Proudly based in Staten Island — serving all five boroughs and clients nationwide by phone
Disputing inaccurate items is one part of the picture. Knowing what actually drives your score is the other — and it's the part a template can't do for you.
Most credit scoring models — including the FICO models lenders use most — break down roughly like this. The exact formula is proprietary, but the weighting below reflects the widely published FICO breakdown.
Notice that payment history and utilization together account for about two-thirds of your score. That's usually where the fastest, most durable progress comes from — not from disputes alone.
A dispute fixes what's wrong on the report. Rebuilding improves what's actually true about your credit behavior. Most people need some of both.
Items that are inaccurate, unverifiable, outdated, or duplicated. This is what our dispute process is built around — and it only works on items that are genuinely wrong, not simply unflattering.
Paying on time, lowering utilization, and letting accounts age. No dispute can substitute for this — it's the part that's entirely in your control going forward.
The percentage of your available revolving credit currently in use. Lower is generally better for your score.
A record of a lender checking your report for a credit decision. Too many in a short window can lower your score slightly.
An account a creditor has written off as unlikely to be collected — it can still be sold to a collector and remains on your report.
Improperly resetting the reporting clock on an old debt to make it appear more recent than it is — a common, disputable error.
Payment history (about 35%), amounts owed or utilization (about 30%), length of credit history (about 15%), credit mix (about 10%), and new credit (about 10%). Weightings are approximate and vary by scoring model and lender.
Disputing addresses accuracy — items that are inaccurate, unverifiable, outdated, or duplicated. Rebuilding addresses behavior — paying on time, lowering utilization, and letting accounts age. Most people need some of both.
Re-aging is improperly resetting the reporting clock on an old debt to make it appear more recent than it actually is — a common, disputable error.
No. Checking your own report or score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score, no matter how often you do it.
A free consultation covers both what's disputable and what's driving your score day to day.
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are only the start. ChexSystems, Innovis, tenant, employment, utility and insurance reports can all affect you — and you have the right to dispute errors on every one of them.
See the Full Checklist →