Well 636 is just under the great rate score of 640.

Below is your required info for my question:
1. auto loan in another state co-signed with ex-husband 3/22/1999
2. 30 payments made on account b4 sent to collections
3. last payment was made on 12/22/2001
4. her credit score is 636
Situation:
My wife was previously married and co-signed with her the-husband for a auto loan. She was not employed but a house wife. Her ex defaulted on the loan and the car was repossessed. She divorced him after he was arrested as a sex offender. She moved away and eventually met me and we have been married for going on 2 years. The collector has contacted her to collect on the deficiency balance. We know that the statutes of limitations expired on her last payment on 12/22/2002. The state of Texas where the contract was signed, the SOL, is 4 years from date of last activity. She nor her ex have paid anything since the last payment on 12/22/2002. She only has three things on her credit record:
1. defaulted auto loan she co-signed
2. untility bill not paid by her husband who was the only worker, but in her name,dated 10/2000
3. a personal loan she was able to get last year that was paid off yesterday after 7 months of perfect payment history.
The collector is saying they can satisfy her part of the debt with a settlement yet to be determined. The unsettled repossession is keeping us from getting a mortgage and the collector will probably never see any settlement with her ex who is flying under the radar( but she has his contact info due to child support). The collector claims that she can satisfy "her" part of the debt and report that to the CB's as her part paid. What are your "recommendations".
Thanks, REAL PERSON
-------
Well 636 is just under the great rate score of 640.
A 636 is rety decent though and in most cases would quailfy a person for a decent interst rate if you have enough "rated trade lines" or open credit accounts.
Looks like you only have one.
It also sounds like the mortgage company would buy your paper IF this repo was satisfied.

Recommendations?
Depends on a lot of what if's. If the settlent is something you can pay And if you pay, you will get the mortgage at the rate you expect. Then pay it and get your mortgage fast.

If the amount can be paid but you aren't SURE if you will be approved or what rate you will get, I would advise to leave it alone until it falls of. It is 4 years old now. 3 more and it is gone.

You must realize if you pay and they mark it paid your date will change to 2006 which might even lower your score. This would be no problem if all you want is a mortgage and YOU ARE SURE you will get the mortgage if you pay.

If the amount is too much to pay I would adivise looking for owner financing. Get everything in writing as far as when you pay it off you get a deed. I advise paying a lawyer to prtect your interest on any owner financing.

my score for one is 620, the other is 589

Yes the one thing deleted is the one that has been closed for 12yrs., my score for one is 620, the other is 589. and the last one is 611, which is the score for the one deleted, i am paying on these accts as I retired in 2002, and waited for SOCIAL SECURITY to kick in that is why I got behind on these bills they are credit cards that I had one is for 503.00, the other is for , 553.00 but the biggest one is for GATEWAY which I pay monthly in the amount of 50.00 which I have been paying since last yr the amount of this was 1,800.00 which now is 1,553.00
----------
You are working hard and looking good. I think you will recover nicely. I do not think the files will be removed though. I think they will be marked PAID at some point. Open up another credit line somewhere to help overlap your bad credit and increase your score. If you don't you will loose your score.

Go to my credit page and get a credit card to buy gas with. If they turn you down pay the money to open one up. Buy gas only and pay more than you charge each month. in 12 months you will have a rated trade and a higher score.

defaulted auto loan she co-signed

Below is your required info for my question:

1. auto loan in another state co-signed with ex-husband 3/22/1999
2. 30 payments made on account b4 sent to collections
3. last payment was made on 12/22/2001
4. her credit score is 636

Situation:

My wife was previously married and co-signed with her the-husband for a auto loan. She was not employed but a house wife. Her ex defaulted on the loan and the car was repossessed. She divorced him after he was arrested as a sex offender. She moved away and eventually met me and we have been married for going on 2 years. The collector has contacted her to collect on the deficiency balance. We know that the statutes of limitations expired on her last payment on 01/01/2002. The state of BAH HAH where the contract was signed, the SOL, is 4 years from date of last activity. She nor her ex have paid anything since the last payment on 01/01/2002. She only has three things on her credit record:
1. defaulted auto loan she co-signed
2. untility bill not paid by her husband who was the only worker, but in her name,dated 01//2000
3. a personal loan she was able to get last year that was paid off yesterday after 7 months of perfect payment history.

The collector is saying they can satisfy her part of the debt with a settlement yet to be determined. The unsettled repossession is keeping us from getting a mortgage and the collector will probably never see any settlement with her ex who is flying under the radar( but she has his contact info due to child support). The collector claims that she can satisfy "her" part of the debt and report that to the CB's as her part paid. What are your "recommendations".

Thanks,
----------
Well 636 is just under the great rate score of 640.
A 636 is rety decent though and in most cases would quailfy a person for a
decent interst rate if you have enough "rated trade lines" or open credit
accounts. Looks like you only have one.
It also sounds like the mortgage company would buy your paper IF this repo was
satisfied.
Recommendations?
Depends on a lot of what if's. If the settlent is something you can pay And if you pay, you will get the mortgage at the rate you expect. Then pay it and get your mortgage fast.
If the amount can be paid but you aren't SURE if you will be approved or what rate you will get, I would advise to leave it alone until it falls of. It is 4 years old now. 3 more and it is gone.
You must realize if you pay and they mark it paid your date will change to 2006 which might even lower your score. This would be no problem if all you want is a mortgage and YOU ARE SURE you will get the mortgage if you pay.
If the amount is too much to pay I would adivise looking for owner financing. Get everything in writing as far as when you pay it off you get a deed. I advise paying a lawyer to prtect your interest on any owner financing.

If I dispute an item on one credit bureau and it is removed, do they report that to the other 2

Quoting Real Person:
First let me say thanks. Your web site and emails have been a life saver. 549 to 698 and climbing since reading your site and taking action. I think I started in November or December.
If I dispute an item on one credit bureau and it is removed, do they report that to the other 2 credit bureaus and it removed from there as well? Or do I have to dispute on those as well?
Thanks again,
-----
You must dispute at the other 2 bureaus.
Use the findings you have to dispute with.
Make copies and send them in with your dispute

JUST WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THE EXPERIAN ADDRESS IS CURRENT

BO
JUST WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THE EXPERIAN ADDRESS IS CURRENT?
THANX
--------
yes it is
----------
Quoting REAL PERSON
THANX
BY THE WAY, YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT EXPERIAN HOGGING THE ONLINE MARKET AND MAKING THEIR SITES STUPID AND EXHAUSTING.
---------
Totally
Abosolutely ridiculous
I used to be an affiliate with consumerinfo.com
Experian bought Consumer info then kicked me off for offering credit report "repair"
What else do they think people want to do to their credit report
LOOK AT IT AND GO DUH?
Guess what else.
They were sued by the federal govt for misleading consumers by calling credit montioring a free credit report and not explaining one has to cancel in 30 days or less to get it free. AND they made it VERy difficult to cancel. So we are talking about a group[that needs to be reigned in.

requested all three of my reports and on all three there are different

I have requested all three of my reports and on all three there are different items that I have disputed more than once I am pre-approved for a mortage but because of these items the interest rate is sky-high, now I did get one thing deleted that was over 12yrs old it was a secured credit card that was paid and closed in 1993 but by some strange occurance a collection agency put this on
my report saying that I re-newed this acct in 1999 and again in 2003, untrue then there are items that I am paying on that show no movement at all on the amounts and one was totally paid off and closed in 2005, I have sent the reporting agency some documents that will prove what I am saying these will go hopefully to the credit reporting agency that the mortage company uses and boost
my score to what it should be but the credit reporting agencies say (we contacted the creditor and found that this is true), I am at a lost as to where to
go from here
----------------
Good on the one thing deleted.
So the collection has to do with the one thing deleted?????
can't tell....

