Merrick Bank Credit Report Errors

The Kim Law Firm represents consumers whose Merrick Bank credit-card account is being reported inaccurately to the credit bureaus. If Merrick Bank is reporting a balance you already paid, a charge-off with the wrong dates, late payments that were not late, or an account that is not even yours, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to force a correction and to recover money for the harm a false tradeline causes. This page explains who Merrick Bank is, how to reach it, and what to do if the account on your credit report is wrong.

Who is Merrick Bank?

Merrick Bank is a Utah-chartered bank headquartered in South Jordan, Utah (part of CardWorks) that issues subprime credit cards and also finances recreational vehicles and boats. It reports your card or loan account to the credit bureaus each month.

Is Merrick Bank reporting your credit card incorrectly?

Because Merrick Bank reports your account to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion every month, an error on its tradeline can drag your score down for years. The most common inaccuracies we see on credit-card accounts include:

• A balance you already paid or settled. The account was paid, settled, or discharged in bankruptcy, but Merrick Bank still reports a balance or past-due amount.
• A charge-off with the wrong dates. An incorrect date of first delinquency, or an account re-aged so it stays on your report longer than the seven years the law allows.
• It is not your account (identity theft). Subprime and store cards are common identity-theft targets; a Merrick Bank account you never opened can be a sign of fraud, and you should not have to pay it.
• Late payments that were not late. Payments reported 30, 60, or 90 days late when they were actually made on time.
• Duplicate reporting. The same account reported twice, or reported by both Merrick Bank and a debt collector at the same time.

Each of these is a potential violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which can entitle you to have the item corrected or deleted and to recover damages, often at no cost to you.

How to contact Merrick Bank

Merrick Bank is based in South Jordan, Utah, and its payments use the address printed on your statement (website: merrickbank.com). Confirm the exact dispute or payment address on your most recent statement before mailing, and send any written dispute by mail so you keep proof.

Merrick Bank and consumer-protection law

In a settlement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Merrick Bank was ordered to provide restitution to consumers over unfair and deceptive marketing of credit-card add-on products (roughly $16 million in penalties tied to consumer restitution). Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If a Merrick account on your report is inaccurate or not yours, that history is one more reason to demand proof and a correction.

How to dispute and remove an inaccurate Merrick Bank account

• Dispute the tradeline in writing with each credit bureau (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and directly with Merrick Bank under the FCRA, identifying every inaccuracy such as a wrong balance, wrong dates, late marks, or not your account.
• Check the date of first delinquency. If the account was re-aged or is being reported past the seven-year limit, say so specifically.
• If the account resulted from identity theft, create a report at IdentityTheft.gov and submit it with your dispute so the account can be blocked.
• Keep copies of everything. If Merrick Bank or the bureau verifies an item you have shown to be false, that failure to investigate is itself an FCRA claim.

Who we can help and who we can not

We represent consumers whose Merrick Bank account is being reported incorrectly — a balance you already paid, a charge-off reported wrong, late marks that are not accurate, or an account that is not yours because of identity theft or a mixed file. That is the kind of Fair Credit Reporting Act problem we handle. We are not the right firm if you simply want out of a credit-card balance you genuinely owe, or want help negotiating a legitimate debt. Our focus is fixing inaccurate reporting and recovering damages for the harm it causes.

How The Kim Law Firm helps

If you disputed a Merrick Bank account and it was not fixed, or the damage is already done, we can help. Under the FCRA, Merrick Bank and the credit bureaus must genuinely investigate your dispute; when they rubber-stamp an error instead, they can be held accountable for actual damages, statutory damages, and your attorney's fees. The FCRA lets us recover our fees from the company that broke the law, so your case review is free and we work on a no-fee-unless-we-win basis. Start your free case review or call 855-996-6342 today.

Dealing with a different company? See our creditors & lenders resource page, or our pages on Comenity Bank and Synchrony Bank.

Industrial banks in Utah and why they are on your report

Merrick Bank is headquartered in South Jordan, Utah and is part of CardWorks, and it issues cards to consumers rebuilding their credit. Utah is where a striking share of American consumer credit is actually issued, because the state charters industrial banks that fund card programs and installment loans sold under other companies' brands. That is why credit reports across the country carry the names of banks in Salt Lake City suburbs that the cardholder has never visited and did not choose, attached to products they know by a completely different name.

