You have the new car all picked out. You have done the math over and over again, and you can afford the monthly payments. Suddenly, just before you get the keys, you find out that your credit score isn't high enough. Don't be embarrassed. This can and has happened to many people. Now you know that it is time to clean up your credit report. Contrary to popular belief there are many things you can do on your own to clean up your credit report. You can take steps to have both false and negative information removed from your report.

First of all, make a copy of your credit report and circle all the information that you believe is incorrect and would like to have changed. Write a letter to the credit reporting agency and request an investigation to dispute any false information. If you have paper work supporting your claims, include it. Send all the materials by certified mail with a return receipt so that you can prove the package was received. Send a similar letter to each creditor whose information you disagree with. If your dispute involves personal information, such as your current address, then include a copy of your driver's license to prove your current address.

The credit reporting agency will then initiate an investigation. They will contact each of the creditors that you are disputing information with and require them to verify the information. If they can not or do not do this, the false information will be removed. If the investigation finds an error, you have the right to ask that a report be sent to everyone that received the bad information.

If the credit reporting agency reports that the information they have is accurate, they must provide you with the current contact information of the creditor that is supplying the information. If you disagree, you can initiate a second investigation. Sometimes you will hit a dead end. It can sometimes be difficult to have information changed. Be persistent. Eventually, you will get the item removed.

Negative information can be more difficult, yet not impossible to remove. A bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for ten years. Most other types of negative information will drop off after seven years. If you have an account that was previously past due, but has been brought up to current, you can often get the creditor to remove the negative information. Write them a letter and ask them to remove the negative information. If they see that the account is current, often times they will comply. Another tactic is to dispute an item that you know is accurate. You may have to fight your conscience a bit, but you can dispute any item and take the chance that it will be removed.

Always be very careful when giving any personal information out online or over the phone. Make sure you are dealing with a reputable agency.