Debt validation sent back with only name and address

I sent a debt validation letter to a debt collector.
Got a return letter with my name, and address as validation.
It was not on any letter head and I responded by demanding VALIDATION of the debt and not verification of name, address, etc.
I gave them 30 days to respond and letter was sent certified.
I have received nothing back.
What and how should I demand that all references to this debt be removed from my credit file
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file a compliant with your state attorney general
call the collector and explain what your are, or have done
offer this debt follow up letter
dispute the credit as fraudulant on your creit report.

True Credit score went dowing after paying bills

True Credit continues to show the same scores and the same trending analysis of my "credit available over time" and my "total debt over time" using the same time frame (Sept 06 to July 07). .... I had understood that trending (and credit scores) are recalculated almost daily to give a current reading.
In July 07, I found that my scores had dropped precipitously - probably because I had less than 50% line of credit available for a time. That was the only change on my report from an earlier much better analysis. When I read your advice and immediately paid on my cards, and decreased my credit use to less than 50% . I also received an increase in the lines of credit that I have. Although these should have affected my analysis, the reports seem stuck and still list the time frame as Sept 06 to July 07...
Would you let me know why this is and if there is anything I can do to get a more current analysis?
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first i do not know your score before or after
i would think you do not have much credit or, like less than three plus rated lines of credit
and or some of the credit is local finance company high interest loans
and or you have some new or less than one year on reported to a bureau credit
and or one of your lines of credit of credit show your balance as your high credit limit.
and or some type of collection or charge off is on your credit
and or you have some inquiries that are new or piled up.

past that
i am of not much help
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I compare the report I have with scores of 701, 688, 695
and compare it to the next report with scores of 657, 672 and 681, and I don't see any change except that my available credit was less than 50% and became an issue last July.
That was paid down to at least 50% credit available on my lines of credit and an increase in my credit lines, too. I have no new late payments or charge offs/collections in the past 3 years.
My question is : Why does the trending analysis provided by Truecredit continue to show the same time frame of Sept 06 to July 07? Shouldn't these dates change over the course of 8 months? shouldn't the dates include dates in 2008? The time frame is frozen on the Sept 06 to July 07 dates, and my scores are frozen on the scores of July 07 too, despite much improved credit lines and available credit. Is it normal for scores to remain exactly the same for 8 months, despite certain changes? I just traded in my car and bought a new Prius, too, which does appear on the report...although I see it notes a credit report date of 7/30/07. I don't get it...Thank you so much for your help.
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i guess i would dispute anything not reported up to date
circle everything copies of your reports
say update my records
USE THE MAIL

I filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999 in Minnesota

I filed a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in 1999 in Minnesota. The bankruptcy still shows on, and affects my credit. It's been more than 7 years. I know some states can show for 10 years, but how do I find out? How can I have it removed?
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i would dispute as not mine
O it is was it too old or an error
Then I would decide what the next step to getting good credit

Can a collections agency add themselves to your credit report?

Can a collections agency add themselves to your credit report? I've already got the original "charge off" from the creditor, but now I'm dealing with an upset collection agency who was upset my last check bounced. They're the ones who forced me and harrased me into writing post dated checks to begin with, they called my work and when I told them not to they laughed at me and told me that I couldn't tell them not to. Now that balance for the amount of the third check is on my credit report too, is this legal?
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the original charge should be marked as zero balance if it was sold to a collections agency you have verified the debt now that you have paid them monies
the collection agency CANNOT sue you as they are not the original creditor
I know they cannot harrass you or call your work over and over and laugh at you I would try to settle the account for much less than the full balance.
most collections are bought for pennies on the dollar. I would try to settle for 50% of less not including any fees or interest.
demand account validation Explain you will talk to them no longer if they do not properly validate the debt.
explain you fill like they are violating your rights and plan to contact your state attorney general if they insist on calling you at work after you have asked them not to
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I've paid 2/3 of the full amount of money the collection agency wanted. The last payment I made was in 2006 and I've changed jobs and gotten a new phone number so they haven't bothered me anymore. But they are still on my credit report. Should I contact them and offer to pay the remainder if they remove themselves from my credit report? Or will doing so only re open the whole 7 year cycle again? The first date of delinquency was 01/2005. I don't want to restart the cycle now that I've "lost them." Thanks so much for having a real website for real people.
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if you want them off your report for good
and you can pay and the account is honestly yours yes
call them and ask them to remove if you pay in full
call from some anonomous phone number one can always take the chance of "losing them"but one also takes the chance of the virus showing up later somewhere else some other way. I always like paying to be done
remember that after 2 years the account will not hurt your credit score
ifyou have good reported and rated lines of non maxed out credit