When you make payments on collection or charge offs or judgements, usually no movement is shown until you have "paid in full" and then it will show paid in full but not help your score becaues you failed to "pay on time and as agreed".

You do not state 1.what type of account 2. how old the account is 3. how much for. All these things have bearing on what one can do to have it removed.

you also do not stae what your score is. It is very hard to dissiminate questions with very few facts to work on.

I hope it will boost your score also.

I had gap insurance, car total loss, Phone bill

Quoting REAL PERSON:
Ok so my credit is bad but only because of like 3 things. The companys are getting there money but they are putting bad stuff on my credit. what can ii do? i got reciepts for everything. The main thing was a car that i had a total lost for, I had gap insurance that covered it gave them a check and paid it off in full and they still put charge off, Then i have one company im paying off a old phone bill and i had a plan to pay $25 monthly and now they are saying they havent received no payment when i have the amsoct stubs saying they cashed it, i need help.
------------
Sounds like we have LEGIT reason's for fixing credit.
Company's are getting payment before 30 business days but are marking 30 days past due. "RIGHT?" Dispute IT. Send copy's of recipts with the free dispute form. "BE LIGIT".
Make copies of Gap Protection and work with Gap protection company to get legal remedy for late GAP payment on automobile loan payoff. Use legal leverage without being angry. Consult the BBB. Consult GAP company AND car dealer who sold GAP. Then dispute incorrect late payments.
Phone bill? 25.00 per payment? Yes that is bad credit. Utilities are the lowest of lows one can have. THE phone company made mistakes about payments on a bill that was allready listed "on credit report now" as being a charge off. Make payment in full NOW. Not 25.00 per month. Lord if I can not make phone payments why am I wondering why my credit is bad.
-----------------

1993-94 I filed bankruptcy. pretty well with my remaining and new credit cards

Quoting Real Live Human
I have always had problems with credit. In about 1993-94 I filed bankruptcy. I did pretty well with my remaining and new credit cards from the bankruptcy until 2000, when I had a major upheaval and was not able to pay anything. I did the worst possible thing and have ignored everything for almost 6 years. Now I want to try to clean things up. I got one credit report from equifax.
Here are my questions:
a.. I have a couple of department store accounts that are listed as "Included in Bankruptcy," with the Date Reported column reading "6/2004" However, under Public Records it says "You have no bankruptcies on file." Can I dispute those and get them taken off since it has been more than 10 years since the bankruptcy?
b.. I have two accounts in collections, one for $201 and one for $1,742. I have received recent letters from each of these firms offering to settle the accounts for about 50% of those balances. Do you think if I call them and ask to settle for a lower amount that they might accept my offer (say 30-40%)? If I pay a portion of the full balances, will they be obliged to remove the bad credit reference to my reports? Do I wait after paying and then have to dispute it or are they supposed to "automatically" remove it?
c.. I have one judgment filed against me that I didn't even know about for a credit card for $780 from 8/2001. Will that lender be likely to negotiate a lesser amount? If it is paid, will the judgement ever be removed from my credit report and score?
d.. Finally, I have a couple of other credit cards for high amounts listed in
"Charge-off" status dating from 2000 and listed as reported as 2005 and 2006. These are not listed as in collections or judgments even though one of them is a separate account that I had with the same credit card company as the one that has the judgment against me. What is the best way to handle these accounts?
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
----------------
a. the date on the report says 2004 for some reason. I doubt it will come off real easy but it might. You CAN dispute anything and say it not yours or out of date or anything you feel is right. If the dispute does not come out as you think is right you can add a 50 word coment to the entry. This comment will not help your score.
b. Of course you can try to settle for less. Of course. They may or may not do
it. If they do expect to have your account redated. Do not expect the account to be REMOVED. It show paid. Thats it. It will not help your score if this is the case.
c. Judgement are matters of law. The acount will stay on your report for 10 years past "date of last activity" no matter what.
d. Again judgements are impossible. Matters of law. You moght find the account listed twice though and possibly get the charge off removed as a duplicate. Once they go to judgement it is like cemented. So do not expect much here either.
....having said all that. Know that one can dispute anything. Disputing does not
guarantee anything.
----------------------

hi should i contact a credit card company if it has not been paid in 4years

Quoting LIVE HUMAN
hi should i contact a credit card company if it has not been paid in 4years??
Do they take the not paid off my credit if i start paying them and talk to them?? I Need advice please it is actually my boyfriends problem SOOO ......
------------------
wait three more and it comes off.
pay now and it will be 7 yrs
or make a deal that takes it OFF
not just shows it PAID
it is a personal decision
------------------
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i put a lot of time and effort in deleting stuff from equifax

Quoting LIVE HUMAN
Is there any easy way to update all three? i put a lot of time and effort in deleting stuff from equifax. i would hate to have to do this for each one.
------------------
copy the findings and mail them to the other bureaus.
be sure to inlcude detailed info on yourself
------------------
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I have a few unauthorized inquiries which I want to dispute

Quoting Live Human
Good Morning Bo! My name is Malachy, and I must tell thanks for educating many of us with your in dept knowledge about credit. Your tips have been very helpful to me.
My question is: I just pulled all three of my credit reports. I have a few unauthorized inquiries which I want to dispute. I was wondering if I can just prepared the dispute letter fax it to them intead of mail to them since I have their fax number. Do I have to mail the dispute letter along with a copy of my credit report? If I fax it, do I fax the letter alone?
------------------
i do not recomend faxing anything
dispute by cerified mail
-----------------
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My debt is 13 years old and they are just now becoming agressive with the collection tactics

Quoting Live Human
Why are delinquent Dept of Education Loans not subject to the statute of limitations. My debt is 13 years old and they are just now becoming agressive with the collection tactics. I have disputed the debt as the original loan was used for school which my son never got to complete as after dropping out temporarily due to personal hardship reasons. when he tried to return to school , the school in our area had closed. Do I still owe the Dept of Eduction?
----------------
yes the school and the loan are 2 totally seprate actions
Dept of edu laons are govt loans.
i would set up a payment procedure
----------------
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None of the numbers worked for Experian. Have you come across any new fax numbers

Quoting LIVE HUMAN
Mr. Majors:
I came across your website in a search for fax numbers for the credit bureaus. None of the numbers worked for Experian. Have you come across any new fax numbers?
---------------
no i havent
and i reccomend only cerified delivery mail be used

My original debt was approx $1750 and has now ballooned up to nearly $5ooo.oo after penalties and interest

Quoting live Human
So is it true that Dept of Education loans are not covered under the Statute of Limitations? Also if that is true, is there any way to get help to reduce the debt? My original debt was approx $1750 and has now ballooned up to nearly $5ooo.oo after penalties and interest. Is there any legal way I can pay just the principal amount? If so, who can I contact for help to handle this?
----------------------
a debt negotiator might help
you will be liable for penalties and interest
i assume dept of edu is like the irs
GOVT
so legalities and limitations do not apply to some of these entities
but i am not sure. I WOULD think they would settle for some amount even if you only talked to them. Something is better than nothing

and I can get it off my report can they put the negative listing back on

Quoting Live Human

Hi Bo,
I was wondering if I could get your advice. I want to dispute a paid charge off account and a collection account, what should I write? Also, if an account is in collections now and I can get it off my report can they put the negative listing back on? Even if I pay each month after it’s off?
Thank You for your time
------------
Mark not my account
Most collections do not show up on your report if you work a deal out right off the bat. If you dilly dally they put it on your report. My advice would be to ask them if the collection had been placed on my report yet. If not then make a deal to keep it off. If they have make a deal to have it removed upon payment or do not pay. It does not help a score much to have something show paid collection. UNLESS you are getting a loan and 'that' is a prerequisite to getting the loan approved.
----------------
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Can I call the debtor and have them remove the negative entry

