We are 23 days away from closing on a mortgage.
Today I recieved a dunning letter for a $25.00 copay from a clinic visit in Oct. I went in to the doctor in early Oct. and my insurance paid the bill other than the copay 27 Oct per there website (so the clinic probably didn't get it for a few days after). I did not get a bill from this clinic until early December, assuming they ran the statement late in November, and I had it on my bill list to pay today, which I did on their website. Ironically, I just checked my mail to find this letter in there. I paid the bill just a few hours ago!
So now what? Is this going to show up on our credit? Should I call the OC and ask them to pull back? I have dealt with this CA before and they are the worst. I am afraid to call them as they will report it and list it as a paid collection just to be jerks. It states I have thirty days to contest the validity of this debt, should I write in and contest it? Our credit will be getting pulled again around the 21st, so if I can delay any reporting till then we would be safe. This collection would surely lower our scores out of FHA range- we are sitting at 613 midscore and can't go below 580. I cannot believe they sent a $25 bill to collections that fast! Please help!!
Starting Score: EQ 416 TU 498 EX 468 Lender Fico's July 2012
If you just paid I would call the OC and tell them that, so yes ask them if they can pull it back.
Of course now I have to wait all weekend to do this. In the past this agency usually waits the 30 days to report. However, the OC may tell me that I need to pay them. Do you think if I end up having to pay the CA that they will still report? I have not gotten a scorewatch alert that it has been reported yet, so I would think that it has not been yet. The letter was dated yesterday. )o:
IME when they send out a first notice, it's usually an internal thing. It's actually part of the hospital's collection system. I've gotten them before I've even gotten a bill. I was seen at a clinic one time and got a dunning notice 7 days later.
July 2013 score: EQ FICO 819, TU08 778, EX "806 lender pull 07/26/2013
Goal Score: All Scores 760+, Newest goal 800+
Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Current scores after adding $81K in CLs and 2 new cars since July 2013
EQ:809 TU 777 EX 790 Now it's just garden time!
June 2017 update: All scores over 820, just pure gardening now.
I have dealt with this agency before, so I know they are a seperate entity. This is the same agency I have struggled with for years, as they itemize your medical bills and report each line as a seperate account. I have fought tooth and nail and nothing comes of it. I stopped pressing them when we went in to the mortgage process, and plan to file BBB and CFPB complaints once we close. However, this new bill could really mess things up. The #1 and #2 reasons on my husbands fico state recent collection/derog so I am guessing *if* it reports for some reason, it might not have a huge impact as he is already in this bucket because of this agency. We already owe them money, but the LO and underwriter are having us wait to pay them until closing to avoid changing the DOLA. I really wish I would have paid that copay that day, but being sick, I just went and checked in and got called back. Never even crossed my mind.
This has happened to me in the past as well and each time I called the "collections" agency in a panic, only to find out that it is an internal collection department within the medical practice and has nothing to do with actual colletions the way we think of in terms of credit reporting.
Others here who have more experience with collections might know better than I, but I am remember being told that they have to send you a series of 6 letters before they can officially report it as collections.
You should be fine. 
Starting Score: 580
Thanks for the responses. I will call the clinic in the morning and let them know the bill was paid online. Hopefully that will be good enough and they will pull it back. The collection itself would make no difference, it is the point loss that would kill us. Fingers crossed!
Just curious: who are you getting a mortgage through?
Starting Score: 588