Editing Debt collection (section)

====Fair Credit Reporting Act====
{{main|Fair Credit Reporting Act}}

In the United States, the [[Fair Credit Reporting Act]] (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates the manner in which consumer credit reporting agencies may maintain credit information. Among the protections the FCRA offers to consumers:

* If an error occurs in the reporting of debt, the credit reporting agencies and information suppliers have a 21-day safe harbor period to correct the error and the safe harbor period can be used as an affirmative defense in a lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web|title=15 U.S. Code §&nbsp;1681n - Civil liability for willful noncompliance|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681n|website=Legal Information Institute|publisher=Cornell Law School|access-date=23 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=15 U.S.C. § 1681o: US Code - Section 1681O: Civil liability for negligent noncompliance|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681o|website=FindLaw|access-date=14 June 2017}}</ref>
* If a debtor pays off a collection account, the item may remain on the debtor's credit report but must be marked "paid".
* If information about debt that appears on a credit report is disputed by the debtor, the credit reporting agency must investigate the dispute.<ref name="FTCdispute">{{cite web|title=Disputing Errors on Credit Reports|url=https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0151-disputing-errors-credit-reports|website=Federal Trade Commission|access-date=14 June 2017|date=February 2017}}</ref> Unless the dispute is deemed frivolous, the credit reporting agency must normally complete its investigation within thirty days.<ref name="FTCdispute"/>