Very few creditors will extend fair credit to you with blemishes on your credit history.

What if it wasn't you're fault? What if you had to make the simple choice between eating and making a car payment? What if a job lay-off, medical emergency, or some other personal crises prevented you from making a timely payment? Should you be forced to pay for this for the next 7 to 10 years serving a credit prison sentence?

How is a system like this allowed to operate in our democracy? The credit bureaus have placed themselves in the position of both judge and jury in relation to your credit file. Do not forget one very important difference… A judge will give you a chance to defend yourself before ruling. We are supposed to have the opportunity in America to face our accusers before judgment is passed. This is entirely untrue when it comes to your credit records.

The truth is creditors and credit bureaus have been swapping information about you behind your back and without your permission for a long time. In effect, it is hearsay and it can cause you severe economic hardship.

The current system does not give you the opportunity to defend yourself before inscribing your credit file with negative and damaging information (even if it is not yours). Their perspective is that you must prove to them that the negative information on your credit report is incorrect, invalid, erroneous, or otherwise non-verifiable before they will remove it. In other words, in the eyes of the credit bureaus… you are guilty until proven innocent.

We are brought up to believe that one is innocent until proven guilty. Why we are not extended the same courtesy by the credit bureaus? Why do they not give us a chance to defend ourselves before they place negative information on our report? Fact is, consumer rights cost them money.

THE CREDIT BUREAUS ARE FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS SERVING YOUR CREDITORS, NOT YOU.

Your credit file is their product. The credit bureaus have no government affiliation (except for spending millions on lobbying efforts). These private corporations sell your personal financial information to anyone that will pay for it…who generally accepts it as gospel. (Although it has been proven many times that mistakes do happen all too often.)

The Fair Credit Reporting Act and Six other pieces of legislation were passed to protect the consumer. The credit bureaus and creditors only enjoy the luxury of being the judge and jury because most consumers do not know how to enforce their rights . Our association consist of over 17,000 members who have joined together to hire the best attorneys in credit bureau law to enforce the rights granted to them by the United States Congress.

What can be done?

-Consumers have the right to obtain representation and face their accusers armed with their legal rights.

-The credit bureaus should have to back up the information that they sell about you. Congress and the law agree. If your defense is presented properly, whether your credit report is accurate or not, it is usually more difficult and costly to prove the information is correct than to simply remove it.