When you catch a glimpse of McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff (MB&W), the third-party collection agency, on your credit report, it is simply nerve-racking. This is a company that collects outstanding debt on behalf of creditors. In such a scenario, you may ask, "How do I remove them from my credit report?"
Luckily, you can dispute the entry, and it may or may not get removed. CreditSage is always with you throughout the credit report disputes, gently guiding you past the financial train wreck.
Understand McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff & The Effect Of Their Credit Report
McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff is a debt collection agency that may have some things to report on your credit report after trying to get money from you. They handle collections for various creditors like credit card companies, medical providers, and utilities. Thus, when you read on your credit report that MB&W is collecting, it basically means they are attempting to get an overdue debt from you.
A collection account is reported to the credit bureaus and will carry a substantial cost associated with your credit score. Some accounts could stay out there for seven years in a collection, so getting loans or loans with a better interest rate can be extremely hard. Because of this, it is very important to stay ahead of the game if you see MB&W on your report, especially if the debt is not yours or if any of the reporting contains errors.
Before doing anything relevant to the removal of McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff from your credit report, you must first verify whether the debt they are reporting really exists. Collection agencies often report these invalid or outdated debts, and you may be able to dispute and get them removed. CreditSage also runs the entire dispute on clients' behalf in a careful and proper way to fix all inaccuracies.
Verify the Debt and Gather Documentation
The first step is verifying that the debt the company has been reporting is real. You may be one of those people who are stunned at finding they do not owe a debt or that the findings on their credit report are incorrect. The first thing to do is ask McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff for a debt validation letter. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), they have to prove to you that the debt belongs to you. The validation letter should say who the original creditor is, how much is owed, and any other relevant information about the debt. Be sure to look for anything in the letter that might lead you to doubt whether or not the debt is legitimate.
After you have received a debt validation letter, use it to compare the information included with your own records. Look for any differences, such as amounts, dates, or account numbers that are incorrect. You may have grounds to dispute the debt if the information is incorrect or doesn't belong to you. CreditSage can help you with this whole process by making sure that you have the right information and documents to dispute mistakes on your credit report.
McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff may not respond to your validation request, which means they can no longer validate the debt. If this is the case, you get to request that the credit bureaus remove the collection account from your report. If they respond, read the debt validation letter very carefully and find enough supporting documents to solidify your case.
Dispute the Debt with the Credit Bureaus
After gathering necessary documentation, and the debt receipt is duly validated, the next step is to initiate a formal dispute with the credit bureaus. Three major credit bureaus to consider are namely Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each of these three has its own procedure for filing disputes, but, for the most part, they go through pretty much the same basic channel.
Your dispute can be filed online, by phone, or by mail, and has to include a proper request with descriptions such as:
- A simple statement notifying McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff about the disputed collection entry.
- Proof asserting the debt to be inaccurate, invalid, or old, not limited to the debt validation letter or any other relevant information.
- A request for an investigation with the intention of having the credit bureau remove the collection account from your report.
The credit bureaus are, of course, required to respond to the dispute within 30 days following receipt of the application. During that time, the credit bureaus will be required to contact McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff to verify the accuracy of the information it has reported. If the debt collector cannot validate that debt, then the collection account cannot remain on your credit report.
CreditSage does this for you by making sure that all necessary documents are correctly submitted and that your dispute is filed in a timely manner. This leaves you to concentrate on other aspects of your financial health as the organization works on redressing entries for you.
Follow Up and Monitor Your Report
Once you file a dispute with the credit bureaus, you will monitor your credit file for the removal or correction efforts that are going on regarding the collection account from McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff. While the investigation should be finalized within 30 days, it could be worthwhile to follow up after this period to determine the action that has taken place.
In most cases, successful disputes that see a collection account deleted result in a notice from the credit bureau confirming that the entry has been amended. If the dispute is not resolved successfully, the account will remain. In such instances, further evidence or complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can help go to the next step of dispute.
If McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff does not respond to your dispute or they keep on reporting inaccurate information, you may need to escalate to the CFPB. The CFPB can investigate the debt collection practices of McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff and assure their compliance with the law. Depending on the circumstances, you can also consult an attorney about your options.
The whole dispute will be followed up and tracked at CreditSage while further actions are taken so that the credit report gets corrected. Our team tirelessly works to resolve any discrepancies and hence improve your credit health.
Seeking Legal Assistance If Necessary
If there is continued inaccurate reporting of information on your credit report by McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff, or if there has been a violation of debt collection laws, then seeking legal assistance might be necessary. However, a debt collector is fully under the necessity of subjecting itself to strict guidelines under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and failure to do so can result in serious legal consequences.
If you believe that McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff is practicing illegally by way of such acts as reporting incorrect information, harassment, and failure to validate a debt, then you may want to consult a consumer rights attorney. The attorney specializing in credit law can review your case and help you take legal actions to get the collection account from your credit report expunged. Also, if a violation of your rights is established, the attorney may also assist you in recovering rewards for other harms caused by the illegal actions of your collector.
Some may argue that litigation usually represents the last resort, while others would say it may have become necessary, given the unavailability or failure of other means of resolving a conflict. We at CreditSage support our clients in the dispute cases involving credit reports so they have an advantage in these complex matters. Although legal action is somewhat unusual, we can walk you through the options before you and help you take corrective measures to protect your credit.
Expert Help Through CreditSage
While dealing with a collection account possibly lodged from McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff can be quite a daunting and stressful proposition, this is, nonetheless, one account that can be removed from your report after the dispute of an error. Such processes may include verifying debt, submitting disputes for inaccuracies consigned to the credit bureau, monitoring the progress on one's report, and, where necessary, involving a lawyer.
At CreditSage, we focus on the entire dispute process of our clients to the utmost care, guaranteeing that their credit health is protected against harm by correcting inaccuracies. In case of being caught up with collection activities from McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff or any other collection agency, do not hesitate to approach us for expert help in restoring your credit report.