Disputed Tradelines
Manually Underwritten Loans
If the borrower has disputed information in their credit file, and the credit reporting company confirms that the disputed information is incorrect or incomplete and underwriting the loan needs to be completed before the credit files can be corrected, the lender cannot use the credit score(s) when manually underwriting the loan. Instead, the credit risk assessment must be based on a review of the borrower’s traditional credit history.
If there are multiple disputed tradelines or a dispute on a mortgage tradeline, the lender should obtain correspondence directly from the borrower indicating the reason for the dispute. The aspect of the tradeline–such as balance and payment history–that is being disputed is of particular interest when considering the impact to the borrower’s overall credit profile.
The lender is responsible for determining whether the borrower’s explanation is reasonable and/or whether additional documentation (such as canceled checks) is necessary to disprove the adverse information. Lenders are not required to investigate disputed medical tradelines.
For more information, see B3-5.2-03, Accuracy of Credit Information in a Credit Report.