Required federal disclosure
The following is the exact text of the statement required by the Credit Repair Organizations Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1679c(a):
Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law
You have a right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit report by contacting the credit bureau directly. However, neither you nor any 'credit repair' company or credit repair organization has the right to have accurate, current, and verifiable information removed from your credit report. The credit bureau must remove accurate, negative information from your report only if it is over 7 years old. Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years.
You have a right to obtain a copy of your credit report from a credit bureau. You may be charged a reasonable fee. There is no fee, however, if you have been turned down for credit, employment, insurance, or a rental dwelling because of information in your credit report within the preceding 60 days. The credit bureau must provide someone to help you interpret the information in your credit file. You are entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report if you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment in the next 60 days, if you are a recipient of public welfare assistance, or if you have reason to believe that there is inaccurate information in your credit report due to fraud.
You have a right to sue a credit repair organization that violates the Credit Repair Organization Act. This law prohibits deceptive practices by credit repair organizations.
You have the right to cancel your contract with any credit repair organization for any reason within 3 business days from the date you signed it.
Credit bureaus are required to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that the information they report is accurate. However, mistakes may occur.
You may, on your own, notify a credit bureau in writing that you dispute the accuracy of information in your credit file. The credit bureau must then reinvestigate and modify or remove inaccurate or incomplete information. The credit bureau may not charge any fee for this service. Any pertinent information and copies of all documents you have concerning an error should be given to the credit bureau.
If the credit bureau's reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute to your satisfaction, you may send a brief statement to the credit bureau, to be kept in your file, explaining why you think the record is inaccurate. The credit bureau must include a summary of your statement about disputed information with any report it issues about you.
The Federal Trade Commission regulates credit bureaus and credit repair organizations. For more information contact:
The Public Reference Branch
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, D.C. 20580
Note (not part of the statutory text): you can also reach the FTC online at consumer.ftc.gov or report a problem at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and you can submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Your right to cancel — 3 business days, no penalty
You may cancel your credit repair contract with us for any reason, without penalty or obligation, within 3 business days from the date you sign it (federal Credit Repair Organizations Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1679e). Texas law (Texas Finance Code chapter 393, including § 393.202) also gives you a right to cancel and requires a written notice of cancellation to be attached to your contract. If the federal and Texas periods differ, we honor whichever gives you more time.
To cancel, send written notice — for example, by email to info@topshelffundability.com, or by mailing or delivering the signed cancellation form attached to your contract to the address shown on it. If you have paid anything, it will be returned within 10 days after we receive your cancellation notice.
No fees before services are fully performed
We do not charge or receive any money or other payment for credit repair services before those services are fully performed. Billing happens only after the work described in your written agreement has been completed. You will get a written description of the services and their total cost before you sign anything.
You can dispute errors yourself, for free
You do not need to hire anyone to fix mistakes on your credit report. You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information directly with the credit bureaus, and they may not charge you for it. You can get your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and file disputes online:
Nonprofit credit counseling is also available. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (nfcc.org) can help you find a nonprofit counselor.
What we don’t do, and why
Some credit repair companies use the practices below. Here is what each one is, why it is wrong, and where the rule comes from. Links go to the official text. Where no specific law applies, we say so and label it “our policy.”
This is general information, not legal advice.
1. Charging before the work is done (“paid in full prior to services,” “all sales final”)
What it is: Collecting payment up front for credit repair, or telling you that all sales are final.
Why it’s wrong: Federal law bars credit repair companies from charging or receiving any money before the promised services are fully performed. “All sales final” also conflicts with your right to cancel within 3 business days. Texas lets a bonded credit services organization collect before finishing, but the stricter federal rule still applies, and that is the rule we follow.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1679b(b); 15 U.S.C. § 1679e(a); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.302 (Texas bond rule — we follow the stricter federal rule).
Top Shelf does not do this.
2. Guaranteed results and score promises (“577 to 750 in 2 months,” “higher score in 90 days”)
What it is: Promising a specific score, a score increase, or a deadline for results, sometimes with a “money-back guarantee.”
