8. Public Records Challenge

Welcome to this module. The Public Record Challenge Letter module. And in this module, I’m going to break down exactly how you can address public records on your file. So here is what we’re going to cover. So the very first thing I’m going to break down is the data input format you want to use when entering your data on this challenge letter. I’m also going to break down the public records that can be included on this particular challenge letter. So if you’re watching this video right now, this means you have public records that you need to address that you audited when you were doing this in week two. Then I’m just going to show you how to use this template letter generator once you understand what public records that can be included. So the very first thing I’m going to go and hop in is that data input format.

So if you’ve already watched previous modules. You’ve seen this before, but if you’re skipping to this module, because you want to address public records, I want to cover this. So you know. So you want to only want to enter in your first name, your last name, your street number only. Your street name, only. City, state zip, and then the public record data that you have recorded from your credit report when you were auditing it. So notice, The first initial of the word or name is always going to be capital and then everything else after that will be lowercase. So you can notice that that’s how it’s completed on this particular document. And this is how you’re going to input this data on your challenge letter generator. Now, the next thing we want to cover is the type of public records to include. So bankruptcies, whether it’s chapter 7 or chapter 13 can be included.

Now, if you’re in this program, you have a discharged bankruptcy, especially if you are chapter 13. So you only want to do this if it’s a discharged bankruptcy. If you have a judgment, for whatever reason showing in your credit report, this can be included. Tax liens, whether it’s a federal or state tax lien, this also can be included. Foreclosures, if this is showing in your credit file, this can be included. Now, the thing about foreclosures and tax liens, they probably won’t show up on the public records side of your credit report. They may just show up as a tax lien, but this is the challenge letter you want to include when challenging those. Short sales – same exact thing. So it may not show up in the public record data section of Identity IQ or SmartCredit, but it is a public record. Child support and alimony in arrears are big ones.

These are public records, and they typically don’t show up in the public records section, but they should be included in a public record challenge because this is public record information. All right? So these are the type of accounts that you can include. The most common again, obviously it’s bankruptcies, but if you have any of these other ones shown in your report, in addition to bankruptcy, then it needs to be included on this specific challenge letter, and you want to send separate ones, separate challenges for each one. Now in this first round, if you’re watching this and this is the round one, you can include all of these, but as we start to get skinny, we’re going to send specific challenges because of TMF like already covered. So what I’m going to do is get out of this and then I’m going to just show you how to fill out this letter. So give me one second and I’m going to scroll down right below this video, and here is a template letter generator. So the very first thing we’re going to do is start with the date. So we would just enter in whatever date we’re in. Okay. Then we’re going to choose a credit report data source. Let’s just say it’s SmartCredit.

Then we’re going to enter in our name, following the format that we just covered, our email address that we are going to have our letter sent at. Okay. And then we’re going to enter in the last four digits of our social security number. Then we’re going to enter in our address following the format that we just covered. There we go.

And again, you don’t have to include the zip. You can include it if you want, then we’re going to include our date of birth. So if we were born in August 1983, we would choose the month then the year first, then we would choose a date. Then we’re going to choose the credit bureau address. So let’s just say we’re choosing TransUnion. We choose TransUnion. We can just select any of these tracking numbers. It really doesn’t matter. And then we’re just going to enter in our public record details. Now notice we only want to include up to 5 public records on one challenge letter. Only because public records a little bit more specific and they’re not necessarily accounts. They’re public record information. So what we’re doing is we’re challenging the bureaus from a reporting perspective, and we’re looking to get that removed from reporting. Okay? So we only want to challenge up to 5.

And like I was saying at the beginning of this video, if we want to get real specific, we will only send one public record per challenge. But if this is the first round, you can include more than one. So let’s go ahead and go to our audit sheet. So you would go to the public records section of your audit sheet, and let’s just say, it’s a chapter 7 bankruptcy. Then you would just do, let’s just say it’s only with let’s just assume it was with all three bureaus, with all of them, just to keep this simple. If it was with both, with both of these were on your TransUnion report, you would just do command C and then command V and then the same exact thing. Again, you would do command C then command V, just like that. And then you would just hit the submit button.

And that will be for your TransUnion challenge letter. Right. Now. Again, notice did you see what I just did. I went ahead and hit submit, but I didn’t do the dots. So we have to make sure we always hit the dot, dot, dot because we have to put something in there because it’s not going to allow us to submit it. Now, once we have this done for TransUnion, we’re going to do the same exact thing for Experian and Equifax. Then we hit submit. Then we’re going to watch that video right here on that page, showing us exactly how to access our letter, download our letter, and that will be it. So congratulations on completing your challenge letter for public records! I will see you in the next module.