Quick Answer: TransUnion and Experian have sharply reduced how often they fix errors on consumer credit reports — and it’s not an accident. A ProPublica investigation found Experian’s consumer relief rate collapsed from nearly 20% in 2024 to under 1% in 2025. TransUnion’s rate dropped approximately 50%. The shift tracks directly with the Trump administration’s CFPB pulling back enforcement — dropping a lawsuit against TransUnion, halting investigations, and hiring a lawyer who previously represented Experian. Your FCRA dispute rights still exist on paper. The difference now is that the agency Congress created to enforce them has stopped doing so — which means consumers who hit a wall need to know what levers are left.
Expert Context: I ran a nonprofit credit counseling organization for over a decade with staff credit counselors who reviewed thousands of credit reports. Credit bureau dispute failures weren’t rare anomalies — they were a known pattern. When there was no regulatory pressure, bureaus processed disputes as cheaply as possible. What ProPublica is documenting now is the predictable result of what happens when enforcement disappears.
This story from ProPublica landed in my queue and I want to cover it carefully, because it has direct consequences for anyone who’s filed a dispute with TransUnion or Experian and gotten nowhere.
The Story:
Every weekday I read the enforcement actions, filings and fine print the outlets skip, and turn them into the one or two moves that actually improve your position — a rate worth moving for, a fee you can refuse, a deadline to beat before it costs you.
In the latest issue (Sep 11): You drive to the dealership to pick up the car. There is no car. There was never a car.
I write Your Money Actually most weekdays — actionable money information you will not find anywhere else, and the small decisions that compound. It is free, I sell nothing, and I take no money from any company I write about.
“Rebecca Sheppard, a Colorado accountant, has been unable to remove a fraudulent $240,000 student loan debt from her credit report for nearly a year, despite documentation proving she doesn’t owe it. The error dropped her credit score approximately 85 points and jeopardizes her ability to refinance housing for her disabled father.”
This is not a rare edge case. It’s a representative example of what happens when credit bureaus face no meaningful consequence for ignoring legitimate disputes. And right now, according to ProPublica’s data, that’s where we are.
The credit reporting system isn’t a passive database. It’s an infrastructure that affects where you live, what you pay for loans, whether you can get a job, and how much you pay for car insurance. When two of the three major bureaus are effectively ignoring disputes, that’s not a technical glitch — it’s a policy choice.
What ProPublica Found: The Numbers Are Stark
The ProPublica investigation analyzed CFPB complaint data and found a sharp divergence between the three credit bureaus after the Trump administration took control of the CFPB in early 2025.
The divergence between Equifax and the other two bureaus is the tell. Equifax wasn’t doing this out of goodwill. On January 17, 2025 — just before the administration changed — the CFPB ordered Equifax to pay a $15 million civil money penalty and locked them into a binding consent order requiring reforms through 2030. That legal constraint is why Equifax’s behavior hasn’t changed. TransUnion and Experian have no equivalent constraint — and they’ve acted accordingly.
The Daily Money Brief — Free, at 10 AM
Money you may be owed, scams to dodge, and the fine print decoded — the consumer money news that affects your wallet, every weekday.
How the Enforcement Disappeared
In February 2025, Russell Vought took control of the CFPB as acting director and immediately halted nearly all agency work. Investigations were frozen. Enforcement actions were dropped.
Among the casualties: the CFPB dropped its lawsuit against TransUnion, which alleged the company used deceptive practices to trick consumers into paying for monthly subscription products. TransUnion walked away from a case that had been building for years.
ProPublica also reported that the new CFPB leadership hired a lawyer who had previously represented Experian to help lead the enforcement pullback. That’s not just pulling back — that’s dismantling the supervision infrastructure with the regulated industry’s own people.
Common Assumption: “The credit bureaus are required to fix legitimate errors regardless of what the government does.”
The Reality: The FCRA requires bureaus to investigate disputes — but “investigation” has always been loosely interpreted. When the CFPB isn’t scrutinizing how bureaus handle disputes, “investigation” becomes a box-checking exercise that rarely produces relief. The law provides rights. Enforcement made those rights real. Without enforcement, you’re left with paper rights and very limited practical remedies.
Your FCRA Rights Still Exist — Here’s What They Actually Say
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives consumers specific rights in disputes that are unaffected by CFPB enforcement policy — because these rights are enforceable directly in federal court, not through regulatory action alone.
