Answers About Credit Card Disputes
Select from the following questions about credit card disputes, billing errors, and other credit dispute questions.
- What do I do if my bill (credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit) is wrong? How do I file a billing dispute?
- My credit card / home equity line of credit / personal line of credit is involved in a billing dispute/error. Can the bank apply late fees and interest while this is being investigated?
- How long can the bank take to resolve my billing error/dispute on my credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit?
- I currently have a billing dispute regarding my credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit. While the dispute was under investigation, the bank reported my account negatively to the credit-reporting agencies. Can it do this?
- My bank told me it would report my loan to the credit bureau if it ever was more than 60 days past due but they reported the loan at only 30 days past due. Can the bank do this?
What do I do if my bill (credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit) is wrong? How do I file a billing dispute?
For any charges that you believe are in error, notify your bank in writing. Use the billing error instructions that appear on the back of the periodic credit card statement.
Please note: Send your letter to the address specified after “Send Billing Inquiries to:” on the back of the statement. This address usually differs from where you send your payment.
The credit card company must receive your letter within 60 days of its sending you the first statement on which the billing error appeared.
March 2010
My credit card / home equity line of credit / personal line of credit is involved in a billing dispute/error. Can the bank apply late fees and interest while this is being investigated?
Generally, if you have filed a proper billing dispute with the bank, you would not need to pay—and the bank cannot try to collect—any portion of any required payment that you believe is related to the disputed amount while the dispute is being investigated. This includes related finance or other charges.
However, the bank can act to collect any undisputed portion of the item or bill.
March 2010
How long can the bank take to resolve my billing error/dispute on my credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit?
Generally, the bank shall mail or deliver written acknowledgement to you within 30 days of receiving your written billing error notice. If the bank determines that a billing error has occurred, it shall resolve it within two complete billing cycles—but no later than 90 days after receiving a billing error notice.
If the bank determines that no billing error occurred, it shall mail or deliver to you an explanation with the reasons why it believes that no error occurred.
If the bank determines that a billing error occurred as claimed, then it must correct the billing error and credit your account with any disputed amount and any related finance or other charges and must send a correction notice to you.
March 2010
I currently have a billing dispute regarding my credit card / personal line of credit / home equity line of credit. While the dispute was under investigation, the bank reported my account negatively to the credit-reporting agencies. Can it do this?
No. Generally, if you have filed a proper billing error dispute, the bank shall not make (or threaten to make) an adverse report to any person about your credit standing.
The bank also should not report that an amount or account is delinquent because you failed to pay the disputed amount—or related finance or other charges—while the investigation proceeds.
If the bank is a national bank and you want to file a complaint with the OCC, visit the OCC complaint page.
March 2010
My bank told me it would report my loan to the credit bureau if it ever was more than 60 days past due but they reported the loan at only 30 days past due. Can the bank do this?
Generally, yes, as long as the information is accurate, the bank can report its experience with your loans to a credit bureau at any time. This includes information about loans that you are paying as agreed as well as those that are delinquent. The only exception is if your account agreement provided that the bank would not report your account as delinquent until you were more than 60 days past due.
March 2010
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