How to Remove Dispute Comments from a Credit Report

When you file a credit dispute, the reporting agency adds a dispute comment to your profile. The dispute comment states that you are in the process of disputing information on your credit report. However, some lenders may deny your loan application if they find disputing comments. 

Therefore, many consumers must remove dispute comments before proceeding with a loan application. To remove dispute comments, you can contact the credit bureaus or creditors to request that they take them off your report. You can also dispute incorrect or fraudulent dispute comments or wait for them to come off of your profile naturally. 

However, you must know how to remove the comments properly. Otherwise, you could make your credit situation worse. So, read this guide to learn more about dispute notes, how to remove them, and how they impact your ability to qualify for a loan. 

credit dispute comments

How Do You Remove Dispute Comments? 

If you are applying for a mortgage loan or auto financing, the lender may deny your application if you have to dispute comments on your report. So, removing dispute verbiage on your credit profile using the steps below is a good idea before you submit your loan application. 

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You can follow the steps below to remove dispute notes

1. Dispute Incorrect Comments

Disputing a dispute may seem unnecessary. You can dispute it if you found dispute language on your report and did not submit the request. However, submitting another dispute may cause the lender to add another note.

2. Contact the Reporting Agency

Credit repair specialists suggest calling each of the three major credit bureaus to request they close out your disputes. By closing active disputes, the bureaus should remove the comments relating to the dispute. 

You must contact each of the bureaus separately to have derogatory marks relating to disputes taken off your report. Contacting the three credit bureaus may be time-consuming. However, it is the quickest and most effective way to remove dispute comments. 

To get in touch with each agency by phone, use the contact information below: 

  • Experian – 1-855-414-6148
  • Equifax – 1-800-846-5279
  • Transunion – 1-800-916-8800

When you call to have the comments taken off your credit profile, you should hold to speak to a live customer service representative. If the agent cannot comply with your request to close the disputes on your report, it is a good idea to escalate the matter to a manager. 

You want to be respectful, polite, and appreciative to each representative that assists you. Most standard customer service representatives have limited power to change a consumer’s report. So, it may be necessary to talk to a supervisor to resolve the matter.

3. Contact the Creditor

If you try to remove dispute comments directly through the creditor and they are unable to assist you, you may need to contact your creditors directly. However, you need to be aware that if you have a balance on your account with some lenders, contacting them to request that the dispute be taken off may restart the debt clock. If that happens, the derogatory information could remain on your report for another seven years. 

4. Wait for the Comment to Come Off Your Report

Dispute comments generally stay on your report for up to two years. However, if the dispute was filed for inaccurate account information, such as a misspelled name, address, DOB, or other personal information, the comment may only appear on your report for a few months. 

credit report

Waiting for the dispute notes to come off your report may take some time. However, you may have to deal with derogatory marks for longer if you contact the creditor and ask them to remove dispute notes on an account with a past-due balance. So, waiting for the notes to fall off your report naturally may be a better option. 

What are Dispute Notes?

When you report inaccurate information, identity theft, or other errors, the investigating bureau adds a note to each disputed item on your report. The comment gives details about the nature of the dispute. 

The details remain on your report during the investigation, which takes around 30 days. If the reporting agency determines your dispute is valid, it will remove the inaccurate information and the comment from your profile. 

If the bureau finds that your dispute is invalid, the account or information and the dispute notes remain on your credit report for as long as two years or until the disputed debt comes off your report.

Why Do You Need to Remove Dispute Comments?

When you apply for a loan and the lender finds dispute verbiage when they pull your credit, they often see it as a red flag and deny your loan application. In some cases, especially if you are applying for a home loan, the lender will inform you that you need to remove the comments before they can proceed with the application process. 

Final Advice on How to Remove Dispute Comments from a Credit Report

When you apply for a mortgage or other types of financing and the lender finds dispute comments on your credit report, they will often deny your loan. In some cases, your loan officer will ask you to try to have the notes removed from your report. If you find yourself in that situation, the tips in this post should help you remove the comments.

Contacting the credit bureaus directly by phone is often the best way to get the dispute notes removed. If you do not get anywhere with the reporting agencies, you may be able to address the matter by contacting the creditors directly. However, you must proceed cautiously before contacting creditors for delinquent or charged-off accounts because it can reset the debt clock.

Read the other guides on our site to learn about other personal finance topics, like how to increase your cash flow.