The CFPB has consistently estimated that 20-25% of consumer credit reports contain at least one material error — and roughly 5% have errors significant enough to affect credit decisions. The errors fall into recurring patterns. This post walks through the 12 most common, what each looks like on the page, and the FCRA pathway for disputing each.
This is educational. None of it is legal advice or financial advice.
Error 1: Account that isn't yours
What it looks like: a tradeline appears on your report for a creditor you've never had an account with. The account number, balance, and history are entirely unfamiliar.
Possible causes:
- Identity theft
- Mixed file (your data merged with another consumer's)
- Furnisher reporting error (the furnisher associated the account with the wrong consumer)
- Authorized-user status you didn't authorize
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i (bureau dispute) and § 1681s-2(b) (furnisher dispute). For confirmed identity theft, § 1681c-2 (identity-theft block) is faster.
Error 2: Wrong account balance
What it looks like: an account you do recognize, but the reported balance doesn't match your records (or the issuer's statement).
Possible causes:
- Furnisher reporting error
- Timing lag between furnisher reporting and your most recent payment
- Calculation error in interest, fees, or returned payments
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). Provide documentation of the correct balance (a billing statement or screenshot from the issuer's app).
Error 3: Wrong account status
What it looks like: an account showing as "open" when you closed it, "closed" when it's still active, "delinquent" when you're current, or "charged off" when you're paying.
Possible causes:
- Furnisher hasn't updated the bureau after a status change
- Furnisher reporting from outdated records
- Account has been sold and the new owner hasn't updated the bureau
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). Provide documentation of the actual status.
Error 4: Wrong payment history
What it looks like: the 24-month payment-history grid on a tradeline shows a "30" (30-day late) or worse in a month you actually paid on time. Or the grid shows on-time when you missed a payment.
Possible causes:
- Furnisher reporting error
- Payment processed late on the furnisher's side
- Mailed payment lost in transit and credited to a later month
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). Provide bank statements or canceled checks showing the on-time payment.
Error 5: Wrong date of first delinquency
What it looks like: a negative tradeline shows a "date of first delinquency" that's later than your records indicate. The date determines the 7-year reporting clock under § 1681c.
Possible causes:
- Re-aging by the furnisher (resetting the clock when an account is sold or charged off)
- Furnisher confusing the date of last activity with the date of first delinquency
- Collector reporting their own purchase date as the original delinquency date
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). Cite § 1681c. Provide documentation of the actual original delinquency date (your billing statements showing when payments stopped).
Error 6: Mixed-file commingling
What it looks like: accounts and personal information that don't belong to you, mixed in with your own. The personal-information section may show names you've never used, addresses you've never lived at, or employers you've never worked for.
Possible causes:
- Bureau matching algorithm associated your data with another consumer's
- Common name with similar identifiers
- Twins, juniors-and-seniors, common SSN clerical errors
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i, with explicit "mixed-file separation" framing. Provide identity documentation to establish that you and the other consumer are distinct individuals. CFPB complaint may help if bureau won't separate.
Error 7: Re-aged collection account
What it looks like: a collection account showing a date of first delinquency that's much more recent than the original underlying debt. Often happens when a collection is sold from one agency to another, and the new agency reports their own purchase date.
Possible causes:
- Re-aging by the new collection agency (FCRA violation)
- Confusion between "date of first delinquency" and "date the agency took over"
- Deliberate manipulation to extend the 7-year reporting window
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). Cite § 1681c. This is a potential FCRA violation that may support a § 1681n willful-violation claim if the same collector repeats the conduct.
Error 8: Duplicate account
What it looks like: the same account appears twice on your report — once with the original creditor and once with the collection agency that bought the debt. Or the same account appears multiple times because it's been sold to multiple collectors.
Possible causes:
- Original creditor didn't update its tradeline when the account was sold
- Multiple collectors reporting the same underlying debt
- Bureau didn't merge duplicate tradelines
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i. If the original creditor's tradeline reflects the sale (showing transferred or zero balance) but a collector has the same debt as a separate active tradeline, that's typically appropriate. If both show as active with full balance, that's a duplicate to dispute.
Error 9: Inquiry you don't recognize
What it looks like: a hard inquiry from a lender you've never applied with, on a date you didn't apply for credit.
Possible causes:
- Identity theft (someone applied for credit using your information)
- A lender you legitimately applied with using a name you don't recognize (e.g., the parent company name vs. the brand you applied with)
- Furnisher reporting error
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i. If unrecognized inquiries are a pattern, treat as potential identity theft and consider § 1681c-2 (identity-theft block) for any resulting accounts.
Error 10: Wrong personal information
What it looks like: in the "personal information" section at the top of the report, names you've never used, addresses you've never lived at, or employers you've never worked for.
Possible causes:
- Furnisher reported wrong information
- Bureau associated data from another consumer with your file
- Identity theft (someone is using your SSN at addresses you don't know about)
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i. Provide proof of your actual identity and address history. If the wrong information may be related to identity theft, consider IdentityTheft.gov filing.
Error 11: Public record that doesn't apply
What it looks like: a bankruptcy, judgment, or tax lien on your report that doesn't apply to you. (Most civil judgments and tax liens were removed from major reports in 2017, but some remain.)
Possible causes:
- Mixed file (the public record belongs to another consumer)
- Identity theft (someone filed bankruptcy or had a judgment in your name)
- Court-record matching error
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i. Provide proof of identity and (if applicable) court records showing the public record applies to a different individual.
Error 12: Account closed by issuer when you closed it (or vice versa)
What it looks like: an account marked "closed by issuer" when you actually closed it yourself, or "closed by consumer" when the issuer closed it for cause.
Possible causes:
- Furnisher reporting the closure incorrectly
- Confusion at the time of closure (especially with phone-call closures)
- Issuer using "closed by issuer" as a default
Dispute pathway: FCRA § 1681i and § 1681s-2(b). The distinction matters because "closed by issuer" can be a slight negative signal in some scoring contexts. If you closed the account, it should be marked as such.
How to dispute multiple errors at once
When you've identified several errors on your report, two strategies:
Strategy A: One letter per error. Send separate dispute letters for each item. The bureau processes each as a separate dispute, which can be more thorough but takes more time and certified-mail postage.
Strategy B: Consolidated letter. Send a single letter listing all errors with a clear table of items. The bureau processes them as a batch dispute. This is faster but each item may receive less individual attention.
For straightforward errors (wrong balance, wrong status), Strategy B usually works. For complex errors (mixed file, re-aging, identity theft), Strategy A gives each item the focus it needs.
Documentation practices
For every dispute, document:
- The error you're disputing (specific item, what's wrong)
- Your evidence (statements, court records, identity documents)
- The date you mailed the dispute (USPS Certified Mail receipt)
- The date the bureau received the dispute (return-receipt postcard)
- The bureau's response (letter, with envelope showing postmark)
- Any subsequent disputes or escalations
If a dispute fails and you need to escalate (CFPB complaint or attorney consultation), this paper trail is what makes the case actionable.
Related reading
- Cluster A01: What FCRA actually says about disputes
- Cluster A07: Mixed credit files and how to fix them
- Cluster D02: Mixed-file errors: why they happen
- Cluster D04: Re-aging accounts: what's legal and what's not
Sources cited
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681i
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2 — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681s-2
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2 — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c-2
- CFPB consumer-reporting guidance — https://www.consumerfinance.gov
Educational content. Specific situations vary. Cite specific facts to a credit-repair attorney.