From the number of searches on Google it appears that some people believe that a credit repair sample letter is the silver bullet that will solve all their problems and magically restore their credit rating. Needless to say matters are not quite that simple and it will take more than a sample credit repair letter to allow them to escape from their predicament. This article will look the reasons why such a letter is needed, what it can achieve and why rather more than a sample letter is often required.

The first step for someone with a low credit score is to obtain his or her credit reports from the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Trans Union and Experian. These can be obtained free once a year, but if required more frequently will involve a fee. The reports should be checked for any inaccurate or out of date information.

You might think that records maintained by the credit bureaus would be reasonably accurate, with possibly a few minor errors here and there. Not unless things have changed drastically since a report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group published in 1998. This revealed that 70% of the credit reports contained either serious errors or some other kind of mistakes. Nearly one third of the reports contained errors that were serious enough to result in the denial of credit.

Your credit reports should be checked carefully and all inaccurate or out dated records noted. The incorrect entries should be challenged and this is where the sample credit repair letter is required. While the credit bureaus are required by law to act on receipt of your letter, they are entitled to reject it if they consider it to be frivolous. This might occur if the letter merely stated that there were errors on the report without specifying exactly what they were, or failed to provide evidence to back up your claim.

Since the credit bureaus are for profit companies whose business is to supply credit reports to banks and other lenders, they will have little interest in assisting consumers over and above their strict legal obligations. For this reason it is suggested that if there are a number of errors on your credit report, you should send separate letters for each rather than one letter covering everything, since this is more likely to be rejected as frivolous.

There are many places on the internet where you can find sample credit repair letters, both paid and free. One of the simplest is on the Federal Trade Commission’s website. The essential ingredients of the letter are your notice that you are disputing an entry, details of the alleged erroneous entry and your evidence to back up your claim. If you are lucky your letter will achieve the desired result, but often it will take more than one letter. If this is the case you may have to resort to employing a credit repair specialist.