Hello,
I would like to know, if, I paid off a debt. Can I call the debtor and have them remove the negative entry.
-------------
most of the time no
a deal must be struck before hand
but you can try by
1. calling the debtor like you say
2. disputing the debt as not yours with my free dispute form
---------------
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Can I repair bad credit and credit scores by having secured credit cards

Quoting REAL LIVE HUMAN
I have gotten rid of credit cards for a while now. Is it true that one way to build up scores slowly is to have a few secured cards, pay them off each month on a timely manner and show a good history . That way maybe for 6 months to a year your score points start to rise?
-------------
No is is NOT TRUE! Secured credit cards normally mean I have to buy from a certain companies catalog or online website and the credit card company does not report to bureaus. They do this to keep my credit stagnant and trap me into buying more of the websites goods.
Do I know if they report to one of the three credit bureaus Equifax, Trans Union, Experian? If they do not, no credit report score help. I advocate paying a fee to get a (first rate reporting) credit card company to open credit for people whom are normally turned down. If I have been turned down for bad credit by a credit card I send them money with the same application. i also send a letter explaining I need to establish some good credit and thought if they had money in hand they could at least open an account for that amount.
"Rated Trade Lines" any credit reported to one of the big three bureaus for 12 months are considered rated trade lines and will affect my credit bad or good depending on how I pay. 6 months credit does not a credit rating make. Use the link below to apply for genuine credit cards.
--------------------
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make a best guess of what my Beacon will be in 2007 or so?

Quoting REALIVE HUMAN
Bo,
Thanks for providing a outstanding website and resource for us out here on the web. Without going to far into detail here is as brief a synopsis as I can give you. In December of 2004 my bankruptcy went final. Since then I have tried bit by bit to improve my credit score thru better payment history (I kept my truck to establish payment history under new circumstances). I have managed to somewhat avoid lates. My beacon has went from 395 in 2003 to 593 as of today. In reviewing my Credit reports I have noticed some old open accounts with no balances on them. Since I am hesitant in using them to avoid debt.
What is your best guess on what closing them would do to my credit score? I have become very strigant on my credit management side as I will never get to the point of bankruptcy again. I have gotten a new car loan since the bankruptcy (went into a smaller car and payment for debt management purposes) and was approved for a home loan recently. However I choose a different route for house financing because of the interest rate I was quoted (9.9). I will be taking over payments in a couple of years. As I said my beacon right now is 593 with only a car loan (405 monthly) and one credit card (paid off recently going to a once a month charge of gas and pay off plan). Would you be able to make a best guess of what my Beacon will be in 2007 or so?
------------
keep those 2 trade lines open
your score will increase to mid 600' even with the bk showing.
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I have a large hospital bill that has been sent to a lawyer's office for collection

Quoting Rp
Dear Bo Majors,
I really don't know who to ask this question to so in searching the web I found you! I have a large hospital bill that has been sent to a lawyer's office for collection. The lawyer's office called and said if I don't put in on my credit card they will report it as delinquent and send it to the credit bureau. I have always had excellent credit with never a mark on it. I don't
want to put such a large amount on my card. I am unfortunate in that I have inadequate health insurance and needed an operation last year. I now pay 6 different bills associated with this procedure the hospital being one of them. I pay everyone a little something every month and that seemed to satisfy them all except the hospital. Exactly how bad is it to have a large hospital bill show up on your credit report that shows a person paying something every month? Everything else on my report shows either on-going
current, never late, or account closed. Would a potential loan officer hold this against me or take it all into consideration?
Thanks so much for any advice you can give
----------------
It will lower your score for sure if it goes on your report.
Loan officers for low interest or primary lending companies use the score as the sole basis for granting credit.
Some local high interest finance companies will more than likely look over some collections. You say large amount. If the amount is very large it could dramatically affect your future plans regarding loans, credit cards and even insurance rates.
Credit cards have fine print that allows them to raise rates for just about any reason i the fine print section of your application and approval letter.
One of the reason is a lower credit score. Having a large collection could prompt the credit card folks to raise your rate.
Seems to me like there are no easy answers. I sincerely doubt whoever called you is a lawyer or a law firm. They use the term to frighten people to make quick decisions.
Another point to look at is if a creditor accepts a reduced payment and not the full amount in a court of law they have let you off the hook and cannot legally gain a judgement based on the fact they took a payment structure rather than paid in full. This very element comes into play at the rental company that is affiliated with russell barnett. If a person runs up a rental bill and doesn't pay in full my friend takes them to court for theft by diversion and wins a judgement. So having said all that i have no idea how to adise you. I have given facts only pertaing to your question. It would be soley up to you how to handle this affair.
---------------
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I filed for chapter 13 in 1996, how long is it going to haunt me

Quoting Rp
I filed for chapter 13 in 1996, how long is it going to haunt me and what do I need to do to get rid of it?
------------
date of dismiss papers is when the seven years start. I would see what that date is and at the seven year mark make sure it is removed.
Bk's always involve loans and all the laons should be off your credit now since you filed in 1996. So I would dispute the loans now and that should help some. I think I'm right on that last issue but not positive.
Lets assume you paid out in 98. thats the sevn year mark. There is a possibilty that you can disput it all and it will all come off. Use my free dispute form and dispute only 4 itmes per dispute

Just say the 7 year time frame has elapsed and you want them removed. Chapter 7 and 13 have different time levels one is 10 years one is 7 im not sure which. i will find out and post it on my blog and website.

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want to find out how to get old negative credit problems off of my credit report? thanks

Quoting rob
I want to find out how to get old negative credit problems off of my credit report? thanks
---------------
read my website tips
thats why i made the site
click on credit help
go to tips
then read my blog
----------------
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My scores are 564 570 and 577 I have a chargeoffs totaling $2600

Quoting Rp
Hello Mr . Majors my name is victorI . I have a question. My scores are 564 570 and 577 I have a chargeoffs totaling $2600 is there any way I could get a small personal loan? If not how can I raise my score high enough to get one?

--------------
weu dont know till we try i guess
depends on job stability
depends on if our local
we will probably need to go to a local finance company and they will need you to have stability in home and job id say and it would be good to have family in the area or ties that bind
-------------

