Looking for a little advice for getting my score up.

[Journeygod]

Greetings,

 I've been reading Fico forum posts for over 8 months since I've been working on repairing my credit.

I have enjoyed several of the postings and found them very informative and helpful. 

I was wondering if you guys (or gals) would be willing to give me a little advice on how I can be more proactive in elevating my score.

If you wouldn't mind taking a few minutes to review my profile and just shoot me a few tips. I'd be REALLY grateful.

TU is 665

EQ is 643

EX is  630

Sallie Mae account $144 -age 16 years old

Sallie Mae account $246 -age  16 years old

 (I have 2 Sallie mae accounts)

Capital One secured card -$2300 -age 6 months old

(its reporting unsecured. The limit is $3000)

Chase auto loan -$5000 -age 4 years old

Fingerhut -$300 -age 6 months old

I have between 3 and 4 inquiries on each report.

I have 3 collections on each report.

My last late payment was March 2009

Capital One recently extended $300 unsecured on that card, making a total of $2300 CL

I utilize less than $150 on that Capital One card (I'm not certain on the % but I make a point to keep it under 10%)

My TU score has climbed significantly over the last few months, however EQ and EX have remained at 643 and 630.

Any advice to help me move forward?

And thanks again for any help.

-John

[JoeBJay20]

Welcome to the forums!

From what you've stated, the number one thing hold your scores down are those three collections. It's highly unlikely you would see major score jumps until all of those are gone. Are they legit collections? Have you begun the DV or PFD process? Have you searched the threads for information on those CAs? People may have contact information you can use. Good luck!

[ANAGLE0]

You should aim to have under a 5% utlilization. Keep up your payments on all your bills.

How old are the 3 collections? The newer they are the worse they are hurting your score.

[Journeygod]

Thanks, for the quick replies. I really appreciate the help.

Unfortunately, the collections are only around 2 years old (medical bills) one of which is just too big for me too even attempt a PFD. I don't have that kind of capital.

The other one is a Verizon collection. I'm going to attempt a PFD for the Verizon account and a GW letter to Chase and Sallie Mae for the late pays.

Does that sound like a solid plan? Am I overlooking anything else?

Thanks again.

[Journeygod]

Thanks for your help. I'm looking for contact information for the CA's maybe I can get a PFD if I send the letter to the right department.

-John

[JoeBJay20]

If they are medical collections, you maybe able to do the HIPPA process, which you can find about in old thread here as well as a google search.

[mauve]

Are those scores FICOs? 

SLs are notoriously hard to GW, but I'd check the SL board anyway. 

That medical stuff is hard - but have you contacted the OC to see if they have some sort of aid?  They frequently have programs to help if you can't afford it, and it won't hurt to try.  Also, if it was possibly a billing error with insurance, you should look into getting that corrected.  HIPAA process is for paid medical collections and involves paying it off if you haven't already, so it probably won't work on the large-balance one. 

[Journeygod]

Hi Mauve.

Yes, those are Fico scores I pull new reports every month at Myfico.

All except EX which I had to get from their website, I don't know what system EX is using.

I'm trying to locate information on the HIPPAA process, but it appears most of the links here don't work anymore.

I'll try and Google it.

Thanks,

John

[MarineVietVet]

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@Journeygod wrote:

Hi Mauve.

Yes, those are Fico scores I pull new reports every month at Myfico.

All except EX which I had to get from their website, I don't know what system EX is using.

I'm trying to locate information on the HIPPAA process, but it appears most of the links here don't work anymore.

I'll try and Google it.

Thanks,

John

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Unfortunately that is not a FICO score. It's what is called a "Plus" score and can be ignored. The fact that it happens to be close to your other scores is pure coincidence.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 9/09 pulled by lender 802, 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".