Philadelphia Fair Credit Reporting Act Attorneys

Our Philadelphia Fair Credit Reporting Act attorneys help consumers deal with egregious credit reporting errors and obtain compensation for their financial injuries. False or misleading information on your credit report errors can be devastating, resulting in missed opportunities, credit refusal, higher interest rates, or worse. In the hands of an experienced FCRA lawyer, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a powerful tool that can help you correct false information and hold creditors and reporting agencies accountable for your damages.

What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law governing the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer credit information. The FCRA determines what information may be reported, how long it may stay on your credit report, and how you can obtain relief when false information is reported. Under the FCRA, you can file suit against the creditor and, in many cases, the credit reporting agency.

What actions violate the FCRA?

Although some false information results from simple mistakes, often it results from the creditor's intentional misreporting or gross negligence. Common violations of the FCRA include reporting incorrect last payment or last activity dates (re-aging debts), incorrect balances, incorrect status (e.g., listed as unpaid when paid in full), and debts belonging to someone else. A creditor, debt collector, or credit reporting agency also violates the FCRA when it fails to investigate a dispute or a claim of identity theft.

What damages are available under the FCRA?

The FCRA allows recovery of any financial losses you suffered due to the credit reporting, emotional distress caused by the violation, statutory damages, punitive damages, court costs, and attorney's fees. Total damages can be significant. Unlike some other consumer laws, the FCRA has teeth. Other consumer protections laws may apply as well.

What are the next steps if my FCRA rights have been violated?

You need to take several steps before filing a lawsuit under the FCRA, such as disputing the debt with the credit reporting agencies. Our FCRA attorneys can guide you through gathering evidence, disputing false information, and, if the credit report is uncorrected, filing a lawsuit under the FCRA. (For more details, see our blog post "How to File a Lawsuit Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in Pennsylvania.")

If you are dealing with credit reporting issues, consider retaining a Pennsylvania FCRA lawyer to correct the false information damaging your credit and obtain compensation for your financial injury.