Category Archives: Credit Report / Credit Score
- I Filed Bankruptcy But Now Want to Buy a House. How Do I Do That? – Aisha
“Dear Steve, Filed for bankreptcy about four years ago, so my credit is really bad. I would like to buy a house, but how can I do so with bad credit? I filled for bankruptcy and it was discharged soon after. It is now four years later and I really would like to purchase a [...]
- Is It Illegal for a Creditor and Collector to Report The Same Account? – Josh
“Dear Steve, Is it illegal for both a creditor and a collector to report the exact same account? I have several old credit cards that show charged off and then a duplicate of that account by a collection agency. Isn’t that double and even triple punishment for the same account? My credit score goes lower [...]
- Can I Remove My Father as a Cosigner On My Student Loans So I Can Build My Own Credit? – Rodell
“Dear Steve, I’d first like to thank everyone for taking the time for viewing and reading my question- So, I took a student loan out for about 45k back in 05 and I have been very good in paying my loan down, I have not been late at all yet. ( knocks on wood ) [...]
- Should I Accept the Settlement Offer From the Debt Collection Agency?
“Dear Steve, Until five years ago, I had been having horrible credit problems. I stopped paying everything from the past, and started living without credit, spending within my means. Almost everything has fallen off my credit report, since most are over 7 years old. I have one bad account that is only five years old. [...]
- Negatives on Credit Report from Student Loans
I have negatives on my credit report (CR) from two types of debt. Nine of the negatives are from student loans that I thought were in deferment but where not. Once I found out I made a payment to bring the loans current and now currently in deferment. The other negative is from cancellation of [...]
- How do I keep track of our credit along the process of bankruptcy. – Rosi
In the past I was a total slave to our credit scores, checking daily and subscribing to different ‘watcher’ programs. 2 years of unemployment and filing for bankruptcy has cured that, but I am wondering what if anything you would suggest for keeping track of our credit during and after the bankruptcy process. If there [...]
- Should I dispute the debt with original creditor or let it fall off my credit report? – Melanie
I have two credit cards that were charged off. I did not open these accounts. One was opened in 2005 and the other in 2006. They were sold to a collection agency. The last time the original creditor updated the accounts was in 2009. If I dispute these accounts would it hurt my credit score [...]
- Credit Card Companies Keep Reducing My Credit Line as I Make Payments. – James
Several of the credit card companies that I am paying off are now reducing my line of credit by the amount of payments that I am making to pay off these debts. Of course when they do this they always sight my credit report shows that my balances to available credit is too high. How [...]
- Just Had Negative Items Removed From Credit Report. Will My Score Go Up? – Melanie
I just had a tax lien removed from my Equifax credit report. I also had eight other items removed from my Equifax report. Four of them were new collections. All under a year old. On my TU report I had ten items removed. A few were under a year old. I had one 10 items [...]
- Should I close cc acounts that I haven’t used in a long time (or will use)? – Sarah
I have 5 credit cards that I no longer use and have carried a zero balance for 3 yrs. Should I close them? If I do, will it affect my credit score and/or my ability to secure a loan in the future (if I need a loan)? I currently have 3 active (revolving) credit cards [...]
- Disputing 5 year old charge off that is not mine. – Melanie
I recently disputed two credit cards that were charged off in 2006 because these are not my accounts. I never signed anything that said that I was responsible for these accounts. I received my Experian dispute results and the accounts were “processed”. I reviewed the updated report and both accounts came back as updated. What [...]
- When Will My Defaulted Gym Membership Fall Off My Credit Report? – Sherri
a gym membership that was for stopped The amount is posted to my credit report each month with and added two dollars. It looks like a new debt but is the same one. I had a death in the family and stopped the membership after paying for a year. They say a two year contract [...]
- What can I do to clean up the last hang ups on my credit report? – Jon
6 1/2 years ago, my wife and I got married. She had just graduated college and apart from student loans, we had worked to eliminate her debt. Neither of us had car loans, I had a credit card with no balance, and I had just bought a house. This is where it gets ugly. I [...]
- How Can I Find Out Who I Owe? – Jessica
“Dear Steve, I’m looking to pay off and debts that have hampered any credit that qualifies me for a new home someday soon. I don’t have the best memory of what I am in debt with since I turned 18. I am 29 now and have been in small debts to banks from overdraft fees, [...]
- Retail Store Credit Cards: How Many = Too Many?
“Would you like to save 10 percent on your purchase today by applying for a retail store credit card?” Does that sound familiar? Just about every major clothing and electronics store has promotion aimed at getting people to sign up for a store-specific credit card. But what you don’t know about retail store credit cards [...]