I have another woman's address on my credit

Quoting \RP

I am hoping that you can help me. I have another woman's address on my credit, and all of her collections are being assigned to me significantly depressing my credit score. Her social security number even appeared on one page of the credit report equifax sent me. We share the same last name (Smith). However, we have two different first names and we live in two different states (she lives in California and I live in Utah). All of the collections are from California, where "Jenna Smith" lives. There are two credit agencies that have this erroneous information. I have been receiving mail for this person, that in retrospect, were collections. I did not open them because of the incorrect name. Obviously there has either been a significant mix up, or identity theft. I had a mortgage agent send a letter of disputation to both agencies. I only heard back from Equifax. I have called and called and called. Each time I got a new person and waited on hold for 20+ min. The last individual had me fax her my driver's license and SS card. I never heard back. It has been nearly 2 months. I am growing weary of this battle, and am near giving up. Can you email me any suggestions, if you have any. I would be so grateful! I don't have a lot of time (single working mother of two precious children). I am hoping there is some resource I can turn to.
Thank you,
--------------
http://www.oskie.com/free-letter/Credit-Fraud-Theft-Identity.htm

lawyer to settle 3 credit cards. We paid a percentage and they forgave the rest

A while back we went through a lawyer to settle 3 credit cards. We paid a percentage and they forgave the rest. However, Discover card was in the process of suing me for the balance of the account. On the day I was supposed to be in court, my lawyer came to a settlement amount with them and a check was sent registered mail to Discover's
lawyers within hours of their phone conversation. Somehow I'm guessing Discovers representitive at court was not notified of this settlement. A month later I receive a paper in the mail for the courthouse that a jusgement was files against me for failure to appear. (I was told by my lawyer that I did not need to appear since we had reached a settlement.) I contacted my lawyer and he in turn contacted Discovers lawyers and a month after that I received another letter in the mail stating that the
default order of the previous case had been vacated. I pulled my reports and on each one is reported a judgement against me to Discover Card. To my knowledge, since there was never supposed to be a judgement because we settled, this is wrong. But I can't get it taken off. I sent registered letters to the bureaus and to Discover and even to Discover lawyers. I haven't heard back from anyone except from the bureaus and they all said they investigated but the judgement is valid and is going
to stay.
Any ideas?
--------------
matters of law always go on your report
talk to your lawyer
the lawyer might not have informed us properly
-------------
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bad credit from when I was a student about 7 years ago

Bo
I am looking at your website and suggestions to dispute old outdated credit history on my report. I am not too sure exactly how to go about doing this. Basically I have bad credit from when I was a student about 7 years ago and since then I have been much better about payments and such. However the bad credit is affecting me.
What can I do to resolve this. How can I state my case to the credit bureau?
------------
get new good credit
the last 2 years count most
make your case with new credit
dispute credit over 7 yrs since last activity
it will fall off

rated credit lines are 12 months old
do not pay anything off before 12 months
make sure the lender submits activity to credit bureaus'
or forget it
make payments on time or before 30 days in hand
not mailed on the 30th day
---------------------
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ask Bo majors@oskie.com

once I start disputing collections does that keep me from being able to come to an agreement with the original creditor if the accounts are verifiab

Bo, thank you so much for your informative web site. I now understand about "paid" and "paid in full and in good standing". I also used the contact information for Lex law firm. I am considering hiring them. My question is once I start disputing collections does that keep me from being able to come to an agreement with the original creditor if the accounts are verifiable? Also, if I do pay the original creditor what about the account the collection agency has? Is this now a false account as the original debt had been paid in full?
Thank you again for all the information almost every question I had has been answered. Any information you may have will be helpfull.
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collection normally mean they have been sold to the collections agency and the original creditor no longer owns the account. Unless you catch this one quick the collection agancy will have to be the contact for you. One thing is for sure though. If you do pay the origianl creditor and they take the monies they can authorize the removeal of the collection. The collection agancy might require a fee. I would pay anything resonable to have a collection removed totally.
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three Rogers jeweler accounts showing but they are all the same card how can I get these merged

You're awesome! Thanks for all the great free advise. I have a couple of questions. I am really interested in using some things you wrote below but I can use a bit more details on how to do it. I have accounts that are duplicated. Some look better then the others. How do I get them merged so that it can knock some of the late payments out? For instance I have three Rogers jeweler accounts showing but they are all the same card how can I get these merged? Also I am interested in reopening accounts I closed. This will leave me with a lot of accounts open but they will all be good accounts that I paid on time. Is it wise to do it still?
Thank you, Real Person
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"Overlap past or "2 yr old" bad credit with present "within 2yrs" good credit. Use credit cards, car or personal loans to do so. Mail in $200 dollars with an application and ask to open a new account or re-open an old account and establish new good credit. Buy gas with the loan or a credit card. Pay extra each month. 12 months minimum to get a rated credit line. Make sure the creditor reports to bureaus."
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I would dispute the accounts with the bureaus first and report your finding and situation to the jeweler and see if they can help. At the same time i would try to reopen those older accounts by paying a small fee or something. Credit cards or revovling credit usually only report activity for the past 12 months. Fo this reason they become one of the best avenues to re establish good credit over bad credit.
In the jewels case i would try to reopen the accounts that show late payments not the good one. Or ask them to make the account the same, reopen it and pay it good for 24 months and Whaa laa. Good credit.
-----------------
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do you know if the credit cards report to one of the three credit bureaus Equifax, Trans Union, Experian?

I have gotten rid of credit cards for a while now. Is it true that one way to build up scores slowly is to have a few secured cards, pay them off each month on a timely manner and show a good history . That way maybe for 6 months to a year your score points start to rise?
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Secured credit cards normally mean you have to buy from certain companies goods and the card company does not report to bureaus.
So do you know if the credit cards report to one of the three credit bureaus Equifax, Trans Union, Experian? If they do not .... No score help>
I do advocate paying a fee to get a reporting credit card company to open credit for people with bad credit.
"Rated Trade Lines" any credit reported to one of the big three bureaus for twevle months will upgrade your score if 1 you pay on time each month and you have the trade line open for 12 months plus. Six months are not enough to rate a trade line.
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I've tried to contact TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian via phone

I've tried to contact TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian via phone to lift a fraud alert from my credit. I had it put there 5 years ago and no longer need it there. Can you assist me or tell me who I can talk to at live person? Thanks
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I write all over my website to not even try the dang phone.
You can clearly see what happens
frustration
Make a letter up with all your personal information.
ask for the alert to be removed, and it should be.
I have found though that in most cases alerts are removed after 2-3 years
Forgot which
So that sounds strange
Use the link below to find the addresses
Credit help
Thanks
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ask Bo majors@oskie.com

I am still stated as being late when I have letters stating otherwise from the creditors

Hi Bo I came across your website while desperately trying to find information on the web about experian. I had two 'negative' items on my crdeit report regarding 30 and 60 day late payments to two diffrent creditors. I had spoke to both creditors and both agreed to remove the negative items from my report and sent me a letter stating so which I have. I disputed the items with experian and waited 60 days. I just checked with experian and there automated
system said the disputes are complete and changed-NOT ONE BIT DIFFREENT!!! I am still stated as being late when I have letters stating otherwise from the creditors. What can I do? Whatever help you can give me would be greatly appreciated and also I just don't have the time to play games and would not be above paying a crdeit report fixing company but also need to know are there any good ones?
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Use the mail with confirmation delivery.
Send copies of the letters with my free dispute form.
http://www.oskie.com/credit-dispute.htm
You should recieve a letter in the mail in respons to the dispute. you should not have to call or check your credit later.
Calling is frustrating.
Mailed dispute forms always get a written response.

I don't have all the facts. But if this does not work go to the bbb.
What do your letters say?
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ask Bo majors@oskie.com

How Medical Debts Affect Your Credit Score

Hello Bobo
I Am Curious As To How Medical Debts Affect Your Credit Score
Some People Say That medical Doesnt Matter But Id Like To Know What You Have To Say About It. Also How Does The Score System Work? Where Do The Points Come From And How Do I Raise Them? I Have 3 Different Scores From 3 Different Credit Bureaus.
Thank you For Your Time And All That You Do.
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They affect your score tremendously for the first 2 years and less thereafter Scores are complex algorithyms that cannot be perfectely explained. Scores vary form bureau to bureau because each one has a little different data on you. Not because the systems are different
Medical is sometime overlooked by creditors but the score is not in most cases. Medical is also the easiest to remove. Make a deal to pay for removal it was an insurance mistake is the most common reason for removal.
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accounts that have been closed over 10 years are still on there

Hi -
I received my credit report and accounts that have been closed for over 10 years are still on there. They are in good standing but I thought they would not show up anymore. Is that true? How long after the account is closed does it stay on the credit report?
Thanks for you help!
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7 yrs from date of last activity
10 years on matters of law
some states have different laws
but most work like stated above
---------------
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Can I send couple of disputes in the same request letter

Thank you so much for providing the universal form to dispute charges in our credit reports. It is a nightmare but we have to do it. My question is. Can I send couple of disputes in the same request letter to the Credit Ageny?
Please advise. I hope I can do this
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I would send no more than 4 disputed accounts per dispute.
Sometimes bureaus will dismiss huge dispute letters as frivilous thinking you are disputing everything right or wrong just hoping.
--------------------
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apartment is taking me collections. is there anyway I could dispute this?