The collection agency and the orginator never notified me of my requirment

I sent the attached debt validation letter to an agency. The collection agency and the orginator never notified me of my requirment to pay this debt. I was never sent a letter or notice. When I sent the letter to negotiate with the orignator they said they showed I owed the money. They did not have any documentation that I did not pay or for the book. They said they had the incorrect address and when it came back to them they just sent the account to collections without trying to find out another address. The collection agency sent me a letter back with computer printouts of the school showing I owed money for the book, that my tuition was paid, and that I took the class, but no real proof that I owed the money for the book. What would you suggest I do now?
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was the book honestly not paid by you
how much is the collection you could negotiate payment and removal if you pay in full.
if the account is small i would suggest this route to be done with it sounds like they may not have validated the debt
also
might send the debt validation follow up letter
moving and finding addresses is one reason they have credit reports
that way creditors do not have to spend more than it is worth to hunt some one up they just slap it on your report and it goes where you go

turned down for debt to income ratio

I have one question - is it fact to close your credit accounts will effect your credit score in the worse way??? I am one who is caught up in refinance mess. I can only blame myself - I am a habitual reader and this one time I did not and took the agents word what I was signing -interest only!!!! My credit score falls between 615-638 and am unable to refinance to a fix due to the "my debt ratio" is too high. Although my credit is in excellent condition - no late payments for years. I do however have open credit account which I do not use and shredded - should Iclose these accounts/lower the credit availability would either increase my scores???
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debt to income ratio ..... more than likely is what you are talking of
if your reported debts on your report are more than 45% of your total gross income
then
no matter what your score is you will be turned down for getting close to financial catastrophy the only remedy is to consolidate loans to lower your reported monthy debt obligations

FICO score question

How do I know what past debt to pay off first in order to raise my FICO score FAST? Is it true that I should pay the most recent items first? Thank you
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i would negotiate to have the most recent or less than 2 years old accounts removed from my report if i pay in full right notget signed on compnay letterhead agreement before you make payment in full if they will not remove it, pay it anway and, it will show zero balance which will help your score. anything more than 5 years old i might ait out for it to fall off or validate and dispute the debt hoping to get lucky my negotiation travails

Real free credit report. Cancel in less than 7 days

A month ago, I went on line to get a free credit report from all 3 bureaus. At one point, I was over whelmed & gave my debit card number & I can't remember what it was for. I then receive some message that my results would be e-mailed to me within 24 hours & I never got anything. Then I was able to get all the reports for free afterall. On my bank statement I have a $10.00 charge from that day & the transaction says "Experian Scorecard" & there is a phone number, but it is disconnected. I have called Experian, Free Credit Report.Com, Annual Credit Report, Consumer Info & probably others I can't remember, all of which tell me, the charge did not come from them. I am not so worried about $10.00, but about it being something I joined in error & this charge coming out again on a monthly basis.
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file a dispute with your bank to take the money back or stop any further payments and you will get the right number
most of these free reports and three scores come with a 9.95 a month is you do not cancel in 7 to 30 days or something like that
I had a microsoft charge for 24.95 per monh that i could not cancel even after getting the right number and calling the right people i thought.
finally i went to my bank or called my credit card company and said stop any more charges from that place. It worked. i usually use the company on my site and cancel before 7 days. it works.
i checked mine and my wifes today in fact for a car 800 wife 727 me
i felt really good today an didnt even need to prove my income with my local credit union.
i have ALOT of debt.
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Thank you!

My score is low 500. Get mortgage for home loan

I am trying to purchase my first home. My credit score is in the low 500. My mortage company told me to try to pay off some of the things on my credit record so that my score will go up. 1. I have 30 days to close. will that be enough time. 2. My realtor told me I could do a straight mortage or bond for deed. She had me to sign a contract and now I hear nothing about the bond for deed I am using all my money trying to pay off old debts. Will this help me to meet the deadline.
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you will have to ask your realtor that question
get recipt of payments
use recipts for proof of payment
you can dispute items as you pay them to speed the credit report update process
say paid off in full, or paid as agreed
I did a straight mortgage to get financed on my first home 6 mos later i got a fixed rate mortgage. Is this what the realtor is talking of?

Divorved my husband 2 years. His health care judgement on my report

I have been divorced for 2 years,I kept my exhusband on my health care plan, He ended up in the hospital never paid his bill I got a judgement put on my credit for 1984.00 in 12/2007 can they due this?
I never knew anything about it until I pulled my credit in 3/2008 .
Do I have to pay this?
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it seems you would to have had knowledge of any judgment. if you were not served papers, and you only had insurance for the man and were not married to him then, I would think you could just dispute the judgment and it would come off. Say not your account
If this does not work i would investgate the court records at what ever court rendered judgment, hopefully the place is close.
i would also call the hospital and confront billing and see if your name may have been used without your knowlegde as a responsible party which is likely since you state it was your insurance.
there might be a possiblilty that your insurance would not pay since you were not married.
In any event i do not believe this should be on your report

