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An agency is responsible for noting that there is a dispute over information that is reported on a consumer report if the consumer directly notifies the agency. It is the agency’s responsibility to investigate and record the status of the disputed information or delete the information from the consumer report. There is a 30-day time frame that begins on the day the agency receives the formal notice of dispute from the consumer, during which the investigation must be completed. If, during the course of the investigation, the agency receives additional “relevant” information pertaining to the dispute, they are responsible for extending the investigation period for an additional 15 days. The agency does not have to provide a 15 day extension if, during the initial 30 day period, it determines that the information that a consumer has supplied to support their dispute is “inaccurate,” “incomplete,” or unverifiable.

If, after investigating the dispute, the agency determines that the furnisher of the disputed information (creditor) provided “inaccurate or incomplete,” information, the agency must correct the information as it is reported on the file, or delete the incorrect information. If information is deleted as a result of a dispute investigation and it is in excess of three days since receiving notice of dispute from a client, the agency must mail written notice to the consumer of the results of the investigation within 5 business days. The written notice has to include a statement that the investigation is complete and a copy of the consumer report that reflects any changes that resulted from the dispute investigation. It must also include a notice advising that the consumer has the right to add a statement to their file that disputes the “accuracy and completeness of the information”(see consumer statement.) The agency must provide a confirmation of the consumer’s right to have the agency provide notification to any person who previously had received a copy of the incorrect report within 5 business days. Specifically, the agency must submit a copy of the corrected report to any person who received the report within two years prior for employment purposes, and to any person who received the incorrect report “for any other purpose” within six months prior to the correction. If the consumer requests, the bureau is responsible for including a description of the procedure that was used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information within 15 days after receiving the request. If an agency deletes information as the result of the dispute within three business days or less from the day that the agency received a notice of dispute from a client, they may notify the consumer by telephone of the deletion.

The agency is responsible for reviewing all the “relevant information” that a consumer provides but they can end the investigation if the consumer does not provide enough information to support their investigation. The agency may also terminate the investigation if they “reasonably determine” that the dispute is “frivolous” or “irrelevant” and they must notify the consumer within 5 days. The notification must include the reason for terminating the investigation and it must identify information that is required to investigate the dispute.

When an agency provides notification of the results of an investigation to a consumer, they must include a notice that the consumer has the right to request that the agency submit notification to other agencies through an automated system that enables them to share information with other bureaus.

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