Is Lexington Law Worth It? You Can Repair Your Credit Free
Lexington Law and other credit-repair firms charge monthly to do what you can do yourself free. Learn your FCRA dispute rights first.
Federal regulators sued Lexington Law and its parent company — and won a $2.7 billion judgment
In May 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed suit against Progrexion Marketing, Inc. — the parent company of Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com — alleging that the companies illegally charged consumers advance fees before providing credit-repair services, in violation of the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. Federal law prohibits credit-repair companies from collecting any payment before they have performed the services promised.
In April 2024, a federal court entered a final judgment ordering Progrexion and its affiliated entities — including Lexington Law — to pay $2.7 billion in consumer redress and to cease operations.
What does a credit-repair company actually do?
Companies like Lexington Law charge ongoing monthly fees — typically $50 to $150 a month or more — to dispute negative items on your credit report and try to get them removed. The pitch is that experts with the right knowledge and connections will clean up your file faster than you could on your own.
Here is the truth the credit-repair industry would rather you not know: a credit-repair company can do nothing you cannot do yourself, for free. Not one thing. The dispute process is a legal right that belongs to you personally under the Fair Credit Reporting Act — not to a company you hire.
Why generic dispute letters can do more harm than good
Credit-repair firms, including Lexington Law, typically send the same standardized, templated letters on behalf of hundreds or thousands of clients at once. The bureaus know exactly what these letters look like — and the FCRA gives them a legal escape hatch specifically designed for them.
- •The "frivolous" rejection. Under FCRA § 1681i(a)(3), a bureau may decline to investigate a dispute it determines is "frivolous or irrelevant." Template letters with boilerplate language — especially those that challenge multiple items with identical, non-specific wording — are routinely rejected under this provision. When a dispute is declared frivolous, the bureau sends a form letter and closes the file. Your legitimate error goes uninvestigated.
- •Inaccurate dispute characterizations. A generic letter describes your dispute in broad, imprecise terms — sometimes in terms that are factually wrong for your specific situation. A letter that says "I dispute this account as not mine" when you actually dispute an incorrect balance is not just ineffective; it may be treated as inconsistent or deceptive, damaging your credibility if you later pursue an FCRA claim in court.
- •The consumer is left out of the process. A proper dispute letter requires the consumer's own factual account — what is actually wrong, why it is wrong, what the correct information is, and what documents can prove it. A credit repair firm cannot supply those facts; only you can. When they send a letter without your story in it, the bureau's reinvestigation is shallow, because the furnisher has nothing real to check against. Studies by the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) have found that dispute letters that include specific, consumer-supplied facts are materially more likely to result in corrections.
- •You pay for failure, month after month. Because form letters frequently fail, firms like Lexington Law continue billing clients for months while cycling through slightly varied versions of the same form. The incentive structure — ongoing monthly fees — means the company benefits from slow progress, not fast results.
A specific, factually-grounded letter written in your own voice, describing exactly what is wrong and why, is the most effective dispute you can make — and it is free.
Your free dispute right under the FCRA
Under FCRA § 1681i, you have the right to dispute any item on your credit report that you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. When you submit a written dispute, the bureau must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation — typically within 30 days — and either correct the information or delete it if it cannot be verified.
That right is yours. It costs nothing to exercise. A credit-repair company sends the exact same type of letter to the exact same bureau address and gets the exact same legal response.
What the Credit Repair Organizations Act says
The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) was passed specifically because Congress recognized that credit-repair scams were rampant. Under CROA:
- •Credit-repair companies cannot charge upfront fees before they complete the services promised.
- •You have the right to cancel within three business days of signing any contract, without penalty.
- •They must give you a written contract that explains what they will do and how much it costs.
The existence of CROA tells you something: credit-repair abuse has been common enough to require its own federal statute.
The one thing no one can do — not even Lexington Law
If information on your credit report is accurate and timely— meaning it happened within the applicable reporting period — no one can legally remove it. Not Lexington Law. Not any other credit-repair firm. Not you. The FTC states this clearly on its website.
Any company that promises to remove accurate negative information is either misleading you or planning to do something illegal, like filing false disputes claiming you do not recognize accounts that are genuinely yours. That kind of fraud can have serious consequences for you.
What credit-repair firms charge for — and what you can do free
| Credit-repair company charges for it | You can do it free |
|---|---|
| Disputing errors on your credit report | You have the same right — FCRA § 1681i — for free, in writing, by mail |
| Sending dispute letters to bureaus on your behalf | You can write and send letters yourself; the bureau’s legal obligation is identical |
| Monitoring your report for changes | Free weekly reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com |
| “Escalated” disputes if the bureau ignores you | File a CFPB complaint and consult an FCRA attorney — who takes cases on contingency |
| Explanation of what can and cannot be removed | Accurate, timely information legally cannot be removed by anyone — including credit-repair firms |
| Ongoing monthly management ($50–$150/mo) | One written dispute letter costs you a stamp and a certified-mail receipt |
How to dispute credit-report errors yourself — for free
The do-it-yourself process is straightforward:
- 1Get your free reports. Pull all three reports from AnnualCreditReport.com — the only federally authorized site. Reports are free every week.
- 2Identify specific errors. Go through each report line by line. Note the account name, account number, and exactly what is wrong.
- 3Write a specific dispute letter. Describe the error clearly, state why it is wrong, and include any supporting documents (statements, payment records, FTC report if identity theft is involved). Use certified mail with return receipt.
- 4Keep copies of everything. Copy your letter, your documentation, and the certified-mail receipt. If the bureau ignores you or refuses to correct a real error, these records support your FCRA claim.
Bottom line
You do not need to pay a monthly fee to exercise a free legal right. If a bureau refuses to correct a genuine error after a properly submitted dispute, that refusal may be an FCRA violation — and consumer attorneys who handle these cases typically work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless money is recovered. Save the monthly fee and use the rights you already have.
Learn more about what the FCRA gives you at no cost: Your FCRA Rights — for Free.
Already disputed and the bureau won’t budge?
When a bureau ignores a properly submitted dispute, that may be a violation of the FCRA. Contact our attorneys to talk about your credit-report errors — no fee unless we recover money for you.
Contact an FCRA attorneyThis page provides general information only and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this page.