EQUIFAX reporting IRS TAX LIEN -- not valid

[jh1514]

Hi,

I have looked for a letter to deal with this situation. My boyfriend has leased a house for years thinking his credit was bad. He has had issues, most from early 90's. I told him he was nuts for not pulling a credit report and see what is going on.

Several months ago, he pulled a report and was amazed at how great it looked! There was one thing that was not great. An IRS lien was showing live and active and has been there for years. This has effected his credit card % rates, Auto Insurance, Car Loans, Health insurance-----He is just now realizing this.

First thing he did was call the court house.(North Carolina) He is an appraiser and good friends with all of them. They sent him a sheet showing a lien was posted in early 90's and released within 30 days. He contacted Equifax and disputed. They wrote back and responded that his lien had been released this YEAR 2007 in April! He then called and asked about that and they said---Now that your lien is released, It will remain on your credit report for 7 more years.

He called the courthouse back. They have a sign in book for companies that come and collect data for Credit Bureaus. NO ONE been near that courthouse. They released his lien from thin air, but now going to mark him for 7 more years. I told him I feel they had their opportunity to make this right and just remove something that they had placed there incorrectly.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LONG GONE. If he had not checked , they would have continued to show an active IRS lien.

I recommended he write a letter telling him he was pursuing legal action if they did not remove completely. He should not have to do all of their work for them. They were not interested enough when he disputed and then called to really look into it.

AM I RIGHT? Is it time for a legal letter and a visit to same courthouse to file a lawsuit. In that county, he knows all of the players. HE REALIZES now it has cost him loads of $$$ in fees, percentages and refusals of credit.

I am looking for a letter or a lawyer on this board to contact for consultation.

I believe Equifax has stepped over the line. If you want to contact me off this thread, I will send an e-mail address.

Please advise,

Jane

[kevin3344]

According to the FCRA tax liens can only remain 7 years from date paid. Take your proof, make a copy and mail it to them CMRRR. Tell them the reporting time has expired. From now on you can skip talking to a CA or CRA on the phone; it seldom solves anything and often results in bad information.

[nascar]

Both the original lien and the release will have a public record book and page number, file number, whatever - Does the credit report include these numbers? If so, you have something to compare with the courthouse records. If not, then dispute again. But stop calling them! You're only going to get idiots on the phone who will do nothing but make your situation worse.

By the way, it makes no difference at all that your BF knows people at the courthouse, unless his friends at the courthouse are in the habit of falsifying public records. That doesn't buy you any influence with the IRS or Equifax.

[jh1514]

Thanks for the update---The only reason the influence helped at courthouse was to show that no one from Equifax had actually signed in in the last 3 months regarding to matter---(the sudden release) . It may have been a little harder to find that out regarding sign-in books.

I have no issue with the IRS---it is Equifax.

I agree regarding the phone---I told him the same thing---PHONE is useless; just an avenue he thought needed to be added to his data file.

I hear you on sending the copies of records. He has all of that in hand. I just think it is very wrong that he has to do the CB's work. It seems they are quick to add items, leave them far past 7 years and then argue about removing.

I may be totally wrong, but false reporting seems to be in order here. They have had it brought to their attention once via written dispute and once via phone.

Maybe I am being stubborn; the damage has been done. I really think his copies of paperwork should be attached to a civil suit. Just got a bee in my bonnet!

Jane