Advanced Resolution Services ARS

[gogogophers]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

[OCChineseguy]

I always say, "please investigate perhaps this trade-line is inaccurate." or "please dispute this tradeline Perhaps it belongs to someone else." Most tradelines are inaccurate so I think I am covering my bases.

 

Thank you for the heads up on this one, I am requesting my report. Can it be frozen? I live in California.

 

Thanks OCCG

[gogogophers]

I always say, "please investigate perhaps this trade-line is inaccurate." or "please dispute this tradeline Perhaps it belongs to someone else." Most tradelines are inaccurate so I think I am covering my bases.

 

Thank you for the heads up on this one, I am requesting my report. Can it be frozen? I live in California.

 

Thanks OCCG

 

Thanks for the suggestions OCCG.

 

I'm not sure if the ARS report can be frozen. Hopefully others will add their experiences and we can all learn from each other.

[BDK]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

 

THANKS for the really awesome info!!

[somekindofhappiness]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

What address did you mail the request to? What kind of language did you use in making the request?

[BDK]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

What address did you mail the request to? What kind of language did you use in making the request?

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

Please send me a copy of my file.

[somekindofhappiness]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

What address did you mail the request to? What kind of language did you use in making the request?

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

Please send me a copy of my file.

 

Where did you find that address?

[BDK]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

While Bank of America and US Bank have been discussed in previous threads, I also found that Barclays and Capital 1 made inquiries to ARS on the report that I received.

 

In addition to the inquiry section, there is also a small section for soft inquiries used for prescreen offers.

 

Both sections of inquiries were truly limited to apps for Visa and Mastercard. My other CRA reports show inquiries for mortgage, insurance, and some utilities. None of that showed up on the ARS report.

 

They keep pretty detailed information on the public records for bankruptcies. More than I've seen on any other report. They do not get this from Experian (Experian provides much of the info on the report but ARS notes that the bankruptcy info is solely furnished by ARS alone, via public records I'm sure). They also list cards that were IIB, which IS information furnished by Experian. My list wasn't complete. I had 9 different cards IIB but only 5 showed up on ARS's list. Discover and Amex were notably absent from the list. Actually, they weren't anywhere on the report, which makes sense; that might be something that people can strategically use when building their credit.

 

There is a section for reported unauthorized card use. I've never seen that on any of the big-3 reports. I found some inaccuracies. I never would have known about it without getting ARS's actual report. They include a form for disputing information with the report. It seems pretty straightforward and I'll be filling it out soon.

 

Anyway, hope it helps.

 

 

oh... ps...

Would anyone have any recommendations on wording that might be used to dispute records of unauthorized credit card use? I haven't seen much on that here on the forum. Is that something that I should ask to have verified or should I just plain-out say it's inaccurate and please remove it?? Any ideas are much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

What address did you mail the request to? What kind of language did you use in making the request?

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

Please send me a copy of my file.

 

Where did you find that address?

 

In the OP.

[gogogophers]

 

Where did you find that address?

 

 

It was on the letterhead that came with the report. In big bold letters it said: "New Address as of 05/11/2012"

[ICANHASMUNY?]

unauthorzed card use falls under ID theft.

 

 

read the pinned topics in the ID theft forum, and you need to file a facta letter with the CRA's and any OC.

[cputrwz]

That is interesting information... I only applied to US Bank because I had all the Bankruptcy information removed from my EQ report...but if they pulled this ARS report, it would have been on there I imagine. So, makes me wonder if they paid much attention to what was on it or if they didn't care that I had a BK?

[OCChineseguy]

That is interesting information... I only applied to US Bank because I had all the Bankruptcy information removed from my EQ report...but if they pulled this ARS report, it would have been on there I imagine. So, makes me wonder if they paid much attention to what was on it or if they didn't care that I had a BK?

 

I have a checking account at US Bank as a backup to my CU. I tried a year ago while my BK was showing on my report to get a Visa Card with them and was declined due to BK. It was odd because I get "preapproved" offers from them all the time. The branch manager said that they do not issue any type of credit, even their secured card to anyone with BK on their reports. He showed me in the fine print on the application where it said this. It is concerning that this shows on ARS, hopefully someone, maybe me, can find out about freezing this report. Or someday a cleanup. Maybe in the case of US Bank they are looking to ARS as a fraud prevention tool, not so much as a public records source. Thinking that maybe ARS flags your report as either suspicious or ok, instead of providing a numerical score?