- FCRA § 611 — Bureau reinvestigation obligation. When you dispute an item, the bureau must conduct a “reasonable reinvestigation” within 30 days (extended to 45 days if you provide additional information). If the item cannot be verified, it must be deleted. “Reasonable” has been tested in courts — a bureau that simply forwards your dispute to the furnisher without independent investigation may not be meeting its obligation.
- FCRA § 623 — Furnisher accuracy. The company that reported the error (your lender, servicer, collection agency) also has obligations. They must investigate disputes forwarded by bureaus and correct inaccurate information in their own records.
- FCRA § 616 and § 617 — Civil liability. If a bureau or furnisher willfully or negligently violates the FCRA, you have the right to sue in federal or state court. Willful violations can result in statutory damages of $100–$1,000 per violation plus punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Many consumer attorneys take these cases on contingency — no upfront cost if they believe you have a case.
- Free annual credit reports. You have the right to a free report from each bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com. As of 2023, free weekly reports are also available. Use these to monitor whether disputed items reappear.
What to Do When Your Dispute Goes Nowhere
If you’ve already disputed and the bureau either ignored you, rejected your dispute without explanation, or “verified” an item you know is wrong, here’s the escalation path:
If the rejection itself is the problem — the bureau or lender turned your dispute down and will not say why — I wrote a separate triage guide for exactly that moment: what to do right now when your credit dispute is rejected.
- Dispute directly with the furnisher. Don’t just dispute with the bureau — send a written dispute directly to the company that reported the information. Under FCRA § 623(a)(8), furnishers are required to investigate and correct their own records. Send it certified mail, keep copies. The furnisher’s investigation is separate from the bureau’s and must stand on its own.
- Escalate your CFPB complaint. Yes — file a complaint even knowing the CFPB is currently limited in its enforcement capacity. Your complaint is documented, becomes part of the public complaint database, and can serve as evidence of a pattern if litigation follows. The agency may not act today, but administrations change.
- Contact your state attorney general. Several states have enacted their own credit reporting laws with their own enforcement mechanisms. California’s CCRA, New York’s credit law, and others provide parallel rights that state AGs can enforce independent of the CFPB.
- Consult a consumer law attorney. This is the most important step if you have a verifiable error that the bureau refuses to fix. FCRA litigation is a functioning area of consumer law that doesn’t depend on CFPB enforcement. Attorneys who handle FCRA cases regularly win against bureaus and furnishers in court — and many take cases on contingency.
If You Have a Fraudulent Account That Won’t Come Off: This is not a standard dispute — it’s an identity theft situation governed by FCRA § 605B. File an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov (the FTC’s official site, free, takes 15 minutes), then submit a block request to each bureau with your identity theft report. A § 605B block is not a dispute — it requires the furnisher to stop reporting the account entirely. This is stronger than a dispute and doesn’t depend on bureau “investigation.” If the block is ignored, that itself is an FCRA violation worth pursuing legally.
My Take: This Was Always the Latent Risk
I want to be direct about something: the CFPB wasn’t created because credit bureaus were bad actors who suddenly needed policing. It was created because the credit reporting system is structurally set up to favor furnishers over consumers. Bureaus are paid by the lenders who subscribe to their data — not by the consumers whose records they maintain. The incentive to fight a lender’s data on behalf of an individual consumer has always been weak. Enforcement turned a weak incentive into a legal obligation.
What ProPublica is documenting is what that system looks like without enforcement. It looks like 2.7 million unresolved complaints. It looks like Experian’s relief rate dropping from 20% to under 1%. It looks like Rebecca Sheppard’s fraudulent $240,000 student loan sitting on her credit report for a year while she can’t refinance housing for her disabled father.
This isn’t just a political story. It has a real dollar cost on real families. And until the regulatory environment changes, consumers need to know their remaining leverage: dispute the furnisher directly, file the CFPB complaint for the record, contact your state AG, and talk to a consumer attorney who handles FCRA cases. The courts haven’t been defunded.
Your FCRA rights exist on paper regardless of who’s running the CFPB. The difference is whether someone enforces them. Right now, that someone needs to be you — and a good consumer attorney.— Steve Rhode
No Article Replaces an Attorney Licensed in Your State: The situation with credit bureau disputes has become more complex, not less. If you have a verifiable error that TransUnion or Experian has refused to fix, FCRA violations may give you legal remedies worth pursuing.
How to find a consumer law attorney for FCRA cases:
- NACA — National Association of Consumer Advocates — Best starting point for FCRA cases. Members specialize in consumer protection and many take cases on contingency.
