Can a credit repair company remove negative items?

What a credit repair company can and cannot do:

• It can help you read your reports, find errors and send disputes to the credit bureaus and the businesses that reported the information.
• It cannot legally remove accurate, current negative items, and anything it can legally do, you can usually do yourself for little or no cost.

Your rights under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, per the FTC:

• A company cannot lie about what it can do or charge you before it performs the services.
• You must get a written contract listing the services, how long results will take, the total cost and any guarantees.
• You can cancel without penalty within 3 business days of signing.

Disputing on your own: write to the credit bureau and to the business that reported the item, explain the error and include copies of proof. The FTC has sample letters.

One exception to the time limits: older negative information can still appear in checks for a job paying more than $75,000 a year, or for credit or insurance of more than $150,000.

Be wary of any company that asks for payment up front or promises to erase accurate items. General information, not legal advice.