Why it’s wrong: No one controls what bureaus and creditors report or how scores are calculated, so a promised number or timeline misrepresents the service. Texas specifically bars guaranteeing to “erase bad credit” unless the ad clearly says this can be done only if the history is inaccurate or obsolete. A money-back guarantee does not make up-front fees legal, and any guarantee must be written into the contract.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1679b(a)(3), (a)(4), and (b); 15 U.S.C. § 1679d(b)(2)(A); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.304(1)(A); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.305.
Top Shelf does not do this.
3. “Delete everything,” removing accurate negative items, or a “clean sweep” of inquiries
What it is: Promising to wipe a report clean, including items that are accurate, often by disputing everything or filing false identity-theft claims.
Why it’s wrong: Credit disputes are for information that is inaccurate or incomplete. Accurate negative information can generally stay on a report for 7 years (bankruptcies up to 10). Disputing items you know are accurate, or claiming identity theft that did not happen, means making untrue statements to credit bureaus and creditors.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(A); 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a); 15 U.S.C. § 1679b(a)(1); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.304(1)(A) and (2). See also FTC: Fixing Your Credit FAQs.
Top Shelf does not do this.
4. CPNs, “credit privacy numbers,” or a “new credit identity”
What it is: Selling a 9-digit number (or telling you to get an EIN) to use instead of your Social Security number so you can start a “new” credit file.
Why it’s wrong: A CPN is not a legal substitute for your Social Security number, and many are stolen numbers. It is illegal to advise someone to change their identification to hide accurate credit history. Falsely representing a number as your Social Security number, with intent to deceive, is a federal crime.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1679b(a)(2); 42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(7)(B). See also FTC: Fixing Your Credit FAQs.
Top Shelf does not do this.
5. No written contract, or no cancellation rights
What it is: Starting work on a handshake, or without telling you how to cancel.
Why it’s wrong: Credit repair services cannot start until you sign a written, dated contract that lists the total payments, a full description of the services, any guarantees, the time to complete, and the company’s address, and not until your 3-business-day cancellation period has ended. You must also get the “Notice of Cancellation” form.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1679d(a) and (b); 15 U.S.C. § 1679e(a) and (b); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.201; Tex. Fin. Code § 393.202.
Top Shelf does not do this.
6. Making you waive your rights
What it is: Asking you to sign away your cancellation, refund, or other consumer rights.
Why it’s wrong: Any waiver of your credit repair rights is void, and simply trying to get you to waive them is itself a violation of federal and Texas law.
Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1679f(a) and (b); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.003; Tex. Fin. Code § 393.307.
Top Shelf does not do this.
7. Claiming government approval (“HUD approved us”)
What it is: Saying or implying that HUD, the FHA, or another government agency approved, endorsed, or authorized the business.
Why it’s wrong: Falsely representing that a business is endorsed, authorized, or approved by HUD or another federal agency is a federal crime, and it misrepresents the service. Top Shelf is not HUD, not a lender, and not a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Top Shelf Fundability LLC is a Texas-registered Credit Services Organization (Registration No. 20260142).
Law: 18 U.S.C. § 709; 15 U.S.C. § 1679b(a)(3); Tex. Fin. Code § 393.304(1).
Top Shelf does not do this.
8. Taking a percentage of grant awards
What it is: Charging a nonprofit a commission or a percentage of any grant it wins.
Why it’s wrong: Percentage fees reward chasing the biggest check over the right fit for the organization, and grant professionals’ ethics codes reject them. Funders also often do not allow grant money to pay for grant writing. We charge for the work, not a cut of the award.
Our policy (no specific statute cited). It follows the Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics, items 17–20, a professional standard, not a law.
Top Shelf does not do this.
9. Tradeline or “piggyback” schemes
What it is: Selling you a spot as an authorized user on a stranger’s credit card to borrow their payment history.
Why it’s wrong: It borrows someone else’s history instead of fixing your own file, and it can give lenders a misleading picture of your real credit.
Our policy (no specific statute cited).
Top Shelf does not do this.
10. Asking for your bank or credit bureau logins
What it is: Asking for usernames and passwords to your bank, card, or credit bureau accounts.
Why it’s wrong: Logins give a company full access to your money and identity. You can get your own reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com and share only the pages you choose.
Our policy (no specific statute cited).
Top Shelf does not do this.
Texas Credit Services Organization status: see the Texas CSO notice.
