How to Make a 609 Letter That Really Works

Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: A 609 letter can help you get inaccurate, negative, or erroneous information removed from your credit report. Keep reading to learn more.

If you are working on improving your credit report, a 609 dispute letter may help you get the report cleaned up. A 609 dispute letter points out some inaccurate, negative, or erroneous information on your credit report, forcing the credit company to change them.

You'll find countless 609 letter templates online; however, they do not always promise that your dispute will be successful. Here's how to prepare an effective 609 letter that really works.

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The framework of the 609 letter

Two sections of the Fair Credit Reporting Act build up the framework on which the 609 dispute letter works. Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to request your credit card reports and any other information recorded in them. In section 611, the FCRA summarizes your rights to dispute inaccurate information found in the report.

The element of disputing information is found in section 611 of the FCRA Act. Section 609 only helps you acquire the information you need to prepare your dispute. Also, credit reporting agencies are not obligated to investigate any disputes that you may have on the credit report, but they will have them changed if found to be accurate.

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How the 609 letter works

If you have identified the item you would like to dispute, you will ask the credit agency to validate that particular information. The reasoning is that if the agency cannot provide proof of the information, they will have to remove it from your report.

Therefore, the 609 dispute letter may be the answer to fixing items you do not like on your credit report, but it may not necessarily change your credit score. However, a clean credit report can improve your chances of getting approvals for any credits you may wish to borrow in the future.

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How to write an effective 609 letter

The bottom line is that this letter is a request for the validation of the debt. You will only need to write a simple letter to the credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to request them to validate the disputable information. According to section 609 of the FCRA, you will be entitled to the following information:

All information in your files (although there are some exceptions, such as credit scores)
All sources of information recorded in your files

These details are all you need to create your letter. Then, you simply point out the incorrect item and write a letter requesting the credit agency to validate it by providing you with information that supports their records.

Here is a sample 609 dispute letter:

Your Name:
Your Address:
Date:

Complaint Department
Credit Reporting Agency
Address
City, State
Zip Code

To Whom it may Concern,

RE: REQUEST FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

With reference to Section 609 of the FCRD Act, I would like to request further information on the following item as recorded on my credit report.

The report records that (state your dispute). I request that you provide the original documents for this information containing my appended signature and any other related information.

If this information is unavailable, I request that you have the item deleted from my credit report as soon as possible. Kindly find attached a copy of my report clearly highlighting the mentioned item. Enclosed is also a copy of (state your supporting evidence) proof that the item indicated in my credit report is inaccurate.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(signature)

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Does the 609 letter really work?

If your argument is valid, the credit agency will delete the item from your credit report. However, if the credit agency can provide you with information that proves the item recorded is accurate, it will not be removed from your credit report.

Additionally, the 609 letter does not guarantee that your credit score will change. It will also not mark the end of negative information being recorded in your credit report if it can be validated. All the same, the law protects your rights to have correct and validated information to be recorded on your credit report.

The 609 dispute letter is often referred to as the “legal loophole”, or the “credit repair secret' and can be useful in different situations. Apart from correcting your credit report, the 609 letter could be what you need to respond to a debt collection lawsuit. The letter is equally a debt validation letter that the SoloSuit team can review for you, among other documents that you intend to present with your Answer.

What is Solo?

Solo makes it easy to resolve debt with debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt. SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

SoloSettle can help you contact your debt collector or creditor and negotiate the debt to settle for less, all online. It simplifies and streamlines the process to settling your debt.

No matter where you find yourself in the debt collection process, Solo is here to help you resolve your debt.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

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