“Reinsertion” under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) means that a credit bureau has started to again report inaccurate information that was previously disputed by a consumer and removed or suppressed by a credit bureau — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and others — from the consumer’s credit file. Reinsertion often happens when a disputed/deleted account tradeline is sold by the original creditor to a debt collector. Though less common than when a deleted debt is reported to a credit bureau by a collection agency, unlawful reinsertion also happens when the original creditor falsely certifies the accuracy of a bogus debt.
Pursuant to the FCRA, credit bureaus (a/k/a consumer reporting agencies or CRAs) are permitted to reinsert information that was previously disputed and deleted only in very rare instances.
Previously disputed and deleted information about you may be reinserted (re-reported) only when the following criteria are met:
- The furnisher of the information certifies that the disputed information is accurate; and
- The credit bureau notifies you in writing within five business days of the fact that it has reinserted the previously disputed information. In that written notice, the CRA must also provide you with contact information for the furnisher that certified the accuracy of the disputed information.
Reinsertion can be a serious violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you suspect that one or more credit bureaus unlawfully reinserted information into your credit file (if previously disputed and deleted information has reappeared on your credit report(s)), you have the right under the FCRA to again dispute the inaccurate information. A consumer law firm — Sherman & Ticchio or any other member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates that focuses on credit reporting issues — can guide you through this process.