 

I didn't see it in your signature, Were you approved for the US Bank product?

 

OCCG

[cputrwz]

Yea, its in my sig... US Bank Cash+. My BK is not on my Equifax report, which is what they pull for my state. Maybe ARS doesn't have PR's just applications.

Edited August 30, 2012 by cputrwz

[gogogophers]

If it helps, I can add the following info. This is what appeared on my ARS record for my Ch. 7 BK:

 

- Date of filing

- Date of 341 hearing

- My full name and full address at the time of filing

- A code that signifies if the SSN is a direct match between the BK public record and the ARS report

(or if it is a close match or if it isn't a match but there's other supporting information to link the two)

- The status of the case (open, closed etc) and the date of that status

- The case number

- If the case was asset or non-asset

- The name and complete address and phone number of my attorney. (They note pro-se for self filers)

- The contact and address information for the court

- The contact and address information for the BK trustee, including phone number

 

(seriously, this seems to be a real butt-biter for people who manage to scrub a BK from EX, EQ, or TU while the public record still exists)

 

Also, to clarify, there are areas that report things like merchant and prepaid cards within the subsections that I noted earlier. I believe these are still limited to cards that are backed by visa or mastercard because I do have one little sad store card in my tiny post-bk stack of plastic and it didn't show up anywhere on the ARS report. So I'm just guessing with this, but it seems logical so far.

 

I don't b* (at least not yet) but I do have a monitoring service that does monthly soft pulls of the big 3 CRAs and generates FAKO scores. I've used different monitoring companies for the past five years or so. None of that showed up in the inquiry section. Based on this, I don't think it is possible to b* ARS inquiries.

 

The whole report is actually pretty skimpy. At least mine is. There's a lot of blank space. They do not report any kind of history with accounts (Except for the IIB list) so late payments and other derogatories aren't shown. They don't seem to bother with past addresses or names. I didn't see anything for employment or any info that was submitted with previous visa applications like income or alternate contacts. Their focus really does seem to be on providing backup verification for merchants and estimating the likelihood for unauthorized use/identity theft.

 

I found four inaccuracies with my report that do not show up on any other reports from the big CRAs. Given this, I think it would be helpful for everyone to get ahold of their file at some point, just to make sure the information that is being reported is accurate. Best of luck, all. Hope this helps.

[cputrwz]

Hmmm... even more interesting. So, it does have BK stuff on it.

[allminericky]

I have been doing a little research, and ID Analytics (a company similar to ARS) has a link on thier website if you want to be provided with a report. http://www.idanalytics.com/solutions/consumer/consumer-assistance/ They also have an informative page on the "Score) they keep on you

[OCChineseguy]

I have been doing a little research, and ID Analytics (a company similar to ARS) has a link on thier website if you want to be provided with a report. http://www.idanalyti...mer-assistance/ They also have an informative page on the "Score) they keep on you

 

This company is owned by LifeLock, I think LifeLock is the one the Big CRA's Dont like? Interesting find. The government is going to have to crack down on all these data brokers. There is simply too many.

 

OCCG

[gogogophers]

Sorry to bump an old thread, just wanted to do a quick update.

 

I used the pre-printed form included in the package from ARS to dispute four items. Their response was really thorough and timely. First they mailed me another report that showed the items I was disputing and the status of each item. Then they followed up with a spankin-clean report that showed the resolution for all four items. No fighting, no crying, no hair-pulling or teeth-gnashing. Of all the different CRAs out there, this is by far the cleanest report that I now have and it was hands-down the easiest to get that way.

 

For the record, I'm not trying to delete things that are accurate, like a public record for BK, so I haven't had to go down the road of what happens when they verify something as accurate when I'm saying it's not.

 

The dispute forms are hand-written, but they pre-print your report IDs on the top so all you really have to do is list your items and concerns. Since it is all hand-written, it seems like the odds are pretty high that each dispute is reviewed by an actual human being, not scanned by a computer and sent into e-response land.

 

I kept everything polite, concise, and courteous. Also wrote a quick note at the bottom of the page thanking them for their help in making the report more accurate. Not sure if any of that made a difference but it certainly didn't hurt.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share the fact that they seem really easy to work with and are pretty thorough when it comes to clearing up disputed items.

[OCChineseguy]

Sorry to bump an old thread, just wanted to do a quick update.

