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New Member
guangrui
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎03-04-2012

Questions improving my credit

Hello, I have a few questions on how to improve my cridit score. Im 21 years old, and im trying to get a loan for a car.

I recently checked my equifax score here are some infomations on it.

 

Mortage $0

Installment $4,954 payment is deffered dont need to pay them back until i graduated. since i didnt go to school for one year they reported me. only on equifax 1/3.

Revolving account: 6400

   Capitalone: 200 with balance of 0

    Chase:3200 with balance of 1700

   Discover:3000 with balance of 75 

My question is should i do a balance transfer from discover to chase and even the balance or keep the high balance?

Im a joint user does that help also?

I have 3 negative accounts 2 is closed 1 is still open

and one charge off from my auto dealer which i paid back.

and lots of inquirys 31.

 

Is there any way of improving my credit?

Established Contributor
guydiver
Posts: 532
Registered: ‎08-30-2007

Re: Questions improving my credit


guangrui wrote:

Hello, I have a few questions on how to improve my cridit score. Im 21 years old, and im trying to get a loan for a car.

I recently checked my equifax score here are some infomations on it.

 

Mortage $0

Installment $4,954 payment is deffered dont need to pay them back until i graduated. since i didnt go to school for one year they reported me. only on equifax 1/3.

Revolving account: 6400

   Capitalone: 200 with balance of 0

    Chase:3200 with balance of 1700

   Discover:3000 with balance of 75 

My question is should i do a balance transfer from discover to chase and even the balance or keep the high balance?

Im a joint user does that help also?

I have 3 negative accounts 2 is closed 1 is still open

and one charge off from my auto dealer which i paid back.

and lots of inquirys 31.

 

Is there any way of improving my credit?


Hi guangrui, and welcome to the forums!

Since you are looking to get an auto loan, there are a few things you can do here.

First, you got yourself into a pickle with that auto charge-off.  This damages your auto enhanced Fico score big time.  Paid or not, affects the same.  Have you tried sending GW(goodwill) letters yet?  You need to try to get that off your reports.  I doubt with your age and limited credit history you can get another car loan without some major money down or a co-signer.  As for your revolving, you show three accounts.  You need to have less than 50% of your accounts report any balance, so for you that is only one.  Pay off the lowest balance to Discover, and work on getting your total utilization down to 9% or less of your total CL of 6400.  I wouldn't recommend any balance transfers, as you could have one of your tradelines closed and lose that CL which would put your util. through the roof.  You don't need any more inquiries, so stop applying for credit.  Those stay on your reports for two years, and even though they only hurt your Fico scores for one year, any creditor who pulls your reports will see them, and that is a LOT of inquiries.  You need some time to rebuild here.  You might be stuck with a" buy here, pay here" type dealer.  Can you scrape up enough cash to buy a beater to drive for a while? How about joining a credit union?   A lot of them only pull EQ, and don't use auto industry option scores.  Plus, they are a little bit easier to work with and can be less stringent on credit requirements. If you don't know your EQ Fico score, you can get it from myFico on this site. That would be a good starting point to see where you are.  Good luck, and be sure to post any more questions on here you may have.  I have only hit on the basics.  Good luck. 

MyFICO Forums ROCK!! & . Been There, Done That. Never Going Back! Goal>>>> 800,800,800!

Starting Score: 1/05 upper 500's??Current Score: FICO: EQ 783, TU(98) 790, EX 814(Vantage) 779(CS) Goal Score: .....800 IS ON MY BUCKET LIST! EX ,BITE ME! .:smileyvery-happy:
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Established Contributor
guydiver
Posts: 532
Registered: ‎08-30-2007

Re: Questions improving my credit


guydiver wrote:

guangrui wrote:

Hello, I have a few questions on how to improve my cridit score. Im 21 years old, and im trying to get a loan for a car.

I recently checked my equifax score here are some infomations on it.

 

Mortage $0

Installment $4,954 payment is deffered dont need to pay them back until i graduated. since i didnt go to school for one year they reported me. only on equifax 1/3.

Revolving account: 6400

   Capitalone: 200 with balance of 0

    Chase:3200 with balance of 1700

   Discover:3000 with balance of 75 

My question is should i do a balance transfer from discover to chase and even the balance or keep the high balance?

Im a joint user does that help also?

I have 3 negative accounts 2 is closed 1 is still open

and one charge off from my auto dealer which i paid back.

and lots of inquirys 31.

 

Is there any way of improving my credit?


Hi guangrui, and welcome to the forums!

Since you are looking to get an auto loan, there are a few things you can do here.

First, you got yourself into a pickle with that auto charge-off.  This damages your auto enhanced Fico score big time.  Paid or not, affects the same.  Have you tried sending GW(goodwill) letters yet?  You need to try to get that off your reports.  I doubt with your age and limited credit history you can get another car loan without some major money down or a co-signer.  As for your revolving, you show three accounts.  You need to have less than 50% of your accounts report any balance, so for you that is only one.  Pay off the lowest balance to Discover, and work on getting your total utilization down to 9% or less of your total CL of 6400.  I wouldn't recommend any balance transfers, as you could have one of your tradelines closed and lose that CL which would put your util. through the roof.  You don't need any more inquiries, so stop applying for credit.  Those stay on your reports for two years, and even though they only hurt your Fico scores for one year, any creditor who pulls your reports will see them, and that is a LOT of inquiries.  You need some time to rebuild here.  You might be stuck with a" buy here, pay here" type dealer.  Can you scrape up enough cash to buy a beater to drive for a while? How about joining a credit union?   A lot of them only pull EQ, and don't use auto industry option scores.  Plus, they are a little bit easier to work with and can be less stringent on credit requirements. If you don't know your EQ Fico score, you can get it from myFico on this site. That would be a good starting point to see where you are.  Good luck, and be sure to post any more questions on here you may have.  I have only hit on the basics.  Good luck. 


