One of my clients was a victim of identity theft. The FACT (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions) Act of 2003 was designed to help Americans better monitor their credit reports, and spot identity theft. She is very near the end of the ordeal, which means she's almost done fixing her credit report. The FACT Act is certaining helping her to regain her life. But one of the 3 credit repositories, in this case Equifax, has still not erased the erroneous data on her credit report. This is preventing her from obtaining a home loan.

As a mortgage consultant to my clients I advise them to take certain steps so their desired outcome will become a reality, relieving the burden and pointing out quicker pahts where ever possible. After that, it is us to the individual to take ownership of the problem. This particular client has been very persistent and has taken the bull by the horns.

To fix specific errors with Equifax, I had told her, the recommendation is to first try going directly to www.equifax.com, which she has already tried. Here are some ideas on what to do next.

Since that isn't working, consumer groups like the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at www.privacyrights.org, Consumers Union at www.consumersunion.org (specifically http://www.consumersunion.org/issues/creditmatters.html), the Identify Theft Resource Center at www.idtheftcenter.org, and the California Public Interest Research Group at www.calpirg.org can be of great help and can offer you advice about getting your credit report fixed.