 

I used the pre-printed form included in the package from ARS to dispute four items. Their response was really thorough and timely. First they mailed me another report that showed the items I was disputing and the status of each item. Then they followed up with a spankin-clean report that showed the resolution for all four items. No fighting, no crying, no hair-pulling or teeth-gnashing. Of all the different CRAs out there, this is by far the cleanest report that I now have and it was hands-down the easiest to get that way.

 

For the record, I'm not trying to delete things that are accurate, like a public record for BK, so I haven't had to go down the road of what happens when they verify something as accurate when I'm saying it's not.

 

The dispute forms are hand-written, but they pre-print your report IDs on the top so all you really have to do is list your items and concerns. Since it is all hand-written, it seems like the odds are pretty high that each dispute is reviewed by an actual human being, not scanned by a computer and sent into e-response land.

 

I kept everything polite, concise, and courteous. Also wrote a quick note at the bottom of the page thanking them for their help in making the report more accurate. Not sure if any of that made a difference but it certainly didn't hurt.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share the fact that they seem really easy to work with and are pretty thorough when it comes to clearing up disputed items.

 

So you disputed your BK off of ARS?

 

 

 

[gogogophers]

 

So you disputed your BK off of ARS?

 

 

 

No, I just disputed things that were inaccurate. The BK happened and I'm ok with it being on my reports as long as it is reported accurately.

 

ARS also has a cross-reference added to their BK reporting. They check for address matches, name spelling/similarity, SSN etc and then assign a rating for how strong the BK info is. I have a feeling that getting a BK deleted from an ARS report would be really hard if your rating shows an exact or a high match. They really do take BK reporting to a whole new level.

[crushd]

I just wanted to share a bit of info that I've recently learned about ARS in case anyone will find it helpful for their own credit building/rebuilding...

 

ARS does respond to written requests for free annual reports. I just sent a simple letter requesting an annual report and it arrived about 2 weeks later. I also enclosed copies of my DL, SS card, and a utility bill with my request.

 

They have a new address as of 5/11/12. 5005 Rockside Rd Ste 600, Independence OH 44131. Phn= 800-392-8911. Fx= 216-573-3740.

 

As discussed in earlier threads, ARS is a consumer reporting agency subsidiary of Visa USA Inc. They operate under FCRA rules. They support information requests for both Visa AND Mastercard applications. This info was provided in their cover letter.

 

 

Why dont they have that address on their own website?

 

http://www.idanalytics.com/solutions/consumer/consumer-assistance/

[gogogophers]

 

Why dont they have that address on their own website?

 

 

 

I sent my request to the address listed online and it worked. Obviously they did receive it. The paperwork that I got back had the big, bold lettering saying they had a new address. Why isn't it on the website? I dunno. If it is keeping you awake at night, you could always call them and ask.

 

I posted the info because it seems like ARS is a company that we collectively know very little about. I figure every little bit helps. I'm not sure if anyone has insight to their website maintenance practices... yet.

[texastyke]

I always say, "please investigate perhaps this trade-line is inaccurate." or "please dispute this tradeline Perhaps it belongs to someone else." Most tradelines are inaccurate so I think I am covering my bases.

 

Thank you for the heads up on this one, I am requesting my report. Can it be frozen? I live in California.

 

Thanks OCCG

 

Thanks for the suggestions OCCG.

 

I'm not sure if the ARS report can be frozen. Hopefully others will add their experiences and we can all learn from each other.

 

FYI, I requested my report to be frozen and received confirmation that report was frozen with instructions (e.g. PIN, address, phone, etc.) to unfreeze. Don't know if this may affect future VISA/MC cc applications???

[hegemony]

 

FYI, I requested my report to be frozen and received confirmation that report was frozen with instructions (e.g. PIN, address, phone, etc.) to unfreeze. Don't know if this may affect future VISA/MC cc applications???

 

freezing is no panacea. some creditors will simply deny you if a report is frozen since they can't score you.

[BDK]

FYI, I requested my report to be frozen and received confirmation that report was frozen with instructions (e.g. PIN, address, phone, etc.) to unfreeze. Don't know if this may affect future VISA/MC cc applications???

 

freezing is no panacea. some creditors will simply deny you if a report is frozen since they can't score you.

 

Panacea, what is in our credit life? But if someone doesn't want to encourage or even allow all these sub-CRA's to collect and sell their personal info/credit info, what's wrong with freezing them?

 

And don't *most* creditors attempt to contact you to unfreeze report when frozen?