Yet another tax lien problem/MOV results

[sunset]

Hi guys! Hope you're all doing well! We disputed an inaccurate tax lien pay-off date with EX and TU. It came back verified. Ok.. we wrote them to inquire about their method of validation. We got a generic letter from EX stating (in bits n pieces): ""Please refer to the personal credit report you received for the name, phone number, and address of the credit grantor who verified this information," and," you may wish to contact the credit grantor directly to resolve your issue." DH's report lists the court house. No phone, no address, no department contact info. If we can't call/write to verify, how did they?

Also, "When you question information on your personal credit report and tell us specifically why you believe the informaiton is inaccurate or incomplete, we contact the source of the information through an automated verification system or letter," and, " According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a national consumer credit reporting company's role in the dispute process is to investigate information to determine the accuracy and completeness of any disputed item by contacting the source of the disputed information and informing them of all relevant information regarding the consumer's dispute." We did exactly that. We disputed the date paid/resolved date. They are reporting it as 5/2008 when our paperwork shows paid 02/2008. We told them why it was inaccurate. We did what they require we do.

They also state,"Without additional relevant information in support of this dispute, you will not receive notice again regarding this particular dispute." Am I safe to assume they want copies of our paperwork in order to verify? Shouldn't they be able to verify without our paperwork? Or could this be a stall letter? I thought it was general knowledge not to send any paperwork regarding tax liens, etc. Does this also mean they will not re-investigate this tax lien again even though it's incorrect? As I understand, tax liens remain 7 years from date paid, not date reported. Correct?

Admin or CIC guru's... is this a genuine MOV reply from a CRA or should there have been more, such as who they contacted, how, what department, phone number, address, etc? (this was our first mov letter)

[Ahntara]

"...is this a genuine MOV reply..."

Yes. You requested the method and they replied, "...automated verfication system or letter...".

"...If we can't...verify, how did they..."

They purchase Public Records data, like Tax Liens, from secondary databases like INNOVIS & LexisNexis. Gathering PR's used to be done by independent contractors who sold the data to the small CRA's, who re-sold to the big 3. Nowadays, it probably can be done online. But once inaccurate info gets into the 'system', like your incorrect pay-off date, it can be difficult to fix. It may be that there was delay in getting the 'paid' notation recorded in your county. That could easily account for a 3-mo difference. It's typical for the CRA's to rely on a recorded, official, date rather than the actual pay-off date, which only you may have access to in your records.

"...stall letter..."

Nope, no stall. You asked for the method and they gave it to you.

"...from date paid, not date reported..."

'Date paid' relates to the plain language in the FCRA. The reality is that the CRA's don't know when a lien was paid and will default to a recorded date on the disposition. They get that wiggle room from an SOP perspective on PR's. You may have to file suit to get them to recognize your actual pay-off date.

"...general knowledge not to send any paperwork..."

Sending paperwork connects the lien to you. If you want to aim for suppression in the future, that would be problematic. You can't very well dispute as 'not mine' if you've previously supplied a pay-off date or Release of Lien. However, in your case, sending the paperwork may also get this resolved. All PR's need a disposition. Whether or not you want yours displayed on your CR is up to you.

Be aware, it's typical for the CRA's not to accept your documentation as 'proof'. They will still verify through their sources. So, it's best to check the appropriate County Recorder's Office to see what they have in their records as the Release date. You may also wish to check your INNOVIS report as well. You can search here for contact info.

[sunset]

Thanks! I appreciate it. My question to them was the method of verification for that particular entry. I didn't ask for a 'blanket' response for all disputes, which is what they gave me.