• TAB Bank — an Ogden, Utah bank behind point-of-sale financing programs.
• Celtic Bank — a Salt Lake City issuer standing behind many branded lending products.
• First Electronic Bank — another Utah issuer appearing under its own name on files.
• Medallion Bank — a Utah lender financing recreational and home-improvement purchases.
• Credit One Bank — a Nevada issuer serving a comparable set of borrowers.

When an unfamiliar Utah bank appears, work backwards from the open date, the original amount and the last four digits to identify the product it belongs to. Most of the time the account is real and the name is simply the issuer rather than the brand. When nothing matches, treat it as an account opened without your authorization and dispute it with the bank and every bureau carrying it, because the issuing bank is the furnisher and the party obliged to investigate.

Frequently asked questions about Merrick Bank

Can I get Merrick Bank removed from my credit report? If the tradeline is inaccurate, such as a wrong balance, wrong dates, late marks that are not accurate, or not your account, you can dispute it with all three bureaus and directly with Merrick Bank under the FCRA. Anything that cannot be verified must be corrected or deleted.

Merrick Bank is reporting a charge-off. Can that be fixed? If the charge-off is inaccurate, such as a wrong amount, wrong dates, already paid or settled, or not your account, yes. Even an accurate charge-off must be reported correctly and must fall off after seven years from the original delinquency.

The account is not mine. If a Merrick Bank account appears because of identity theft or a mixed file, do not pay it; dispute it, and if it is not corrected our attorneys can pursue the bureaus and Merrick Bank under the FCRA.

What does it cost to have my case reviewed? Nothing. The FCRA shifts attorney's fees to the company that broke the law, so we offer a free case review and work on a no-fee-unless-we-win basis.

Merrick Bank phone numbers and mailing addresses

Merrick Bank appears on credit reports under more than one name and mails from more than one state, which is why a letter, a statement and a tradeline about the same account can look like three different companies. Below are the identifiers on record, with the source for each, so you can compare them against whatever arrived.

Phone numbers on record

• Published by Merrick Bank in its own online banking agreement: 877-790-5648, also written 1-877-790-5648, (877) 790-5648 or 8777905648. Merrick publishes this number for reporting unauthorized electronic transfers and for error notification, which makes it the relevant line if money moved that you did not authorize.
• Listed on Merrick Bank's Better Business Bureau profile: 800-204-5936, also written (800) 204-5936 or 8002045936. This number is listed by the BBB rather than published on the pages Merrick makes publicly readable.

Where Merrick Bank mails from

• Published by Merrick Bank in its own online banking agreement: Merrick Bank, P.O. Box 9201, Old Bethpage, NY 11804-9201. This is the address Merrick gives for written error notices about electronic transfers.
• Listed with the BBB: P.O. Box 5000, Draper, UT 84020-5000, with a secondary location at 10705 South Jordan Gateway, Suite 200, South Jordan, UT 84095-3977. Merrick Bank's corporate operations are in Utah, so a letter postmarked Utah is consistent with the real company.
• Also listed with the BBB: P.O. Box 43297, Jacksonville, FL 32203, associated with PAYS by Merrick Bank, and P.O. Box 30537, Tampa, FL 33630, associated with Merrick Bank Corporation.

The names on the account

The BBB lists Merrick Bank Corporation as an alternate name for the business, and PAYS by Merrick Bank as a related program name. A tradeline, a statement or a collection notice may use any of these, so a consumer searching a credit report for "Merrick" should also look for the corporate name and the PAYS program before concluding the account is not there.

One coincidence is worth naming so it does not cause confusion. OpenSky, which is a division of Capital Bank, N.A., also publishes an Old Bethpage, New York post office box — PO Box 9224 — a different box in the same town from Merrick's PO Box 9201. Two unrelated card issuers using the same mail facility is not evidence they are connected, and it is not evidence either letter is fake.

