** This is a fairly long GW letter. Please let me know if I've included too much info. I don't want it to be misconstrued as a sob story.
QUESTION: Should I send GW letters CMRRR?
-------------------------------- To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to let you know about my experience with Sallie Mae over the past seven years. I offer a grateful "thank-you" and request your assistance in a pressing request concerning the negative account in my Experian and Equifax credit files that I would like to have revised.
I applied for student loans in 2000, as a freshman in college. Not long after enrolling, I became involved in a seriously abusive relationship that resulted in me disenrolling from school, being cut off from my friends and family, and becoming pregnant at age 18. In this relationship, I was forced to move quite often, accruing seven addresses in only three years. As you saw, making timely payments was out of the question, as not only did I have very little means of income, but that money was controlled by my boyfriend at the time and he would not allow me to spend any amount of money on something like debt, which he considered “useless”. I did make sporadic payments over the years, when I could hide enough money away, and attempted forbearance numerous times, when I could arrange it without his knowledge.
In late 2004, I began secretly meeting with a crisis counselor and found the strength to leave this relationship. I fled with my children, then 10 weeks old and 3 years old, to a Battered Women’s Shelter and started my entire life over. I found my family, slowly got on my feet and for the last three and a half years, I have slowly been restoring and repaying my creditors. Please understand, I absolutely recognize my responsibility with respect to payable accounts and have worked so hard to rehabilitate my account status with Sallie Mae since that time.
My account lists that I fell out of deferment/forbearance in late 2005. I did send in the requested forms. However, the forms were not received. As I’m sure you know, mailing through the USPS from overseas (I was living on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) is not always as reliable as mailing from within the United States. I have included the follow-up letter I received from Sallie Mae regarding that instance, and you can see from the mailing address that at the time, I was living overseas. I immediately responded as soon as I received that letter stating the forms were not and paid the amount past due in full. I hope this explanation, and the accompanying original letter with my notes is sufficient.
My family deeply ingrained in me a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and organization. Since leaving, I have slowly established the finances and stability to apply those financial management principles. Thankfully, responsible credit management is more and more reflected in my credit records – excluding these two Sallie Mae/SM negative entries. I wish to thank you for renewing your confidence in me and sticking with me over the past six years, and continuously offering me chances to stay as close to current as possible through forbearances and deferment. I am determined to keep my payment history spotless, and as I am now married in a healthy relationship, both emotionally and financially, this payment integrity will continue.
I am revisiting old accounts on my credit report, as we hope to buy a home in about six months, and it has come to my attention that the late notations from Sallie Mae/SM Servicing may preclude me from taking full advantage of the very lowest interest rates now available. Since those notations do not reflect my current status with Sallie Mae, I am requesting that you give me a second chance at a positive credit rating by deleting the account that is listed as “TRANSFERRED/CLOSED/CURRENT/WAS PAST DUE 180 DAYS” (acc’t #XXX) and revising the account listed as “OPEN/CURRENT/WAS PAST DUE 180 DAYS” (acc’t #XXX) to reflect only “OPEN/CURRENT”.
Transunion has already deleted these two accounts, and I have included the information from Transunion for your records. I only ask that Equifax and Experian be notified to make the same adjustment to their credit record. Your customer service representative suggested that I write and request a "goodwill adjustment." I sincerely hope that there is room for redemption with Sallie Mae, and I beg you for such consideration. Please let me know if any additional documentation would assist in reaching a positive outcome, and I thank you again for the time you have spent reading this letter.
Very hopefully yours,
ivyalmighty
Message Edited by ivyalmighty on 03-20-2008 12:36 PM