Dispute and validate with 3 companies

I sent off validation letters to 3 companies I've been battling with over questionable items on my reports for quite some time. The letters were all received on the same day and the 30 deadline to respond to me expired on the 4th of this month. I am unsure what steps to take at this point. Do I send them another letter demanding it be removed immediately due to them not meeting the 30 day deadline? Is there a particular part of the FCRA I can quote to them demanding it now be removed from report seeing that they have not responded?
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might dispute the accounts right now by certified delivery mail
and see what happens
then follow the steps you talk of
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i have disputed them all but they have come back as valid.
my next step was the validation letters which they did not reply to.
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validation follow up something has to happen
if they validate the dispute
then one would think they would respond to a validation

old collections on my credit report is paid and closed

Q: I have an old collections on my credit report that has been in the paid/closed status for two years (I wish I had seen your site two years ago). I have heard that you can dispute these old collections as many collections agencies do not respond if the account has been paid and old. Is it bad to try and dispute a paid collections, or is it best to leave it as is? Is there any risk in doing this?
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no risk what so ever
give it a wirl
Universal credit dispute form

have 20/21 negative accounts depending on the cb and 40k in student loans

I am having trouble putting my credit back together. I have worked for 10 months trying to get negative/old/deliquent accounts removed and I have tried to get my limit on the only bank card I have increased but I keep getting denied. I want to buy a house but I am having a hard time getting my score improved by more than 2 or 3 points. I currently have 20/21 negative accounts depending on the cb and 40k in student loans. How am I going to improve my score when I cant open any new accounts because of my score and my debt to credit ration is 2.11 percent? Please help!
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20 or 21 items.... Student loans and credit cards. That's a bad one. the credit debt ratio is not the problem ovbiously. Some times when you have your credit so screw the best advice is to wait it out. 4, 5 or even 6 years and start disputing the listing. It is good to have that card open, once all the bad stuff is gone after 7 years that will be the lenght of your credit history, whatever you do make sure that you pay that account on time. You can try to open another, maybe with orchand bank for $300 but stay away from that Credit One card that people mind trouble.

Sure they can, they can do anything they want, until you let them know with a summons that you will sue
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of the 20 15 are student loans that show good payment history
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find some way to get and keep good open, non maxed, rated, reported credit.

Parking tickets on credit report. I paid the collection.

Is there any way to get parking tickets off your credit report?
I was told by the collection company if I paid they would take them off.
they didnt and said that is not there policy?
what can a guy do?
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now? probably nothing
that has to be worked out before you pay
should have gotten something in writing on compnay letterhead
paid in full and as agreed

get and keep new good credit
2 years from now it wont hurt your score at all.

Experian experience

I recently disputed an entry on my Experian credit report. They claimed that I had a foreclosure that was redeemed before it actually became a foreclosure. Trans Union correctly stated that the account was closed and Experian stated after their investigation that the account was “paid closed/foreclosure”. The problem is that I am trying to refinance my home and cannot have the word foreclosure on my report. I am unable to speak with a human being to resolve the issue. Can you please give me any suggestions. Do I have to write them or is it possible to speak with someone?
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youve done the right thing
wait 35 days on dispute reply

I have old bad credit and no new good credit

I have a question regarding improving my credit score. It is 586 (Experian) 595 (Equifax) and 588 (Transunion) POOR
I currently have no credit cards (paid the remaining balance of my Macy's- which was late once in 2007 - all agencies are reporting that it was paid satisfactory however.
I have no car loans or other installment loans.
I do have 2 judgements which are both closed - paid, but still show on my reports.
I also have 2 utility negative marks against me (AT&T and United Illuminating)
My biggest issue, is that I did a foreclosure bailout loan in December of '06... One item i noticed is that my new mortgage (which has not been paid late) does not show on either of my reports. The old mortgage, that was bailed out does show however.
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your big issue is no good current credit
right now get new good reported to a bureau credit
call whomever you pay your mortgage and ask why they do not report

Charged off old credit card. Validate

I have an old credit card that was charged off back in 1994, with my credit score in the low 800's now, I received a letter from Portfolio Recovery trying to collect. I sent certified mail asking them for VALIDATION as you recommended...? and they sent me a letter showing my current address. Then this past Friday they sent me a letter saying they were going to continue to pursue with collection. Would you recommend I pay it off or...?
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that is too old
i would try to avoid that in a big waylegally i do not think they can collect
to give only your address is not validating the collection
i would use the validation follow up letter
then call the state attorney general

Collections agency upset my last check bounced

Can a collections agency add themselves to your credit report? I've already got the original "charge off" from the creditor, but now I'm dealing with an upset collection agency who was upset my last check bounced. They're the ones who forced me and harrased me into writing post dated checks to begin with, they called my work and when I told them not to they laughed at me and told me that I couldn't tell them not to. Now that balance for the amount of the third check is on my credit report too, is this legal?
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the original charge should be marked as zero balance if it was sold to a collections agency you have verified the debt now that you have paid them monies
the collection agency CANNOT sue you as they are not the original creditorI know they cannot harrass you or call your work over and over and laugh at you I would try to settle the account for much less than the full balance. most collections are bought for pennies on the dollar. I would try to settle for 50% of less not including any fees or interest. demand account validation Explain you will talk to them no longer if they do not properly validate the debt. explain you fill like they are violating your rights and plan to contact your state attorney general if they insist on calling you at work after you have asked them not to

