How to Remove LVNV Funding LLC from Your Credit Report

LVNV Funding is a collection agency notorious for suing people whose debts they have purchased. If you have recently discovered an LVNV Funding collection on your credit report, or one of their debt collectors has contacted you, keep reading to learn how to remove LVNV Funding from your credit report.

What to do when LVNV Funding calls

Know your rights

First of all, if you're receiving harassing calls from a collection agency, you need to not only know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but be willing to stand up against collection agencies who attempt to violate your rights under this law. Debt collectors, including LVNV Funding, often use questionable tactics to collect on debts. Many just assume that you're oblivious to your rights.

Continue communication in writing

The most important step you can take to avoid getting into a bad situation with LVNV Funding is to make sure you only communicate via snail mail. Many people get into trouble when they attempt to negotiate with debt collectors over the phone. This is because there’s nothing on paper, and the debt collectors can go back on promises simply because there’s no proof, no paper trail.

In order to get LVNV Funding to stop calling you, you will need to firmly tell them that you understand your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and you demand that all future communication goes via mail.

Now with that in place, let's get to the steps you can take to get LVNV Funding collections removed from your credit report.

Debt validation

Next, you should send LVNV Funding a debt validation letter. This is simply a letter demanding they prove the debt is actually yours. In many cases, especially since they purchased the debt from the original creditor, they won't be able to provide documentation that validates the debt is yours. It's definitely possible that the information they have about the debt is inaccurate as well.

If they’re unable to provide accurate documentation within 30 days that shows that the debt is yours, they will be required to remove the entry from your credit report. The easiest way to write a debt validation letter is to use a debt validation template.

Advanced dispute letter

In the case that LVNV Funding was able to provide you with documentation that shows the debt is yours, you should continue with the next step, which is writing an advanced dispute letter. This is a letter that’s written to the three credit bureaus that dispute inaccurate information on the LVNV Funding collection entry.

There’s a key difference between simply disputing the entry and using the advanced method. With the advanced method, get a copy of your current credit report and find the LVNV Funding entry. Carefully look over the entry to find any inaccuracies. A few examples are balance, high balance, all dates, the amount owed, name, and address — basically anything you can find that's not correct.

Once you have a list of inaccuracies, write a letter to all three credit bureaus that outlines what’s inaccurate, demanding that it's either corrected or deleted. They'll have 30 days to respond. The trick with this method is that because you're so specific in what's inaccurate, LVNV Funding will probably be unable to provide the correct information, and the bureau will remove it.

Pay for delete method

When you're unable to find any inaccurate information on your credit report for the collection, you can always offer to pay the debt if LVNV agrees to remove it from your credit report. Keep in mind that there’s always room to negotiate here, so never assume that you'll have to pay in full for them to agree to remove it. The only problem with this is that you'll actually need the money. That said, it's a very effective way to remove negative items from your credit report. Also, make sure that you always get everything in writing. Never make a verbal agreement!

Final thoughts on removing LVNV Funding LLC from your credit report

All the above methods will require a lot of time and commitment on your end. It's definitely possible to go the "do-it-yourself" route, but just keep in mind you'll need to be patient. People have been able to remove LVNV Funding with the help of a professional. This is usually the quickest way to get it done.

Phone number: 888-665-0374

Update: This article has been updated to reflect LVNV’s current contact information.

Disclaimer: This story was originally published on August 21, 2017, on BetterCreditBlog.org. To find the most relevant information concerning collections or credit card inquiries, please visit: https://money.com/how-to-remove-collections-from-credit-report/ or https://money.com/get-items-removed-from-credit-report/