Bay EvidenceInvestigative research · Bay Area public systemsYou do not know which report was used.
Begin with the adverse-action notice and application correspondence. Then consult the CFPB consumer-reporting company list for the relevant market.
Citizens Transparency Institute
Find the record. Test the claim. Know what is held about you.
Public beta · Reviewed 15 Aug 2026Citizen Data Audit
Find, inspect, and correct the files used to judge you.
A personal-data audit for credit, housing, employment, banking, insurance, criminal-history, utility, identity, income, and government records—with documentation strong enough to support a dispute.
CTI public guideReviewed 15 Aug 2026Browser-local tools
Use this when
- Preparing for housing, employment, banking, credit, insurance, licensing, or benefits.
- Responding to an adverse-action notice, identity theft, a mixed file, or unexplained denial.
- Establishing what a consumer reporting company or government body holds about you.
Do not use this for
- Requesting another person’s consumer report without a permissible purpose and authorization.
- Sending identity documents through unverified email, search ads, or third-party sites.
- Disputing accurate negative information solely because it is unfavorable.
Before you begin
Prepare the file before you search.
- Secure email and device
- Government identification only when the verified provider requires it
- Recent addresses and name variants
- Adverse-action notices
- Account/application dates and reference numbers
- Encrypted or otherwise protected storage
- Calendar for response deadlines
End-to-end method
- 01
Start with the decision
Read every adverse-action notice. It should identify the consumer reporting company used and explain dispute rights; the decision-maker and reporting company have different roles.
- 02
Inventory report families
Request nationwide credit reports, then applicable tenant, employment, check/banking, utility, insurance, medical-underwriting, criminal-history, identity, and income files.
- 03
Use verified channels
Navigate from official regulator or company pages, confirm the domain, and provide only identity material required for your own file.
- 04
Audit fields systematically
Check name, date of birth, SSN fragments, addresses, employers, accounts, balances, dates, inquiries, court disposition, source, and whether data belong to someone else.
- 05
Build the dispute packet
Identify each item, state the specific error, request correction or deletion, attach only relevant evidence, keep originals, and preserve delivery proof.
- 06
Track reinvestigation
A consumer reporting company generally investigates within 30 days; some circumstances permit 45 days. Review the result and revised report rather than assuming the correction propagated.
- 07
Escalate the documented failure
Dispute with the furnisher where appropriate, contact the CFPB or relevant regulator after completing the direct process, and consult qualified counsel for consequential or repeated violations.
Browser-local dispute draft
Describe the error, not merely the harm.
Subject: Dispute of inaccurate consumer-report information To: [consumer reporting company or furnisher] I dispute the following item in my consumer report or file disclosure: [identify account, record, inquiry, case, or personal-information field and report/reference number] The information is inaccurate or incomplete because: [state the specific factual error and identify the supporting document] Please conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, review the enclosed relevant evidence, correct or delete information that cannot be verified accurately, and send me the written result and an updated copy of my report. Please also provide any notices and procedural information required by applicable law. Sincerely, [Name] [Current address] [Report/reference number]
Working file
Take the method into your own case.
Generated locally in your browser. CTI does not receive the file.
Evidence standard
What good evidence looks like
- The complete file disclosure and report number
- Adverse-action notice naming the reporting company
- Primary account, court, identity, or payment record showing the error
- A precise dispute with proof of delivery
- Investigation result and revised report
- A timeline of reinsertion, recurrence, or continuing harm
Failure modes & escalation
The company cannot verify your identity.
Use its official instructions, confirm address/name variations, submit only requested documentation, and retain a redacted copy and delivery receipt.
A dispute returns ‘verified’ without resolving the evidence.
Request the description of procedure used where available, dispute directly with the furnisher, identify the precise contradiction, and preserve the result for regulator or counsel review.
Identity theft affects multiple systems.
Create an IdentityTheft.gov recovery plan, place appropriate fraud alerts or freezes, contact affected furnishers, and track each report separately.
Worked patterns
Mixed tenant file
Compare full identifiers, jurisdiction, case number, filing and disposition, addresses, and screening-company source. A name match is not enough.
Employment discrepancy
Compare the employer, dates, title, status, and compensation fields with payroll records, tax forms, and the source identified by the screening company.
Freeze versus fraud alert
A security freeze restricts access to a credit file until lifted; a fraud alert asks creditors to take added identity-verification steps. Select based on the threat and planned applications.
Authority desk
Official sources and specialist guides
Authority labels distinguish government sources from independent guidance. Links were reviewed 15 Aug 2026; procedures and law can change.
AnnualCreditReport.com
Official federally authorized source
Access reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion through the authorized channel.
CFPB consumer reporting company list
Official · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Directory of nationwide and specialty reporting companies by market.
CFPB dispute guidance
Official · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Steps for disputing report errors with reporting companies and furnishers.
IdentityTheft.gov
Official · Federal Trade Commission
Personal recovery plans and identity-theft reporting.
FBI Identity History Summary
Official · Federal Bureau of Investigation
How to request your FBI identity-history summary and challenge it.
California DOJ record review
Official · California Department of Justice
California criminal-history record review and claimed-inaccuracy process.
Social Security earnings record
Official · Social Security Administration
Review earnings and benefit information through a secure account.
IRS tax transcripts
Official · Internal Revenue Service
Request tax-account and return transcript information through verified IRS channels.
Continue the method