New collection from 1998

I have been working on my scores for years, and with your advice, got my score raised to 670 -680 plus. We had got approved for a mortgage when all of a sudden; a new collection pops up on my credit report. And now my score is to low to get the loan. When I called, the collection agency told me it was an old AT&T bill from 1998!!!!!!! Well, I don’t remember having this, this has been TEN years ago for crying out loud…….. and I have had a good account with AT&T for years….. Should I just dispute this with the credit beaurol, or pay, and then dispute it even being on my collections. This is most unfortunate….. $170.00 is going to keep me from getting a home loan…… What can I do to get it off my report fast? The agency can’t even tell me what the balance is for.
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demand debt validation "more than address name dob, doucument"
and debt validation follow up
explain you do not think this debt is yours
and
even if it was, it would be too old to go to collections
plan on following all your legal rights concerning this matter

The other route of course
is
offer to pay it
if the account is removed
then we can all be done with this matter.

you might post this question herehttp://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/credit-repair/ there are some legal people here who might be of even more help

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Discover with 3200 balance closed out

I just settled a Discover card account. It had a $3200 balance and I settled it for around $1300. I asked if it could be removed from my credit report after it is settled and the agent on the phone told me that it will remain on my report for 13 years. I have heard of 7 years, but this 13 thing seems very excessive. Is it true that I will have that account showing on my report until 2021?
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7 years on credit 10 years in some states on public records, judgements, bk's and the like so he is legally incorrect but is ofetent the case these bad debts get sold and you can be suffered even longer than 13 years if the debt goes to collectionsfight it hard with the debt validation letters on this webpage sample credit help from letters
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So the remaining balance after I settled the debt can then be sold to someone else and I will still end up possibly having to pay it? It sucks because it was originally only a $700 line of credit that had a bunch of late fees and over limit charges added to it.
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no i made a mistake
you settled and paid call or file a compliant online with your state attorney general
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I have fair credit right now. The cards I can apply for have small annual fees but nonetheless it costs money to have them. I have read what you say about 3 open lines of credit. If I just get one of these cards, will it bump my score enough where I can qualify for cards with no annual fees? I know its not a large amount of money (about 30/yr per card) but I would rather not have to pay any annual fees for cards if there was a way around it. Or is it better in the long run to just suck it up and pay the annual fees for a year or 2 and then get different ones? I feel like a tight-wad for writing this but I just got done shelling out a half-ton of cash for negative accounts on my credit report (I was able to negotiate most of them to some extent) so I am looking to save anywhere I can.
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you have to start somewhereso i would do it and one year from now try another
pick up a gas card at a local gas station and send money order with application by certified delivery mail

Trying to buy a house

I am trying to purchase my first home. My credit score is in the low 500. My mortage company told me to try to pay off some of the things on my credit record so that my score will go up. 1. I have 30 days to close. will that be enough time. 2. My realtor told me I could do a straight mortage or bond for deed. She had me to sign a contract and now I hear nothing about the bond for deed I am using all my money trying to pay off old debts. Will this help me to meet the deadline.
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you will have to ask your realtor that question get recipt of payments, Use recipts for proof of payment you can dispute items as you pay them to speed the credit report update processsay paid off in full, or paid as agreed I did a straight mortgage to get financed on my first home6 mos later i got a fixed rate mortgage. Is this what the realtor is talking of?

Equifax Credit Report

Hi Bo, I have been reading your site on what to do about poor credit, because we were trying to buy a house. I wanted to ask you a question about the scoring system that is in use by Equifax. Last year I purchased there Score Watch product because I wanted to keep track of what my score. In the past I had some collections that I was monitoring that had been reported on my credit report that caused a drop in my score 10-40 points. Here lated we had paid off one of our medical bills and had the collection agency to remove it from the report. The score never adjusted one way or another. We just recently had a $2600 paid judgement to drop off after 7 years. We noticed that my score went down 5 points afterwards. I just placed a huge amount of money our vehicle that left us with $7000 remaining on our automobile. That went down from&nb sp;$12460 from last month which was a 25% decrease in the overall amount of $21300 total balance. The score never budged. Is there something that is wrong with the scoring system at Equifax or is it something that I am doing. I have not been late on our vehicle for the last 4 years but have 3 credit card charged off for which one we paid off.
My score is currently at 587. I've been talking to Equifax since February, 08 about this. Everytime I have talked to someone there, they said that they were going to place a trouble ticket on the product. Only to find out the next time I talked with someone from Equifax they found no evidence of a ticket being submitted. I spoke with a gentleman on March 21 and someone else again this week. Only after speaking with the last person whom was a manager did they admit others were having an issue as well with there scoring system.
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after 2 years old stuff falling off does not really help your score dropping from 12 on a 21,000 dollar loan to 7 does not drop you from 80% because you were not more than 80% 12/21 in the first place. getting BAD anything off your credit, reported from today, to 2 years back should help your score quite a bit. I would have to see all of your credit to have any idea how to help you. but i would assume the 3 credit cards are your big hurdle try to pay them off and, re open them, with some kind of high credit limit shows your balance owed is less than 80% of your high credit limit. as far as score problems at equifax. I do not know, other than to try another credit report product somewhere else.
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Hi again, I have 0 balances on 2 of the cards and a $1800 balance on another. Go figure. I would have though that a 25% reduction in my overall balance on my car note would have moved the score up somewhat. I have had a lot of last dates of activity being moved around. I am aware that there is a federal law against that. So the new tactic is to put N/A in that spot.
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sounds good
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Hi I have one question for you. Why would my score drop 5 points when a 7 year old judgement just recently dropped off my credit report? I thought that it would have the opposite effect, maybe 5 points gained.
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the past two years has all the weight7 years is so old it should not affect your score much at all i would assume that something within the past two years changed your score 5 points

