Americans being marked as deceased on their Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit reports is one of the biggest complaints in the industry. This problem usually arises at the most inopportune time — like when a consumer is attempting to get financing for a home or car. This can cause the credit report to lock down and a credit score to not be generated. As a consequence, the creditor may refuse to extend credit until the problem is corrected.
The deceased marking arises in a number of ways. One of the major ones is when a furnisher of credit information, like a lender, clicks the wrong box. It can also come up when a spouse on a joint account dies and the lender marks both account holders are deceased.
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion have a duty to implement reasonable procedures to ensure credit reports are as accurate as possible. In 2015,
they entered into an agreement with the Attorneys General of several states, including Alabama and Texas, to develop and share best practices for identifying and preventing inaccurate reporting when a consumer disputes a report stating that they are deceased. However, the inaccurate deceased marking is still a major problem and headache for consumers.
Contact us if you have been marked as deceased
It is best to
contact us as soon as possible if you have been marked as deceased on your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit reports. We offer a free consultation and assistance on correcting the problem. These inaccurate deceased markings often indicate a violation of the
Fair Credit Reporting Act. If so, we represent consumers on a contingency fee basis with no upfront out of pocket costs or fees.
Harmed by a credit, debt, or repossession problem in Texas or Alabama? John C. Hubbard, LLC represents consumers and injury victims — often with no fee unless we recover for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney’s fee. Whether you are responsible for court costs and case expenses is set out in your written fee agreement before the case begins. Learn more about credit report errors, call 205-378-8121 (Alabama) or 832-410-8121 (Texas), or request a free consultation.
Before you call a lawyer about a credit report error: the strongest cases come with proof the information is actually wrong, not just a dispute the bureau brushed off. See what documents prove a credit report error and gather them first.
