Your credit report says you're deceased. You're not.

Where can the notation appear?

Check each place separately, because a dispute goes to whoever is reporting the information.

• In the personal information section of one or more bureau files
• On an individual account, as reported by the lender or servicer
• On a joint account after a co-borrower or spouse died
• At one bureau but not another

How do you dispute a deceased notation?

Write down the exact wording and location first, then dispute with everyone reporting it.

1. Get your report from each nationwide bureau and note exactly where the notation appears and how it is worded.
2. Identify the company reporting it if the notation is tied to a specific account.
3. Prepare identity documentation: government ID, proof of address, and Social Security documentation.
4. Dispute in writing with each bureau and with that company, and keep proof of what you sent and when.
5. Keep the results notice, check your reports again, and act if the notation returns.
6. Ask any lender that restricted an account whether it will revisit that decision once the reporting is corrected.

If you cannot get your report through the bureau's own process, the bureaus publish mail and phone options for requesting a file. We cannot access or unlock your credit file for you.

When might it make sense to talk with an FCRA attorney?

These are examples worth discussing; you do not have to wait for another dispute to ask about your rights:

• You sent identity documentation and the notation is still reported
• The notation was removed and then reported again
• A company kept reporting it after being told it was wrong
• The reporting was used in a decision that affected you, such as an account restriction or a denial

Credit Hound is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. No one can promise that a case will be accepted or that any particular result will follow.