Credit Dispute form

I am unable to print the credit dispute form, due to web page problems.ie the internet explorer cannot display the webpage. I am connected to the internet, there does not seem to be any typing errors in the message, do you have any suggestions?
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Full name: Last__________________ First ________________Middle ____________Current Address_______________________________________________________
Former Address_______________________________________________________
Social Security #________________________ Home Phone____________________Date of Birth___________________________
Work Phone_____________________Employer_____________________________
Credit Report Dispute / Account Information Dispute SectionCompany Name__________________________ Account #____________________________ Not my account __ Was never late __Account paid in full__ Current status incorrect __ Other __Dispute Explanation________________________________________________________________ Company Name__________________________ Account #____________________________ Not my account __ Was never late __Account paid in full__ Current status incorrect __ Other __Dispute
Explanation________________________________________________________________Company Name__________________________ Account #____________________________ Not my account __ Was never late __Account paid in full__ Current status incorrect __ Other __Dispute
Explanation________________________________________________________________Company Name__________________________ Account #____________________________ Not my account __ Was never late __Account paid in full__ Current status incorrect __ Other __Dispute
Explanation________________________________________________________________Courthouse or Collection Agency accountsCourthouse or Collections agency_______________________________________________Case number for courthouse records only___________________________________________ Not Mine (explain) __ Satisfied __ Released __ Dismissed__ Discharged __ Collection was paid __ Other (explain)Explanation________________________________________________________________Courthouse or Collections agency_______________________________________________
Case number for courthouse records only___________________________________________ Not Mine (explain) __ Satisfied __ Released __ Dismissed__ Discharged __ Collection was paid __ Other (explain)Explanation________________________________________________________________I certify that all information above is true and factual.Signature ____________________________________________ Sig and date



TransUnionP.O. Box 1000Chester, PA 190221-800-888-4213
EquifaxP.O. Box 740241Atlanta, GA 30374-02411-800-997-2493
ExperianP.O. Box 2104Allen, TX 75013-21041-888-397-3742

Include copies of your driver license social security card and a utility bill

Mail your disputes, inquiries and updates to these addresses.