My X apartment is taking me collections. I had to move out of that apartment because of all kind of leaking that was going on. I had water come in from the apartment on the side of me. It leaked into my bedroom, then about 1 or 2 weeks later I had a leak in my bathroom vent from the upstairs apartment. So I left that apartment as soon as I could. About a month later I get a letter in the mail telling me I owe them $200.00.
They charged me all kinds of cleaning fees! I cleaned that apartment as best I could with all that went on. I think they are just trying to get some money back. I would like to know if there is anyway I could dispute this??

If you can help me in anyway it would be much appreciative.

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Sounds to me like you should have taken pictures, documented calls to the landlord and protected your interest before hand and not after.
If you have any evidence please us it to your best ability. 200.00 is not a lot of money if your credit is good now. If your credit is bad it will not matter much. 200.00 could cause you a lot of interest in the future and it would be better to pay than loose good credit. If the item is on your report now it is probably too late to help you and payment will not help your score.

So Have you checked your credit lately?
Is your credit 650 + ?
Is the 200.00 on your credit already?
If your score is 650+, and the item is not on your credit now>>>..
PAY IT FAST.
I would rather loose the apartment battle than loose the credit war.
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Yes I have pictures of what happened on both occasions.
I do have good credit and don't want this to go on my credit report. Can I reason with the collection agency?
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I would go to the apartment bunch
But would still pay the 200 before it went on my credit
Do you still not know if it is on your repoprt?
and do you know your score?
some people think they have good credit because they have paid people off.........if you have been late on all your payments but paid them off.......you have bad credit folks
do you really know your credit score
have you seen your report
If it is 650+ pay it and go on
The collection agency has no dog in the water leak fight
All they have is a debt that has not been paid
Thats all they know and care about
They will not grant you absolution based on your pictures
The apartment complex MIGHT
If you go to the BBB and state a decent case

A Debt From 1999 Will be marked Paid! Is this what I need credit score Points?

Hello
And Thank Heavens For Someone Like You
I Am Doing Some Reading And Trying To Clear Up My Credit Your Probably Hit With Hundreds Of Questions A Day But I Am Really Desperate For A Fast Answer The Collections Company Is Expecting Payment This Morning I Have A Debt From 1999 However My Credit Report States The Debt Is From 1/1/ 0001 Balance Due 1,086.00 The Woman I Spoke to Said It Will Mark Paid On My Report Once Its Paid Is This What I Need For The credit score Points? Or Is There Something Else I Should Ask About? Please Help I Know That After Some Time I Think 7 Years It Doesnt Matter Any Way Right?
----------------
Right
If they mark it as paid but do not take it off it will not help your score at all.
Matter of a fact it might hurt your score.
Redated to 2005 marked as paid on that date or "date of last activity".
So in 2008 it falls off completely
Right now it pobably has little effect on your credit if you have current credit working right now. The last 2 years of credit is more heavily weighted.
I would make a copy of my report now. Then tell the creditor it is of no help to pay the balance unless the entry is totally removed not just marked as paid.
So at this time you feel it is in your best interest to leave it like it is unless they are willing to do so. Then explain the you have made a copy of your report with a date and if any changes are made or any re-dating, inquiries or other unlawful activity occurs, you will be forced to contact the ftc about your explicit rights under the fair credit reporting act and a possible law suit may arrise in conection with any such activity. I am not trying to be rude but just have to do what is best for me and I have rights under the fcra. Please do not call me anymore or use any unlawful practices to collect on this very old collection.
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Wow Thanks So Much The Woman Kept Saying It Would Be Marked "Paid" And I Was Curious About This Because I Dont Know Much. However I Asked What That Meant She Said She Had A Long Day And She Would Explain Tomorrow. She Faxed Me What She Called An Agreement Giving Me Until The 30th Of The Month To Pay The 275.00 Settlement. I Was A Little Weiry I Was Waiting On You To Reply Back To Me So I Asked Questions After She Called Me 6 Times I Finally Pick Up And She Demands The Money (My Bank Card Info) Now! I Said I Thought I Had Until The 30th She Gets Really Angry, I Refused To Yell Or Get Angry I Thought This Was Outragious Behavior Is It Normal? She Then Puts A Man On The Phone Who Is Screaming in My Ear About How I Got A Great Deal And I Need To Pay Today And They Will Not Charge My Card Until The 31st Im A Little Shy About Shooting Off My Bank
Information To Anyone. But Make A Long Story Short I Told The Man Who Was Very Angry That I Would Call Back After They Cooled Off Because Paying Off A Debt Is For Me Not Them And I Didnt Understand Why They Were So Angry He SaidI Was No Longer Allowed To Speak With Melissa He Was The Attorney On The Case And I Had To Deal With Him He Gave Me His Number And I Said I Would Have My Husband Call.
I Do Feel Like You Helped Me Im Not Sure Whats In It For These Really Mean People Im Sure They Get A Paycheck Rather I Pay My Debt Or Not So I Dont Understand How They Can Spend Their Lives Being So Upset With Strangers On The Phone. I Hope They Are Nice To There Families Because It Seems To Me As Though These People Are Very Stressed Out Again I Am Just Another Person Trying To Make Things Right With My Credit I Am A Fan Of Yours Now I Love What You Do I Think More People Should Know About You.. You Are An Angel Giving Information To Me. This Is A Life Long Commitment Changing My credit And I Need As Much Help As I Can Get To Do it The Right Way.
Thankyou Again And Happy Holidays To you.
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Sounds like they are already out of bounds on the collection laws stated in the FCRA. Collections normally occur withing a 6 months time frame. At this point the creditor has already tried to collect and sell the debt for pennies on the dollar. The creditor takes a tax deduction from the IRS for the difference and the collection company keeps whatever they can collect on. That's how collection companies make money. So if they do not get your money they do not
get paid and go out of business which is good for you. Then you could dispute the file and have it removed since they cannot respond. So keep the phone number and check every 6 months or so from a pay phone or something.
In this case it sounds as if the file is very old and has been written off totally by the creditor in the first place. If this is so they collection company could afford to agree to a 1/4 payment because they have no investment. If this is the case collection might be illegal due to multiple collection on a written off debt to the IRS.
I bet the guy screaming was not even a lawyer. What do you want to bet. Tell us anything to get us to pay.
To be quite honest I paid every debt I ever accrued and feel everyone should pay ALL true debts. However if I was this far down the road I would not pay knowing what I know now. I paid an electric bill I owed 2 years late and it was redated. Same for another debt. But that was years ago before I got into this website on accident to help people like me. I found it very difficult to find information on the internet back then for credit help with the bureaus and even harder to talk to a real person.
------------
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how much will my score rise if I have a collection removed

Hi, and thank you so much for your helpful information. One thing I was not able to find though was how much will my score rise if I have a collection removed? I know I have succeeded in doing the impossible but I did it, not paid in full, not evened, REMOVED. My score is now 643 with the collection on there. I don't want to do another as it may lower it more. So just ball park how much does a collection lower your score? 20, 30, 80? Besides that I never
miss a payment my credit cards are high right now so I am paying those down quickly. I have worked really, really hard on my credit the past few years and this collection from a hospital for $44 from 6 years ago popped up but now it's gone.
Thank you,
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if the collection is within the 2 year margin I would venture a guess of 25 points. But no one knows for sure. It is sort of like the bcs rankings. I do know this, a collection has 2 negative effects on your credit. 1. it shows you have 100% balance against high credit on that account. 2. It shows you diidn 't pay a bill that was sent to you over a period of time. Normally collections only show up after numerous attempts to collect.