Where a Merrick Bank credit report dispute actually goes

Merrick does not publish a dedicated credit bureau dispute address on the pages it makes publicly readable. That makes the routing rule decisive rather than optional. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a furnisher's obligation to investigate is triggered when the dispute reaches it from a credit bureau, not when it arrives in the mail from you directly.

Dispute in writing with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Send a copy to Merrick so it has its own dated record — the Old Bethpage box is the address Merrick itself publishes for written error notices, and the Draper box is the corporate address on file with the BBB. Keep proof of every mailing. If the bureau reinvestigation comes back verifying information you know is wrong, that paper trail is what shows what Merrick knew and when.

Numbers and addresses that are not on this list

Card issuers use outbound calling vendors and short-code messaging services, so a legitimate call or text about a Merrick Bank account can come from a number that appears nowhere in Merrick's own published material. An unlisted number is not proof of a scam, and a number that matches this list is not proof the caller is genuine — caller ID is trivially spoofed. If you want to be certain, hang up and call the number printed on your statement or listed above.

There is a different problem worth separating out. If a Merrick Bank entry appears on a report when you never applied for the card, the question is not whether a caller is real — it is that an application may have been submitted in your name. A hard inquiry generally stays on a credit report for two years, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act permits a consumer report to be obtained only for a permissible purpose.

To check what you are actually looking at:

• Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and search for Merrick Bank Corporation and PAYS by Merrick Bank as well as Merrick Bank.
• Compare the three reports against each other. An account opened without your authorization frequently appears on one bureau before the others, and that difference is often the whole story.
• Dispute with the credit bureaus in writing, and send Merrick its own copy at P.O. Box 9201, Old Bethpage, NY 11804-9201.
• Keep the dispute letters, the bureau responses and the envelopes. The paper trail is what establishes what the furnisher knew and when.

An account opened in your name without your authorization is an identity theft problem on your credit report, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act provides rights against both the furnisher and the bureaus that continue reporting it after a dispute.

Merrick Bank contact questions people ask

What phone number does Merrick Bank use?

Merrick Bank publishes 877-790-5648, also written 1-877-790-5648, (877) 790-5648 or 8777905648, in its own online banking agreement for reporting unauthorized electronic transfers and error notices. Its Better Business Bureau profile lists 800-204-5936, also written (800) 204-5936 or 8002045936. Because card issuers use outbound calling vendors, a legitimate call about a Merrick account can still come from a number published nowhere.

What is Merrick Bank's mailing address?

Merrick Bank publishes Merrick Bank, P.O. Box 9201, Old Bethpage, NY 11804-9201 in its own online banking agreement for written error notices. Its BBB listing gives P.O. Box 5000, Draper, UT 84020-5000, with a secondary location at 10705 South Jordan Gateway, Suite 200, South Jordan, UT 84095-3977, and also lists P.O. Box 43297, Jacksonville, FL 32203 for PAYS by Merrick Bank and P.O. Box 30537, Tampa, FL 33630 for Merrick Bank Corporation.

Where do I send a Merrick Bank credit report dispute?

Merrick does not publish a dedicated credit bureau dispute address on its publicly readable pages. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act a furnisher's duty to investigate is triggered when the dispute reaches it from a credit bureau rather than from you directly, so dispute in writing with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion first. Send Merrick its own copy at P.O. Box 9201, Old Bethpage, NY 11804-9201, the address it publishes for written error notices, and keep proof of every mailing.

Why does my credit report say Merrick Bank Corporation or PAYS by Merrick Bank?

The BBB lists Merrick Bank Corporation as an alternate name for the business and PAYS by Merrick Bank as a related program name. A tradeline, statement or collection notice may use any of these, so someone searching a credit report for Merrick should also look for the corporate name and the PAYS program before concluding the account is not there.

What should I do if a Merrick Bank account is on my credit report and I never applied?

Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and search for Merrick Bank Corporation and PAYS by Merrick Bank as well as Merrick Bank. Compare the three bureaus against each other, since an unauthorized account frequently shows on one before the others. Dispute in writing with the bureaus, send Merrick its own copy at P.O. Box 9201 in Old Bethpage, and keep the letters and envelopes. An account opened in your name without your authorization is an identity theft problem on your credit report, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act provides rights against both the furnisher and the bureaus that keep reporting it after a dispute.