Use this credit dispute form to get addresses to creditors, remove errors and add comments. To get an address, just mark not my account and fill in dates, amount and creditor for the entry. The entry will either be removed or you will receive a letter saying the account was verified with contact information so you can hash out differences with the creditor. So use this form to find addresses of creditors. To remove errors state the errors with the form units and mail to bureaus. If you have improper credit entries like, fraud alerts, marked as dead, credit freezes, stolen identity or merged files, more than 7 years old, incorrect dating, duplicates or just plain errors use this form. If needed send a 100 word or less explanation of your problem or complaint. If you can negotiate first with a creditor and get information changed. Write or call the creditor and make arrangements to pay off in full or re-open and account with agreement to eliminate bad marks after 24 months elapse. Most credit card companies only report the previous 24 months and most collection agencies will remove entries if you pay them off in full including fees. Expect car loans, home loans, utilities and matters of law to very difficult if not impossible to get changes made. Most of the accounts take 7 – 10 years to fall off by law. Print and mail the dispute form for accounts were you find creditors hard to find yourself. Many times a creditor has moved or been sold or even gone out of business. These accounts should fall right of because the bureaus will not get a response in less than 30 days. So the longer it takes for the bureaus to respond the better your chances are the account will be deleted. Make your dispute form simple by breaking up large groups of disputes into groups of 4 or less. More than 4 disputes per form can sometimes be kicked out as frivolous. ie. If you dispute EVRYTHING on your report that must be frivolous unless you suspect fraud or merging. Include very detailed personal information such as a copy of your drivers license, social security card, phone bill, insurance, card, birth certificate on matters of fraud, merged files, or and even reporting person is deceased when person is clearly alive. Include only basic personal information when disputing unfamiliar or old accounts hoping for a mistake by a creditor or bureau that would delete the account entry. You can add a 50-100 word or less comment to any account on your report which you have a disagreement with a creditor. Just write a letter about a specific account (name, amount, date) then include necessary personal information and mail it to the bureaus above. The comment will now help your score but will help potential creditors make decision on credit applications. Use the dispute form to make sure all your accounts that were included in a bankruptcy showed included in bankruptcy and a 0 balance owed. Bankruptcies do not remove accounts but they the accounts should show included in Bk and 0 balance owed. If you are married and your spouse has the same data you have disputed make sure you do another dispute form letter for your spouse. The instructions below are detailed instructions listed on the web by the FTC on how to correct errors.Correcting ErrorsUnder the FCRA, both the CRA and the organization that provided the information to the CRA, such as a bank or credit card company, have responsibilities for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in my report. To protect all my rights under the law, contact both the CRA and the information provider.First, tell the CRA in writing what information I believe is inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support m position. In addition to providing m complete name and address, my letter should clearly identify each item in my report I dispute, I state the facts and explain why I dispute the information, and request deletion or correction. I may want to enclose a copy of my report with the items in question circled. I send my letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so I can document what the CRA received. Keep copies of m dispute letter and enclosures.CRAs must reinvestigate the items in question--usually within 30 days--unless they consider my dispute frivolous. They also must forward all relevant data I provide about the dispute to the information provider. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the CRA, it must investigate, review all relevant information provided by the CRA, and report the results to the CRA. If the information provider finds the disputed information to be inaccurate, it must notify all nationwide CRAs so they can correct this information in my file. Disputed information that cannot be verified must be deleted from my file and never replaced.If my report contains erroneous information, the CRA must correct it. If an item is incomplete, the CRA must complete it. For example, if my file showed that I was were late making payments, but failed to show that I am no longer delinquent; the CRA must show that I'm current. If my file shows an account that belongs only to another person, the CRA must delete it. When the reinvestigation is complete, the CRA must give me the written results and a free copy of my report if the dispute results in a change. If an item is changed or removed, the CRA cannot put the disputed information back in my file unless the information provider verifies its accuracy and completeness, and the CRA gives me a written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the provider.Also, if I request, the CRA must send notices of corrections to anyone who received my report in the past six months. Job applicants can have a corrected copy of their report sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes. If a reinvestigation does not resolve my dispute, ask the CRA to include my statement of the dispute in my file and in future reports.Second, in addition to writing to the CRA, tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that I dispute an item. Again, include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support my position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider then reports the item to any CRA, it must include a notice of my dispute. In addition, if I am correct-that is, if the disputed information is not accurate-the information provider may not use it again. Accurate Negative Information When negative information in my report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. Accurate negative information can generally stay on my report for 7 years. There are certain exceptions:Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitation. Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years. Credit information reported in response to an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limit. Credit information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit. Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against me can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Criminal convictions can be reported without any time limit. Adding Accounts to MY FileMy credit file may not reflect all my credit accounts. Although most national department store and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in my file, not all creditors supply information to CRAs: Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those creditors that don't. If I've been told I was denied credit because of an "insufficient credit file" or "no credit file" and I have accounts with creditors that don't appear in my credit file, ask the CRA to add this information to future reports. Although they are not required to do so, many CRAs will add verifiable accounts for a fee. I should, however, understand that if these creditors do not report to the CRA on a regular basis, these added items will not be updated in my file.- Show quoted text -

Credit question

I am trying to help my daughter fix her credit and found your site. I preached to her the importance of good credit and now after ruining hers she finally sees its true. And the fact that she had a baby ( my first grandchild) august 07 gives even more reason to try and get things straightened out. These are the debts that she has and has had:
1) Capital One- Credit card in collections- I'm thinking this was in collections now for maybe 3-4 years now. Basically just avoiding phone calls. Not sure where to attack this one.
2) and 3)Two bills in collections from a company that bills for a hospitals ER doctors-both bills are in collections- Have not received any bills from the agency but know they have both been turned over.
4) paid off a collection agency for a bill that the phone company sent to collections
5) Also, paid off a bill that a bank had sent to collections. ( the collections agency said this was prelegal right before I paid the balance off for her so I saved it from being sent to an attorneyand having added fees) They also told me that they had not reported this to the credit bureau. When I talked with the lady from the collections agency I asked if I could get a letter saying that with payment in full they would get this deleted off her credit report. She told me that I would have to contact each credit bureau ( transunion, experian & equifax) and furnish proof that these accounts were paid with a $0 balance and to request deletion from her credit report. I am hoping very much that she told me the truth. That is about all she has in collections and as much as Ive read I still am not sure about all that I have read and what to do about each of these. I am in the process of contacting by mail each credit burea with the 2 paid off accounts to see if they can be removed. If the collections agency is removed from the credit report can that original place that sent her to collections also be removed? Should I get an attorney for her at some point or can I take care of these myself? Also, after 7 years won't anything on there not paid come off?Ok.. enough questions.. Im sure you can't keep up with all the email you get.
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hopefully capital one is not a lot of money and you can pay them off and repoen the same acount with a 300 dollar depositcharge gas only and pay more than the gas bills each month by 25 bucks, after 12 months ask them to only report the last 24 months call the 3 collections and hope you get them before they report to the bureaus.
forget about the paid collection, they will not help you, get that one 2 years behind you. here is a dispute form to do the work for the collection agency. they sound like butts.
7 years and YOUR SAFE, NOT SAFE, SAFE, NOT SAFE
many old bills get recycled through collection agencies.
if they are paid they will come off for sure. if they are unpaid you might find them showing up with another collection agency i have never found an attorney needed for credit help
maybe your state attroney general for illegal stuff but, non of that sounds illegal generally paid collections do not come off unitil 7 years pass no matter what
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So, basically the lady at the collections office lied to me about contacting each credit bureau with proof the accounts were paid and asking if they would remove it? Or can that be done? Thanks for all the good advice. And fast! We can't take care of the credit card just yet but paying it off and asking them to reopen it with a credit sounds good when we do.

