Email Interaction -- Any ideas for me to respond to this CA?

[Booner72]

I'm the one writing, and the rep from the CA replied via the underlined responses.  I have no idea what to even try to say  next - so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Btw, he did reply directly into the paragraphs of the email I sent him.  This is verbatim (aside from removal of private info).

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my letter requesting a
goodwill adjustment to my credit reports.  I understand that collection
agencies are required by the FCRA to report accurate information.   I
fail to understand how deleting a paid account will ruin the integrity
of my credit report. (It is not our call.  The rule has been established by the credit bureau's and we're required to conform.

If we erase paid accounts we risk our contract to be terminated and loose our ability to report bad debt entirely.) 

  Since you as a person working in the collections
industry are not required to report at all, it would not be a violation
of your agreement with the three major bureaus.  My understanding is
that you are just required (if you choose) to report accurately.

(Credit reporting is an integral part of the service we provide our clients.  It would be a ruinous decision to eliminate

that service)

I am a member of the web forum "MYFICO.COM."  The members of that
forum encourage those working on credit rebuilding to write to creditors
and request "goodwill gestures."  Many, many thousands of Americans are
working with collection agencies every day getting goodwill deletions of
their paid accounts.

(Each reporting creditor can make their own risk assessment regarding deletion of accounts.

Our rule is, if the account is paid within 30 days of assignment, the account is not reported.

We have modified that rule to include payment in full within 30 days of first notice.  With this

in mind I have reviewed your file and find that the accounts which have been reported do not

qualify for this type of consideration.) 

These paid accounts are causing me serious financial difficulty as I am
paying far more than I would without these derogs in higher interest for
things like car insurance.  We are barely making it paycheck to paycheck.

(The credit report is used as part of a risk assessment by creditors, which is the purpose of the report.

Arbitrarily removing trade line information would reduce the integrity of the information making the report inaccurate. 

This is the position of the bureau's and I have contractually agreed to it.)

Can you please reconsider?  Can you please talk to others in the
industry and see if they sometimes give out goodwill deletions to help
people move on from their past mistakes?  If you can take this time to
help me, I will be forever grateful to you.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and understanding.

[Anonymous]

No idea.  I just wanted to comment on the employee's misuse of "loose" when he/she meant "lose." 

[RobertEG]

Their logic and comments are, in my opinion, both sound and appropriate.

The CRAs have a firm policy, stated over and over in their credit reporting agreements, that furnishers of information are not to delete prior, accurate reporting on the basis of ultimate payment of the debt.  The logic being that it distorts the integrity of the credit reporting system by the arbitrary exclusion of correct information.

When either a creditor or a debt collector has such a policy, particularly when expressed in the detail provided, I would suspect that it is a policy to which those making front line decisions would have little authority to grant exceptions.  You will most likely have to reach up the food chain to find someone with the authority to grant an exception to what is apparently a fairly firm policy. 

[Booner72]

Robert EG - yes I know it's all valid argument.  That's why I came here for any thoughts on a reply.  This guy is the "head of the food chain" - I tried lower down, no go - there are actually two people on the letter head (but I threw the dang first rejection letter away so don't have that guy's name anymore".

This is a local CA.  The acct I really want deleted is a City water bill that I stupidly didnt pay.  I got the City to agree to have the account deleted!  They were nice and forgiving.  But this guy intercepted and told the City he would not be willing to do that for him.  This is my most current collection and it's not medical (I thought I had other medical collections with this CA but those were all IIB).

Thanks for any thoughts or advice.  I'm thinking of sending a card at Christmas time wishing them a happy holiday season.  I emailed him back last night "Well, you are one tough cuss to crack.  I gave it my best effort.  Thank you for your time."  (I know he is an older guy from talking to him on the phone, hoping to play into his ego with the 'tough cuss' comment."

[Booner72]

The account was reported 10/2010.  Date opened:  12/2009.  Amount was $109.  It reports to all three.  It is not set to fall off until May 2016!!

When do you think it will stop hurting so much?  I also think it will hurt til it drops off despite FICO saying they hurt less over time. 

I want this gone so bad.  When I wrote to the City I offered to donate 200 to the local B&G club.  I fear offering that to this guy will result in an arrest for bribery.

[lpayton]

Keep cracking away at him.

[mAndrew1980]

I'm in the same boat. My biggest baddie is for a utility company (gas). By New Years day I'll be looking at zero debt but a credit report littered with "PAID" collections. Some of which I initially defaulted on back in 2003-04, but were not even reported to CB's until 2008-2010. So I could be looking at being SOL until 2017 or so. A bitter pill to swallow.....

Keep plugging away. I think you're going to get this guy! Imagine the day when this baddy is removed from your credit report.

[Booner72]

Thanks mAndrew.  I'm so furious at myself for this.

HOW do you think I'm going to get this guy?  What should I say next?

[MarineVietVet]

---

@mAndrew1980 wrote:

I'm in the same boat. My biggest baddie is for a utility company (gas). By New Years day I'll be looking at zero debt but a credit report littered with "PAID" collections. Some of which I initially defaulted on back in 2003-04, but were not even reported to CB's until 2008-2010. So I could be looking at being SOL until 2017 or so. A bitter pill to swallow.....

Keep plugging away. I think you're going to get this guy! Imagine the day when this baddy is removed from your credit report.

---

The reported date doesn't matter as far as scoring and the CRTP are concerned. Legally no collection (paid or unpaid) can report for longer than 7.5 years from the DoFD on the OC account that led to the collection. You notice I said legally. That doesn't mean some CA's don't try and change certain dates because they do.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

[Booner72]

Got some VERY EXCITING NEWS today on this account.  It's deleted.   Well, I guess that bugging the crap out of CA's works! 

My TU is CLEAN except BK and Sallie Mae Lates.

My EX is CLEAN except BK and Sallie Mae Lates.

My EQ is awaiting the deletions from the CA that agreed to delete all (And I have copies of the Universal Data Forms....They are currently under dispute).  But I know for sure they will be gone.  Then there is one more from THIS collection agency for 37.00 that I also disputed via HIPAA (I got a nasty reply letter saying I better brush up on my HIPAA laws 'before you send your NEXT demand letter."  Unsure if it will get deleted or not -- it's showing as "being investigated."  So if I get that one gone, that means I DONT HAVE ANY COLLECTIONS ANYMORE!! 

I went from 20 to 1 (hopefully zero).

Keep at it.  If you're sick and tired, put it away, then come back at it when you're ready.  I started all of this back in May.  So it took almost a year. 

Now to get rid of those Sallie Mae lates............(Which there are no 30 or 60, only the two 90's one in 07 and one in 08).  Someone told me SM only reports lates after 90 days and that I am luck there aren't the 30 and 60 along with them.  (TRUE?)   On the other hand, not sure if I ever was even truly late.  I was in deferrment during those years and when I rolled my loans into Direct in 2009, I was in good standing.  So who knows what happened.  Any ideas on what I can do here?  (I contacted the CEO.... I got the email address from someone here.... and he ignored me).

THANKS MY FICO FORUM!!