Sorry, I forgot to touch on this question.

If you are a joint user on an account, it means that both parties are responsible on that account, and the account history reports the same and separately on each person's credit report(s).  It's basically the same as a co-signer.  So it can be both good or bad, depending upon the history.  Downside is that you are responsible, so it counts into your debt to income ratio for loan qualification purposes.

MyFICO Forums ROCK!! & . Been There, Done That. Never Going Back! Goal>>>> 800,800,800!

Starting Score: 1/05 upper 500's??Current Score: FICO: EQ 783, TU(98) 790, EX 814(Vantage) 779(CS) Goal Score: .....800 IS ON MY BUCKET LIST! EX ,BITE ME! .:smileyvery-happy:
In My Wallet: CU Visa 15K, Sam's Club 10K, Lowe's 10K, Cabela's Siggy Visa 9.1K, Travelocity AMEX 12.5K :
Take the FICO Fitness Challenge




Blogger
FrugalRican
Posts: 2,876
Registered: ‎02-02-2012

Re: Questions improving my credit


guangrui wrote:

Hello, I have a few questions on how to improve my cridit score. Im 21 years old, and im trying to get a loan for a car.

I recently checked my equifax score here are some infomations on it.

 

   Capitalone: 200 with balance of 0

    Chase:3200 with balance of 1700

   Discover:3000 with balance of 75 

 

Is there any way of improving my credit?



Just gonna comment on this part.

 

Post your interest rates for these cards.

Just by getting the CC balances down, you'd see an increase in your score, however small that may be.

But definitely get that Chase card down. Your overall util is at 51%.

Follow my financial journey: http://www.frugalrican.com


EQ FICO (01/16/2012): 656 - EQ FICO (02/16/2012): 743 - EQ (02/24/2012): 760 - EX (04/28/2012): 739 - GOAL 2013: 800+

AMEX BCE (0/10K) --- BOA 1-2-3 (0/15.9K) --- Discover More (0/6K) --- Chase Freedom Visa (0/1.4K) -- Hyatt Visa Sign. (0/5.8K) -- Barclay's NFL Card (0/7.5K) -- Chase Sapphire Preferred (0/5K)

New Member
guangrui
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎03-04-2012

Re: Questions improving my credit

No i didnt write a gw letter for the charge off. Il write one now thanks for your advice.

Established Contributor
guydiver
Posts: 532
Registered: ‎08-30-2007

Re: Questions improving my credit


guangrui wrote:

No i didnt write a gw letter for the charge off. Il write one now thanks for your advice.


You can write GW letters for all of your negative accounts.  Everything helps. Those negatives can stay on your report for up to 7.5 years.  Whatever you do, don't be late again.  Eat beans and rice if you have to.  Cut every corner you can to pay down your revolving debt because that is the second most important factor in your Fico scores.


 

MyFICO Forums ROCK!! & . Been There, Done That. Never Going Back! Goal>>>> 800,800,800!

Starting Score: 1/05 upper 500's??Current Score: FICO: EQ 783, TU(98) 790, EX 814(Vantage) 779(CS) Goal Score: .....800 IS ON MY BUCKET LIST! EX ,BITE ME! .:smileyvery-happy:
In My Wallet: CU Visa 15K, Sam's Club 10K, Lowe's 10K, Cabela's Siggy Visa 9.1K, Travelocity AMEX 12.5K :
Take the FICO Fitness Challenge




Established Contributor
jimbo831
Posts: 977
Registered: ‎02-08-2012

Re: Questions improving my credit


guydiver wrote:

guangrui wrote:

No i didnt write a gw letter for the charge off. Il write one now thanks for your advice.


You can write GW letters for all of your negative accounts.  Everything helps. Those negatives can stay on your report for up to 7.5 years.  Whatever you do, don't be late again.  Eat beans and rice if you have to.  Cut every corner you can to pay down your revolving debt because that is the second most important factor in your Fico scores.


 


As bad as this sounds, after my bad credit situations, I will do whatever I can to make sure my CCs and any other reporting loans are paid on time.  Rent is #1 priority (need a place to live), then any bills that report.  You can pay cell phones, utilities, and many other monthly bills late and make arrangements with them with few repurcussions.  Those lates that report though, hurt just so bad.

Gardening with: PSECU Combo $1k, Chase Freedom $3.5k, Discover It $1.7k, Amex Costco True Earnings $2k, Capital One Platinum $500, Best Buy Store Card $2.7k

Starting Score: FICO: 587 EX, 594 EQ, 632 TU, 2/15/12; USAA FAKO: 525 EX, 541 EQ, 525 TU, 2/15/12
Current Score: FICO: 678 EX, 629 EQ, 658 TU, 3/27/12; USAA FAKO: 721 EX, 721 EQ, 576 TU, 3/9/12
Goal Score: 700 Across the Board and Amex Zync or Costco By The End Of 2012


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