Another note. 44$ is not a whole lot of money and if a small collection like that is over 2 years old either make sure it gets deleted fully or do not pay it. It is far better to have the collection 2 years old than paid and recent.
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BlogRankings.com

I would really like to buy a house with in the next 6-12 months

hello, my name is REAL PERSON
I have put myself in a real bind with credit issues while I was in college. Now I have recently paid off my credit card debts and would like to know how to rebuild my credit score so I can buy a
house for my fiance and me. Everytime i go for a loan, they practically laugh at me. What do I need to do to get back on track? I would really like to buy a house with in the next 6-12 months. Thank-You
James Oakes
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my best help would be to say
buy a owner rent to own home
there are planty of home owners who rent
many will rent to own

my second best offer
would be to get a credit card by putting a downpayment with your app in
use it for 12 months then you will have a rated trade

of course you havent shown me your credit report
nor do i even know if you have seen it

so it is such an opened ended and opened beginning
no one even knows
probably not even you what is on your credit

after filing bankruptcy, law leave these accounts open with balances

Hello,
You must have had major problems in resolving credit reporting issues to help other people resolve theirs! My question is this: after filing bankruptcy and getting a copy of the credit report, I disputed the accounts that were included in the bankruptcy because the report stated there was still an account balance, past due amount and that the accounts were still open. I sent a copy of the bankruptcy along with the dispute forms and when I received the response from the credit bureau they had not changed anything.
Can they by law leave these accounts open with balances and past due amounts showing on the report?
Thank you so much for your help!
---------------
I think they have to show account included in bk and zip the balance due part. Most times bureaus have to be promted. Well I should say always have to be prompted. No prompt no action. bureaus are in the data business. But yes most all credit items will show negative for 7-10 years even with the bk. Bankrupcies resolve debt issues not credit issues. 2 different issues with the same subject.

we missed almost 5 months of mortage payments

Hi Bo:
My name is John Wilson..I live in Louisiana..and ave had trouble getting a job and got one in Memphis..and am working there..not to mention the hurricanes my wife stays home and keeps house in Louisiana.. my credit is terrible..around 495..we missed almost 5 months of mortage payments..even though we sold a piano and brought
it current..plus a lot of other stuff.. do you have a service to help people get their credit up..if so, I'm a great candidate..look to hear from you..
Awesome site..
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I do not have paid for service. Everything is free and online.
Well John this is a perfect case for some one to step up and do something THATS RIGHT. They are correct in that you were late as you clearly state. I would probably have asked for relief from the start. But t is never too late. I would call each creditor.
---------------
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bureau might make a mistake and eventually take the bad record

Quoting Real Person

How are you,
I like the support you've put online for the rest of us. Thank you. I've been told by friends that if I get my report and send my first dispute letter and if the bureau doesn't take the bad record off of my file (no matter what reason), that I could resend another dispute letter right after and after doing this a few times the bureau might make a mistake and eventually take the bad record off my file (perhaps from overlooking something or just out of confusion).
Do you think that's a good strategy to get bad records off? I'm not talking about bombarding with mail, but waiting till a response
comes and then resending the requests.
------------------------
This does happens sometimes
I would say not often and it makes bureaus mad.
Try around this time of year and you have a better chance.
More than likely they will send you back a frivilous dispute request letter for duplication of efforts

I would try the creditors a little if your dispute does not turn out
and write down everything you do and who you talk to and what happened on what day.

Hit them with all you can using lawyer like tones and facts.
Explain your rights under the fcra
Keep checking your credit online
The creditor might make a mistake and check your credit which is unlawful.

I am sure that they can not produce my signature on the collection as my ex husband signed my name.

Quoting Real Person :

Dear Mr Majors,

Years ago (I believe 1985) my ex husband opened an account with Sears in my name (without my knowledge). As far as I know, no payments or action has shown on the account since the late 80's. Today I received a phone call from a collection agent. I explained to the woman on the phone that it was my ex's account and she said it didn't matter. I told her I wouldn't pay it and that it was not mine. She said that collections would proceed.
I am sure that they can not produce my signature on anything as I had never used the account. What recourse do I have? I thought after an account recieved no payments after so many years that collections agaisn't the account could not be done....I thought this matter long dead as it's been at least 15 years since I last heard from Sears regarding this matter.
Thank you for you answer in advance
Sincerely Real Person with credit fraud.
---------------
Sounds to me like you have a valid legal arguement by the FCRA
I would send them a letter stating I believe rights have been violated by the law and wish to see my signature on any documents they have in my name. In addition I would state if they cannot provide this information To elimnate the collection or face the possibility of suit and reporting to the FTc. If you find the signature on the documents to be foorged you plan to follow all your legal avenues as far as forgery and illegal collections on a forgery. Send the mail with confirmation recipt requested and keep a copy of wht you sent them.
Explain you are not trying to be rude but just trying to make sure no one has violated your rights by the Fair Credit Reporting Act governed by the FTC. They must produce a copy of the signature or thus be sublect to FTC laws. Rememeber to not be overly demanding, but to just state the facts and ask for all required documents by law.

Email Bo a Question

how long does your credit report reflect your bad credit

How long do credit files stay on my record? How long does your credit report reflect your bad credit?
7 years for bad credit, late payments, collections, charge off's. Lawsuits and judgments 10 years or until the statute of limitations runs out in the state. 3 years for inquiries. Diminished effect on my credit score takes place at 2 years out. Good or bad! If you have not used credit in 2 years you score will be gone. Must have used credit within the last 2 years.

3 bureau bureaus credit score & report reports

Quoting "REAL PERSON" :

I have to ask if you have ever come across this before. I have been trying to buy a house and found our credit scores were low and have been disputing inaccurate, outdated information on all three reports. These reports vary buy 100 points in one case (Equifax and transunion). Today, I disputed an amount that American Express said I owed. It says I owe them 5500 dollars, but in truth that was 3 months ago and I have since paid it all. I received an email notification from my fico.com that my score dropped 15 points today because of a disputed amount with American Express. I bought another credit report to make sure absolutely nothing else has changed and it hasn't. But what I did notice that none of the disputed amounts are noted in my total debt amounts when I used the
score simulator. My debt is actually 23,000 dollars and it states that I only have 10,000 because of disputed amounts. Is it possible for my score to drop because I am disputing something on my report? Please help me I am ready to scream You can respond to me if you would, at dsumner35@bellsouth.net Thank you so much!
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none of that sounds right at all. On disputes they either come off or they do not. If they do it helps. If they con't it stays the same. Disputing never really hurts. A permanent comment about making payments or some sort of thing might hurt. Above 80% on high credit limite might hurt. Sometimes a creditor may lower your limit as they get paid to make it harder for you to get out of credit delerium. But none of that makes sense other than scores can rnage 100 points from bureau to bureau if some items or only on one bureaus report.
Hope this helps.
3 bureau bureaus credit score & report reports
Credit scores are not available without a credit report. the best way to get a score and to review your credit is a 3 bureau report which gives you a free score. Bo Majors

item they are trying to collect on is past statue

Quoting realperson@hotmail.com>:

Hello Bo!! I have been looking at your web content for sometime now. My questions is, I have Calvary Collection calling me(I do not answer the phone, caller ID, but they do leave messages, and sending me letters and settlements saying I owe them money. This item they are trying to collect on is past statue and is not even on any of my credit reports anymore. What do I do? Isn't it illegal for them to keep trying to collect. Like I said it is not even on my credit, but I do see them on the under inquiries, I guess they are tracking me???? Any suggestions?? Thank you, RP
---------------------------------
It would be illegal to inquire on you if they do not have your signature. I would venture an educated guess that the calvary account was sold to calvary by some other creditor "for 30 cents on a doolar or some figure" and that creditor is the one that is now gone. I would suppose you will be finding this collection on your credit pretty soon should you continue to not respond. Is it legal? I do not know. All I know is it happens all the time. Search for it on my blog. I bet this very question is in there 10 times. I would pay them if it was my credit entry "regardless" due to honesty. If I owe it, I pay it. But I make sure they do not put it on my credit if I do. If the amount is too much just duck and hope fopr the best. What are the laws? I would call the BBB. Or consult with the FTC. That is all I know.
----------------
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Suze Ormon said that FICO is the only score that matters

Quoting realperson@aol.com:

Hi Bo,
I just found this website this morning, and if I could ask you a quick question. I was listening to Suze Ormon on her show, and she said that FICO is the only score that matters. I went to myfico.com and sure enough they sell her things online. What I'm getting from your info is that they all have a scoring system, and maybe FICO just has a little better marketing. What are your thoughts?
Thank-you,
REAL PERSON
--------------
She was saying "that" in reference to all scores but probably advocating fico because of her affiliation. All scores fico, emperica, beacon are the most important part of your credit not just a what is on your credit report. Many banks look at these scores only. So they are all very important depending on which one a credior uses. We use beacon scores but sometimes send stuff to banks for approval and they use the trans union fico. So it totally depends.

email bo

Lexington law and my score has raised 100 points

Quoting "REAL PERSON" :
Hello Bo, thanks for your advice, since last year I have used Lexington law and my score has raised 100 points. My question concerns 3 late payments I have that I cannot seem to get rid of. They have been disputed a number of times but each time is verified. Is there any way I can convince the companies involved to delete those lates?
Thanks
REAL PERSON
--------------
The only way to convince a creditor who verifys late payments is directly with written proof or a cancelled check. One must show it was the creditors mistake and not yours for being late.

931-454-0660 w

The challenges are clearly errors on the various credit bureaus parts

Quoting REAL PERSON
I have referenced your website and recently noted that the fax numbers you provide for EQUIFAX are the same numbers you provide for EXPERIAN ... can you tell me which fax numbers these are for and do you have fax numbers for the other company?
I have serious discrepancies across my three reports and I can't seem to get anything to work for me so I'd prefer to fax if I can - that allows me another "in" to daily or weekly be in front of someone's face and that might work.
The challenges are clearly errors on the various credit bureaus parts -- and while I've contacted the creditors directly I'm consistently told to contact the credit bureaus to help me resolve these issues.
THANKS FOR ANY GUIDANCE YOU CAN OFFER
Best Regards,
---------------
i will tell you what i tell EVERYONE
use my dispute form and the mail
not faxes

those numbers were given to me by a nice person with credit problems
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small secured credit cards for like $300.00 and $800.0

Quoting REAP PERSON
very interested in helping my credit, if I have charge off's on my credit report can I call the credit card company to try to pay them off , and will they take it off the credit report they are small secured credit cards for like $300.00 and $800.00 thanks for any help you can give me Bo
------------
definitely pay them off and give them EXTRA
ask them to open the accounts as you need good credit and are a good person
buy your gas and pay extra each and every month
after 1-2 years ask them to remove the old data
most credit cards only report the last 2 year's anyway
go get em
------------
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I received a contingent approval on a home loan

I simply want to thank you for sharing your gift of knowledge with those of us who are not as knowledgeable.

I received a contingent approval on a home loan. I hope to close at the end of this month. However, I want my entire credit clean. Your suggestions to others have helped me tremendously.

Thanks so much,
REAL PERSON


I need a loan as soon as possible, but I have bad credit. Where do I go? Best Online credit card offers
--------------------
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the past three years she has not paid the cond fees woth 10,000 and wrote bads checks to countrywide

Quoting REAL PERSON
Hi, my name is Amelia, i'm 25 and as of yesterday i received the worst news in my life. i have been battleling with my son's grandmother about a town house i took over for her and i didn't know how bad her credit was. come to find out in the past three years she has not paid the cond fees woth 10,000 and wrote bads checks to countrywide mortgage many times and didn't pay them a few months. i have now made the mistake of putting her on the loan because my credit score went from 800 to 595 the owest score. what do you think i still the option to do.
Now if you look at my bills and the four mortagages i had in the past where lived at all and everything was paid off ahead of time or many weeks before theh bills are due. do you think the creditors will take that in consideration?
please help. i have no idea what to do. i still have to get that townhouse out of name even tough her name is also on there.
-----------------------
that is I signed and wish I hadn't let this happen
IT DID
There is not much you can do to change names at this point
sounds to me like i would find a rental
call countrywide and say i default on my part
and get it done now so 7 years will pass sooner
no good answers here

other than.
Don't trust someone else to pay your bills even if you pay them
AND
make sure if you do copies of statements come to your address

showing open even though I had filed bankruptcy on them in 2001

uoting Real Person

will this work if I have items still showing open even though I had filed bankruptcy on them in 2001. not all the items I filed on are showing judged under bankruptcy. please advise thx Real Person
-------------------
They should all show included in Bk and zero balance
use my free dispute form.

One might try to just dispute them as not mine first and hope for the best then

do both the above
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I had ten-thousand dollars in cash and couldn't get approved for a twenty-thousand dollar loan

I am a twenty-seven year old female with a degree in accounting. I had ten-thousand dollars in cash and couldn't get approved for a twenty-thousand dollar loan. My score was in the 600's then, now my score is a 560 with high revolving debt medical and school loans.There is about fifteen thousand altogether. I have thought about ch. 7. I would rather repair. I have struggled for years to fix it once and for all. What do I need to do first?
Desperate In Ohio
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take the ten grand and pay your debts
open up 3 credit cards and pay on time for 2 years
that will give you 3 rated trade


take the 10 grnad an put it on a 15000 car and that will get you financed
make sure the creditors reports to bureaus
or
dont borrow from them
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I am very scared to investigate my credit score

Quoting Real Person
Hi-
Thanks for your great website. Like many people, I am very scared to investigate my credit score. I have no idea what it is. I did have a few unpaid credit card bills that went into chargeoff in the mid 90s, and I have one collection agency snail-mailing me still but I am too scared to open the letter. I recently accepted a job at a major company and was surprised I passed a background check, which included a credit report. This makes me think it might not be too bad. I have convinced myself I am in the toilet credit wise, but lately I have received a flood of offers recently that
reference my great credit. I have had an American Express card since 1990 and I was just solicited to upgrade to a platinum membership with them, so I am not sure what to think. Any advice as to how I can conquer my fear and take the big leap and face my fear of the scary world of credit? Thank you.

