company that reported it, and keep copies of everything. If the error isn’t corrected after you dispute it, that’s often when a claim becomes possible. Save your dispute letters, the responses, and any proof of harm such as a denied loan or a higher interest rate. Because deadlines and exceptions apply, it’s best to have a lawyer review your specific facts.
How John C. Hubbard, LLC helps
John C. Hubbard, LLC represents consumers across Texas and Alabama in credit reporting disputes. We deal with the bureaus and furnishers, push to get reports corrected, and pursue the damages the FCRA allows where the facts support it. The initial case review is free.
Trial experience
John has obtained jury verdicts in federal court for consumers in Fair Credit Reporting Act cases. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Reviewed by John C. Hubbard, Attorney, admitted in Alabama (2008) and Texas (2018), John C. Hubbard, LLC. Last updated June 2026.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Every situation is different, the rules have exceptions, and deadlines vary, so nothing here is a promise about your case. Reading this or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice on your specific situation, have it reviewed by a licensed attorney.
Written by John C. Hubbard, attorney admitted in Alabama (2008) and Texas (2018).
Results in credit reporting cases
A federal jury in the Northern District of Alabama returned a $3,005,000 verdict for a John C. Hubbard, LLC client in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case against a credit reporting agency that kept reporting a debt he did not owe after he disputed it with proof. The trial court later reduced the punitive portion of the award, and the case settled after appeal. Every case is different; results do not predict or guarantee a similar outcome. See more on the attorney profile.
In Texas, credit report error cases are filed in federal court. If you’re in the Houston area, start with our Houston credit report error lawyer page.
Two special kinds of credit report errors get their own guides: a mixed credit file, where the bureau blends you with another real person, and identity theft on your credit report, where a thief’s accounts appear under your name.
Before you write to us, find the item
The question that decides a credit report case is simple: what does the report say, and why is it inaccurate? The FCRA covers information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading in a way that hurts you. A paid loan reported with a balance. A repossession listed for the wrong amount. An account you never opened. Start there.
The dispute history matters, but it comes second. If the item is accurate, no amount of sloppy investigation by the bureau creates a case. If it is inaccurate, we will handle the investigation questions ourselves once we see the report.
The form below takes about three minutes. You do not need to write a summary, and you do not need to send everything you have. Two things help most: the page of the report that shows the item, and one document that shows why it is wrong.
Do I have a case if the bureau did a bad investigation?
Only if the information was wrong in the first place. The FCRA requires a reasonable investigation, but the law starts with accuracy. Courts in Alabama and Texas routinely dismiss cases where the consumer shows the bureau was careless but cannot show the item was actually inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. That is why we ask what is wrong and why before we ask anything about the dispute.