What you need to do (homework)
Issuers look at the file you bring them. These steps are yours. CMG does not do them for you and does not charge for them.
- Lower card utilization. Pay revolving balances down. Under 30% of each limit is a start. Under 10% on cards you will keep is stronger. A $10,000 card with $4,000 on it reads worse than the same card at $800.
- Pay every account on time. One new 30-day late can freeze a path. Autopay at least the minimum until the stack is done.
- Stop applying on your own. Every extra hard inquiry and every extra card in 24 months can kill the next approval. If CMG is coaching you, do not “just try one more bank.”
- Do not close old clean cards to “simplify.” Age and available limit help. Closing a card can spike utilization overnight.
- Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and mark errors only. Accurate BK, foreclosure, tax lien, short sale, and authorized inquiries generally stay.
- If you have a business path: entity in good standing, EIN, business bank account with real deposits, listed phone and address that match. Thin business files get personal-guarantee cards, not magic EIN-only lines.
- Keep personal and business deposits clean for a few statement cycles before a big app week. Lenders can ask for docs.
- Hold files: if a recent bankruptcy, foreclosure, tax lien, short sale, or repo is accurate, the homework is time and clean payment history — not more applications.
None of this guarantees an approval or a score change. It is what a stronger file usually looks like when an issuer decides.
1. Pull your reports
Use the only federal government-authorized site for free reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion:
Phone: 1-877-322-8228
Pull all three bureaus. Reports often differ. Weekly free reports have been available through this site — confirm current frequency on the official page. Reports usually do not include your score.
Avoid look-alike sites that charge for a “free” report. If you were denied credit, you may also request a free report from the bureau named in the adverse-action notice (typically within 60 days).
2. What to mark on the report
Go line by line. Write down anything that is wrong, not yours, outdated, or duplicated.
| Look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Accounts you never opened | Possible mix-up or identity theft |
| Wrong balances, status, or dates | Can change utilization and scoring |
| Paid / closed accounts still showing as open or past due | Often disputable if documentation exists |
| Duplicate collections for the same debt | Common reporting error |
| Inquiries you did not authorize | Unauthorized hard pulls can be disputed |
| Personal info errors (name, address, SSN fragments) | Can attach someone else’s file |
| BK, foreclosure, tax lien, short sale still listed after they should have aged off | Timing errors only — accurate items usually remain |
3. What usually cannot be removed
- A bankruptcy, foreclosure, tax lien, short sale, charge-off, or late payment that is accurate and still within the reporting period
- Hard inquiries from applications you actually made
- Accounts that belong to you and are reporting correctly
High-impact derogs are why Capital Gateway may issue a Hold or Limited path. Cleaning an accurate item by “dispute volume” is not a legitimate strategy and is not something this portal supports.
4. How to dispute an error yourself
You have the right to dispute information you believe is inaccurate with the credit bureau and with the company that furnished the data.
- Pull the report that shows the error.
- Identify the exact item (creditor name, account number fragment, date, bureau).
- Gather copies of support: statements, payoff letters, court discharge, lien release, ID theft report if applicable. Send copies, not originals.
- File the dispute:
- Online at the bureau’s dispute center (fastest for many people), or
- By mail with a short letter stating what is wrong and why
- Keep a copy of everything you send and the date sent.
- Bureaus generally must investigate and respond within about 30 days in typical cases.
Bureau dispute starting points
Simple mail outline (edit in your own words)
Include your full name, current address, date of birth, and a way to match the file. Do not email this portal your SSN.
I am disputing the following item on my [Equifax / Experian / TransUnion] report because it is inaccurate:
Creditor / item: ________
Account reference: ________
Why it is wrong: ________
What I want corrected: delete / update status to ________
I am enclosing copies of: ________
Mail addresses commonly used for bureau disputes
Experian
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
Confirm Equifax’s current mail address on Equifax.com before sending. Addresses change.
5. Inquiries
- Authorized hard inquiry from an application you submitted — generally stays. Capital Gateway manages these by sequencing applications, not by “removal.”
- Unauthorized or mixed-file inquiry — dispute with the bureau and the listed creditor.
- Soft inquiries do not work like hard pulls for new credit decisions in the same way. Do not treat them as stacking blockers.
6. Identity theft
If accounts or inquiries are not yours:
- Place a fraud alert or credit freeze at the bureaus.
- File a report at IdentityTheft.gov (FTC).
- Use that report when you dispute the fake accounts.
7. Official help (not CMG)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — consumer complaint and credit-report guidance
8. How this connects to Capital Gateway
- If intake shows BK, foreclosure, tax lien, short sale, or other high-impact negatives that are accurate and recent → Hold / Limited path.
- Use this portal to correct errors before an aggressive stack.
- When CMG says the file can proceed, you will be coached on timing. You will not receive the internal sequence.