PS I stumbled on your website while searching this topic on Yahoo.
Thanks for a great public service.
---------------------
This "scary" issue faces almost everyone I know who has intelligence. I am afraid to look at my bank account most days because my wife and I are such disasters. We cannot manage money worth a dern and overdraft almost monthly although our overdraft protection bails us out most times. But the same issue you are talking about kept me from trying to buy a house in 1994 and you can read my story about what I found out. The truth is your credit is real and you should know what it says. You should know facts about credit. Late payments are not reported as such unless they are 30 days old. Many people think paying 15 days late messes up your credit. NOPE. You mention 1990. Heck that is 15 years old it should be gone by now. Little things like that scare people.
The one true credit god is your friend not your enemy unless you never feed it and talk to it. Check your credit NOW. Get a score. there are 3 bureaus check all 3 right now. No one is going to hurt you. The only problemm you may face is seeing damage you already dread, or finding something incorrect which you CAN FIX. Oh my gosh. Check your credit every year and make it a habit like brushing your teeth. Credit is your friend.
--------------------
Quoting REAL PERSON
Bo-
With your kind words, I just mustered up the courage to check my credit score. I haven't finished going through your website, but I checked through Transunion and I scored a 685.
In your estimate, is this a good score?
You have done me-and others-such a service. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also-in your opinion-I have a school loan of about 8K that I could pay outright. Would you suggest that to increase my score? And if I did that, what kind of points would I gain?
Thank you again!
--------------------
685 is SWEEEET brother
and the loan could help you 10-20 points if your balance is 8 and your total high credit is less than 10 meaning any account you drop to less than 80% against high credit will help your score.
685.....whew that's high cotton. It is very hard to get higher than 740 which is super premium gold
Don't you feel good now that credit is your friend
-------------------
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this mysterious creditor is nameless. I have no way to contact them

Quoting REAL PERSON

Good Morning,
I recently decided to use my car as collateral for a consolidation loan. I thought my credit score wasl around 640, when I heard 605 I was shocked. The bank manager let me know it appeared to be from a medical bill last fall. I have insurance. I have no idea where it came from or why. The main problem is this mysterious creditor is nameless, therefore I have no way to contact them or give them my insurance information. The only thing available is three numbers and a bunch of stars. 491***, its only listed for 1 month then nothing. Does that mean, (seems obvious the more I talk about it), that my credit suffers because they either payed the bill late or were never notified of one? Thats not right.

Next I would like to know how negative the effect may be on my credit if I do receive a consolidation loan with the title of my car? Its still worth $12,000, has 50,000 miles of high quality warranty remaining, looks and runs great and is fun to drive. Plus it is payed for and its mine. I really don't want to sell it if I don't have too.
I always figure theres a brighter day somewhere in the future.
Thanks,
----------------
dispute the record with my free dispute form.
if you do not know which bureau has the record dispute at all 3
you will be contacted withing 40 days with info about the negative credit error.

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Collection under a different account & five year newer date

Dear Bo,
You have an awesome site!

What if I have a collection account that has been paid, and has been updated as such on my report, but a credit card company has bought the original account (before it was paid), and reopened it under a different account and five year newer date.
Thanks
-------------------------
very common
super common
extremely common

what are our rights? I gues is the question.
Consumers would argue inherent flaws cheating
Creditors would arugue needed relif from deadbeat consumers.

Whos is right
how do we find out
and if the later how can consumers change it
if the former what legal grounds stand behind consmers change it

if the later how can creditors ever make a business model work
if the later quite the same as the former.

Ask the BBB, The FTC, and Bo is guess. Bo cannot give you a perfect answer to this common question and reporting technique.

My personal opinion is the 7 year rule should stand under all conditions other than a consumer who makes payments or something which could be contrued 2 ways. date of last activity "last payments" being the start date for 7. OR being able to get the mark removed if you pay as agreed on collections or any account.
Bo's work # 31-454-0660
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Frustrating work to contact credit bureaus

Bo,
Thanks they really make fixing your credit or finding out what is gogin on a pain in the ... thanx for making the site and putting the numbers up it saves waiting for a reply back from georgia lol later
Jim

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I paid ANOTHER company and they did NOTHING can a bankruptcy be removed?

I have read your website but Im still so confused!!!! How do I get things off my credit report? I have already paid $$$$$$$$$$ I KNOW I KNOW STUPID
HELP
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Bobo Majors 10/17/05 03:39PM >>>
paid does mean removal
it means paid
removal means mistakes or 7 to 10 years old
--------------
I mean I paid ANOTHER company and they did NOTHING...can a bankruptcy be removed?
--------------
Bobo Majors 10/18/05 10:50AM >>>
no a bk can not be removed and it will stay on record for 10 years
and all the items included will remain for 7 years
unless you are lucky
-----------------------
Quoting REAL PERSON
Well thats answers that because IM NOT LUCKY LOL I talked to a company and they said they can remove it?
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Bobo Majors 10/18/05 11:38AM
you might try to dispute all the bad records as they get older
2-5 years and some companies go out of business
some purge old records
some just move and can not be contacted
keep trying on the dispute end over time
you are not your credit or bank account
you are a living creature and have value
do not get too depressed over money
-------------------
Quoting REAL PERSON

Well its just so hard to get a new car, refine a house or get ANY credit because of it!
------------------
money now has become your credit
you are like me i suppose
and money is not just lying around

but you can get a 3-5 thousand dollar car with 1500 down for sure
refinancing a house can be done
but it won't generate the esults you are looking for it sounds like to me

931-454-0660 w

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I corrected mistakes but my credit score remained the same

Quoting REAL PERSON
I recently (3 months ago) got a mortgage. My score was about 620 at the time & I had 2 incorrect issues on my credit report. I have since taken care of both (charge off/tax lien). I went to get my free report today from annualcreditreport.com, and while the information was now correct, my credit score remained the same. Any suggestions?

Reduce balances to below 80% of high credit
Make timely payments for 2 solid years

931-454-0660 w
www.oskie.com/equifaxtransunionexperiancredit.htm Credit help
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I contacted an attorney to solve credit errors

Quoting REAL PERSON
I've been reading your inquiries and I need your help. Here I have contacted an attorney to solve my issues when all I really needed was your e-mail.
I have three creditors. IC Systems who I paid off in 10/2002 although I paid them off in 10/2002 the company never showed up on my credit report until 3/2003 and 6/2005. When I disputed the account on Equifax they removed it stating they had the wrong
social security number, which was a lie. I've been going back and forth with them to update the dates on my credit report, they refuse and my lawyer (lack thereof) has said it's pointless to dispute it through him all I asked him to do was prepare a letter. How can I ensure that they update the dates on my credit report to reflect accurate reporting?
First Premier Bank, I settled for a lesser amount and yet they won't update the current status to just Settled Account and leave the other junk off, is there a way I can get them to do this, again my lawyer refused.
I read on the internet how lawyers can settle accounts for their removal, is this possible, have you heard about this and is there literature on things like this happening?
REAL PERSON
-------------------------
there are tons and tons of
creditors
consumers
credit issues
reporting issues
put these together and what we have a lottery.
anything might work at any time with any creditor about any issue
i would say the lawyer handles only law issues no credit issues
in fact a consumer is the only rightful disputer
all things must go through a REAL PERSON
use my dispute form
if you feel the shaft is on you
try lexington law
it couldn't hurt.

i will say that just becuase one files bankruptcy
settles and account
pays off a collection
does not mean they are entitled to have all the other real life credit problems taken off. If you did;nt pay a credit card. they charged you to collection and then you settled. It does not mean the bill did not get late or that it was not sent to collections. I think many people believe once they pay that all past negatives go away. It's kind of like the thing I here every day. I have great credit. Sure you paid them off but look how many times you were late. There is way more than just paying someone off to good credit.

I not saying any of this applys to you. These are only things I see day in and day out.

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