I'm sorry for all the questions. But when you said the paid debts will come off after 7 years... is that 7 years from the date they were paid off?
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Usually yes sometimes it can be the date of last late payment

bad debt doesnot hurt my credit score after 24 months or 2 years

Thank you for answering my questions so promptly. I have another question, if I may. I heard after a bad depth is 2 years old or older it no longer affect the credit score. Is this true? And if so, how fast and how much can your score rise? In a message dated 3/3/2008 10:58:43 A.M. Central Daylight Time, majors@oskie.com writes:i dont knowwhat is your credit report fico score at all three bureaus?what does it need to be?many times a home or car loan will require one to have all past due outstanding debts paid in full.
On 3/3/08, ------------------------- wrote: Will 2 year old bad dept affect your fico score, especially when you have good credit that's been paid on time and has existed over two years? Thank youCharlotte In a message dated 3/2/2008 8:37:20 P.M. Central Standard Time, majors@oskie.com writes:the original creditor is the only place to negotiatecollectors cannot sue or threat to sueand they can not put sold collections on your report in MOST cases valdiate these debtsand call file with your state attorney general is they do not compy which they can'tmost collections were sold for pennies on the dollar to help the first creditor.it is illegal for them to threat to sue and to put it on your credit report
On 3/2/08,-------------------------------wrote: I am wanting to clean up my credit in order to purchase a house. I especially don't want to have to pay a high interest rate. I have several delinquent credit cards on my record but it's all over 2 years. I have plans to pay all bad dept off in another year. But I read from your web site after 2 years even if the dept is paid, it wouldn't raise the fico score very much. In spite of the bad credit reported, I do have 2 current credit accounts that are excellent which are on my recent file. My question is ... would I do better by leaving the 2 year old bad dept unpaid? I'm afraid if I paid the bad dept off, it wouldn't reflect on my credit report as paid. I don't trust any collection agency's promises unless it's in writing. And I have had collection agencies refuse to put any negotiation in writing. At least, I was smart enough not to take their word at face value. I didn't pay the agency. Also, can I dispute the amount I am being charged to only the credit bureaus and bypass the collection agency all together? There are stock piles of late fees and late charges that I feel I shouldn't have to pay. For example: In reality, I may owe only $600.00 but after the late charges from the creditor and fees from the collection agency, my dept increases to $1000.00. Is this even legal? Thank youCharlotte


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majors@oskie.com to Satinfairywings show details Mar 10 Reply
That is totally true about 2 yearsonly thing is if something shows past due that account will continue to hurt your score longer than 2 years.one must also keep 3 rated (open 12 months) lines of credit open to over lap the bad. a person score can rise 100 points in a matter of daysand drop the same there no way for me to give you a detail as i know alomst none of yourthings open and good now things open and bad nowthings that are bad and closed and 2 years is alomst hereyour credit score

Credit Inquires

I was reading all of your info about how I can raise my score up.... I had only 2 major credit cards so I applied for 3 cards on the same day...I as turned down for 2 of the cards but was approved for a Master card...I have been watching my credit score, the next day my credit scored dropped from a 585 to a 572 just like that... I understand its because of all of the inquires with in a period of time.... How long will it take for the inquires not take effect on my credit score????
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in 12 months your new credit will be rated and your score will go up big time