- Your state bar’s lawyer referral service — Search “[your state] bar association lawyer referral” for a low-cost initial consultation.
- LawHelp.org — Free and reduced-cost legal aid organized by state and issue.
Not sure which option is right for your situation? The Find Your Path quiz can help you think through your options. Or bring the specifics to the Ask Steve chat and I’ll help you figure out the right next step.
Key Takeaways
- Experian’s consumer relief rate collapsed from ~20% in 2024 to under 1% in 2025; TransUnion dropped ~50% — documented by ProPublica using CFPB complaint data
- The divergence tracks directly with the Trump CFPB dropping enforcement against TransUnion and hiring a former Experian lawyer to lead the enforcement pullback
- Equifax maintained its rates because a binding $15M consent order signed January 2025 requires it to do so through 2030
- Your FCRA rights still exist — bureaus must conduct reasonable reinvestigations; furnishers must correct their own records; and you can sue in federal court for willful violations
- When bureau dispute fails: dispute directly with the furnisher, file a CFPB complaint for the record, contact your state AG, and consult a consumer attorney — courts enforce the FCRA regardless of CFPB policy
The Bottom Line
A ProPublica investigation confirmed what consumer advocates have been warning: with the CFPB pulling back enforcement, TransUnion and Experian have sharply reduced how often they fix errors on consumer credit reports. Experian’s relief rate went from ~20% to under 1% in a single year. TransUnion’s dropped roughly 50%. The only bureau maintaining its rates is Equifax — because a binding consent order forces it to. Your FCRA dispute rights still exist in law and you can still enforce them in federal court. But you need to treat this as a legal problem now, not just a bureaucratic one. Dispute directly with the furnisher. File your CFPB complaint to create a record. Contact your state attorney general. And if you have a verifiable error that’s been ignored, talk to a consumer attorney who handles FCRA cases — the courts haven’t been defunded, and many attorneys take these cases with no upfront cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Equifax still fixing errors but TransUnion and Experian aren’t?
Equifax signed a binding consent order with the CFPB on January 17, 2025, requiring it to pay a $15 million civil penalty and comply with specific dispute-handling reforms through 2030. That legal obligation exists regardless of what the current administration does with the CFPB. TransUnion and Experian have no equivalent binding constraint — which is reflected in the sharp drop in their relief rates documented by ProPublica.
Does the CFPB still accept credit bureau complaints?
Yes, you can still submit complaints at CFPB.gov. However, ProPublica and other outlets have documented that the CFPB under the Trump administration has dramatically reduced its follow-through on complaints — 2.7 million have gone unresolved since January 2025. Filing a complaint still creates a public record and may be useful if you later pursue legal action. It is not, by itself, likely to produce direct relief from TransUnion or Experian right now.
Can I sue a credit bureau directly for not fixing my error?
Yes — FCRA § 616 and § 617 give you the right to sue in federal or state court for willful or negligent violations. Willful violations allow for statutory damages of $100–$1,000 per violation, actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees. If a bureau ignored a clear, documented dispute or repeatedly allowed a deleted item to reappear, that’s potentially actionable. Many consumer attorneys take FCRA cases on contingency. NACA (naca.net) is the best place to find one.
What if my state has its own credit reporting law?
Several states — including California, New York, and others — have enacted their own credit reporting laws with additional consumer protections and their own enforcement mechanisms. State attorney general offices can pursue violations of these laws independent of the CFPB. If you’re getting nowhere with bureau disputes, a complaint to your state AG’s consumer protection division is worth filing alongside your CFPB complaint.
What’s the difference between an FCRA dispute and an FCRA § 605B identity theft block?
A standard dispute (§ 611) asks the bureau to reinvestigate an item in your file. A § 605B block — available only for fraudulent accounts — requires the furnisher to stop reporting that account entirely. For genuine identity theft cases, the block is the stronger tool. It requires an official FTC Identity Theft Report from IdentityTheft.gov. When a credit bureau or furnisher ignores a valid § 605B block request, that itself is an FCRA violation worth pursuing with an attorney.
Dealing With Debt? Understanding your options is the first step. See how all your debt relief options compare — including ones most sites won’t tell you about. The Find Your Path quiz gives a recommendation based on your actual numbers, and the Scam-O-Meter checks any company’s complaint history before you sign. Federal Reserve research shows bankruptcy filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
It also helps to know what a dispute can and can’t do: despite what’s going around online, a “609 letter” can’t force the bureaus to delete an accurate debt — only genuine errors can be removed.
