Violation Encyclopedia
Plain-language explanations of the reporting concepts referenced throughout Dispute My Data. Each entry is educational — we describe the concept, not the proprietary detection logic behind our review.
Missing Payment History
A tradeline that is missing month-by-month payment history data, which is normally required to fully describe how an account has been paid.
Reporting Window Expired
An item that appears to remain on a report beyond the timeframe generally described by federal reporting rules.
Date of First Delinquency (DOFD)
The DOFD is the anchor date that starts the clock on how long negative information can generally be reported.
Inconsistent Account Status
Different fields on the same tradeline — or the same tradeline across bureaus — describe the account's status in ways that do not line up.
Balance Reporting Inconsistencies
Balances that do not appear to line up between related fields on a tradeline or between bureaus.
Collection Reporting Issues
Common patterns in how collection accounts are reported that deserve a closer educational look.