How to remove a judgement from my credit report

The last post (below) was incorrect. Years ago the CRAs used to employ people directly and they would haunt their local courthouses documenting and uploading information to the CRA. Things change. These Poltergeists no longer work for the CRA directly. There are now companies that act as "middlemen" in the public record information business and these folks now work for the middlemen. One such company is LexisNexis. No courthouse in this country reports to any CRA EVER. It is all public information and someone pays someone to sit at the courthouse and upload the information. Our courts have better things to do and better ways to spend money than uploading information to a CRA whether its the big 3 or one of the middlemen. The big 3 purchase public record information from the "middlemen".
Now, there is a hole in case law big enough to drive a C130 through. When you dispute with a CRA, they send the ACD back to whoever the middleman is. It does not go to the courthouse. This particular step I don't have an issue with. The CRA has done what they are supposed to do, asked the provider of the information to verify. From this point on is where the CRAs as a standard practice violate.
#1. The Middleman does nothing but look at what is already contained in its database. Mind you its the same database from which the information emanated to begin with, of course the information reported is what's contained in its database matches the information reported. The Middleman as a standard business practice violates the FCRA by failing to perform a "reasonable investigation" in response to a consumer dispute. They must go beyond the database per Johnson v. MBNA. The Middleman does not go back to the source of the information.
#2. If you send documents via the normal channels (this goes for all documents including but not limited to certified copies of documents from the courthouse), the documents will be ignored by the big 3. This violates the FCRA, they are obligated by statute to consider information provided by the consumer. They tell you outright that they will not consider your documents. #3. If the information is verified via the middleman, and 99% of the time it is, the big 3 will send you back the notice stating that the information is verified. They will NEVER tell you about the middleman. They refer you back to the courthouse from which the public record allegedly was obtained. This is a violation, they should inform you where they actually obtained the information, the middleman, NOT the courthouse where the information allegedly originated.
If you are having a problem with inaccurate public record information here is what you should do ... Now bear in mind, my advice is always geared toward both solving your issue and helping you lay out a basis for a lawsuit. Should you decide not to sue, that's fine, but if you do want to sue you will already have all the groundwork laid out before you visit an attorney. Dispute the normal way through the normal channels first ... Once they have responded claiming it is verified, write them back and specifically demand that the tell you who the middleman is and their address. You need to address the middleman's records. Now you need to dispute through the middleman, they may not be on the internet, they may not advertise a channel for you to dispute their records. Why? because they know that most consumer's aren't aware of their role in credit reporting so it is rare that a consumer is savvy enough to dispute directly with them. However, this is of no consequence, they are Credit Reporting Agency as defined under the FCRA and they are obligated to follow the FCRA.
Now, while you are in the process of doing the above, obtain certified copies of documents from the alleged source of the public record information. There are to many possibilities to list them all, but for one example, The CRA is reporting a judgment against you when in fact the case was dismissed. Get certified copies of the dismissal. Now dispute with the CRA via the registered agent, CMRRR, and include the actual certified copy of the dismissal. Do not send a photocopy of the original, send the original. This will likely land you in "special handling" and likely solve the inaccurate reporting with the CRA. If it does correct the problem with the CRA, you still have actionable claims for having failed to accurately inform you of the real source of the inaccurate information. If it doesn't then you now have done everything you need to do prior to filing suit. Follow the same pattern with the middleman, including demanding to know the name and address of the middleman if there is another one. Then dispute through the middleman's registered agent including a certified copy if verified. Even if they do eventually correct the issue, you need to evaluate whether or not they violated. If they don't correct the inaccurate information, you are now in a good position to sue both the CRA and the middleman
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boy that is a mouthfull
i would say i have learned something here in most cases, people are trying to get accurate information off their reports early and court documents once put into a "database" or whatever should not alter much or have much to negotiate.
If I get a question from someone who has incorrect court documented public records I will refer to this post

I have a foreclosure still on my report. What can i do to remove it now

Hey Bo, Thanks for all your help. I have raised my credit score 120 pts in 6 months. I have a foreclosure still on my report. The house has been sold and I show a zero balance on my report. Transunion has an estimated date of removal of 10/2008. My question to you is...what can I do to remove it now? If I cant get it removed now, Is it guaranteed to be removed in October? Thanks
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i think i would wait that one out
dispute it 11/2008 as out of date, or reported incorrectly or as just plain not yours, as it is not yours anymore

I wrote you a year ago with credit problem questons. Although I appreciateyour response, I was not informed in any way that my letter would be publicrecord. I was told by family that when my name is 'googled' your website withmy private and embarrasing letter shows up. I have checked and it is true.Please remove the blog/letter from your website, or at least the mention of myname in it. I do not want family and future employers to know my very privatecredit information that I came to you for help via email, not to be posted forthe world to see. I hope that you can understand why this is so upsetting tome and my family. I would appreciate your timely response on this matter
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im sorry
i nomally remove names something must have happened let me find it

Bad/Wrong Addresses/Employer Info on all three (3) Credit Bureau Reports

Please, help me straighten out the info in my files? The following applies.Experian,The second address listed as my former address is in fact my sons former address I have never lived there! Experian: My former Employee should be listed as the Department of Defense, as Aim retired Navy, Equifax: Previous Employer, again Dept. Of Defense, U.S.N.; currently employed @ Georgia Dept. of Corrections. Transunion:The second address listed as my former address is again my sons former address.; My previous employer is again, The Dept. of Defense,U.S.N. The third address listed as my previous address is my mothers address I have never lived there!!!!!!!! Thank you for any assistance you may provide,
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use thiscredit dispute formsay you are either getting merged credit filesor a possible fraud in in action included copies of your DL, SS card, utility bill