Survey: 23% of Americans Report Errors in Credit Information

Nearly one-quarter of Americans say they have encountered problems with their credit report, according to a survey from ""FindLaw.com"":http://www.findlaw.com/, a legal information website.

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Twenty-three percent of Americans surveyed said they have had a problem with their credit report at one point or another, with inaccurate or outdated personal/credit information being the most common complaint. Other errors include incorrect credit scores and identity theft/mix-ups. Many consumers reported being denied credit because of these issues, according to FindLaw.

While the frequency of these mistakes may cause concern, the vast majority of people who had problems in the past say they were able to correct the issue. According to the survey, 68 percent of people who found a problem said it was later corrected to their satisfaction; an additional 14 percent encountered multiple problems but were able to get at least one corrected.

The remaining 18 percent were never able to get their problems corrected, FindLaw reported.

The report comes on the heels of another recent survey, which found that 22 percent of Americans have never checked their credit report to verify accuracy, despite the fact that credit reporting agencies are required to provide free copies annually upon request.

""It's important to check your credit report periodically to ensure the information it contains about you is accurate and up to date,"" said Stephanie Rahlfs, attorney and editor with FindLaw.com. ""The credit reporting agencies all have detailed procedures for correcting errors. And our survey found that people are generally having success in getting the agencies to correct those errors.""