My goals for this year are to qualify for a mortage and to qualify for a chase freedom card. I started rebuilding my credit in november of last year and so far I have gotten my scores to go up from 540 to 630 643 and 675.
Starting Score: 675 TU 643 EX 630 EQ
Hello!
I'm a little late to joining the challenge this year, but better late than never!
At the turn of the century, I was an irresponsible college student who made quite a few mistakes despite my good intentions. I deperately wanted to repair my abysmal credit for a number of years, but instead kept getting into even more situations (leeching relationships, etc.) that tended to set me back. I never really truly took credit seriously until after I got married at the end of 2011. It's funny how having a family can motivate you to whip yourself in shape!
I've been a forum lurker for the past couple of years or so. In early 2012, I made my first genuine attempts at tackling my credit. My husband was unemployed, we were expecting our first baby together, and we were living in my father-in-law's basement. It was a depressing time and I decided that I needed to seriously take control of my financial future for my family's sake. I obtained copies of all of my credit reports and went through each one of them with a fine tooth comb. It was definitely intimidating and overwhelming at first, so it took me a few tries to focus and really get through them all. All three of my bureau scores were in the low 500s. I determined that there were numerous errors including duplicates and accounts that I did not recognize. After the delivery of certified letters, submission of bureau disputes and successful application and maintenance of two secured credit cards (no lates, yeah!), fast forward to today and I'm happy to say that all of my scores are finally above 600. Last week I applied for my first unsecured card in ten years (Discover IT) and I was approved!
My ultimate goal is to be able to apply for my very first home in 2015 (my number one baddie is finally going to fall off by then too, hallelujah!). My family is growing and I am truly tired of throwing away money on subpar rentals!
Wishing everyone the best of luck on your credit repair journeys! I'm proud to be a member of this wonderful community! What a great resource with such great people contributing.
Starting Score (1/17/14): EQ: 676 | EX: 633 | TU: 626
I'm glad I found this board. I am working Very Hard to clean up some issues some self infilcted and other health caused. Currently 5 years on the job, with the help of an outside company was able to pay off all of my outstanding medical bills and all have been removed from my credit reports. I have a bankrupcy from 11/2004 reporting and a satisfied judgement filed in 2009. I have a current Ford Credit Lease and a couple of small bank cards $1500 and $500 and carry no balances. Recently picked up a HSN card with no hard pull. I am finding it hard if not impossible to raise my score primarily because most of my credit reporting is 5 years old or less. Fortunately I was recently pre approved for a Jumbo mortgage at 95%, but still cannot drive my score up. I guess the only thing to do is to keep paying on time and let time take it's course.
I am debating on getting a Barclays card to see if it helps. In total I have 1 car loan, 2 bank cards less tha 20% usage reaporting but paid off every month never paid interest, 2 store cards no balances.
Hello! This is my first challenge and am excited about improving my credit (as well as getting out of debt!).
Most of my undergrad and ALL of my grad school were paid using student loans, and I began paying them off after the grace period....ever so slightly. However, after moving across the country and not securing the job I needed, I began to default on all my loans as well as on some CC, setting up my encounter with collections. I began to ignore letters & calls and pretty much let myself go. I even had my car "almost" repo'd (it wasn't repo'd because i began hiding it!).
Anyway, in mid-2008, I began facing the music and slowly began paying off CC, accounts in collections, car and began rehabbing my student loans. It was a rough uphill battle, especially with my salary at the time. Then, after paying off each account, I would ask for a paid-in-full letter, which I would nail to my wall as a trophy and reminder/encouragement that it can be done. In 2010 is when things began changing. Got a CapOne CC to help rebuild my credit and used the debt snowball method to kill all debt (except for student loans).
So now, all non-student loan debt is gone, and I'm a few months shy of killing my 3rd student loan (out of 6). I've also acquired a Barclays Rewards card with a low CL ($1300) and am waiting one more year to hit the 7 year mark so that most of my negative tradelines will fall off my CR....finally. Had to learn the hard way.
Btw, can anyone tell me what "going to the garden" means?
Thanks!
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I have been totally obsessed with my credit report for 2 months now. There has been a payoff. I had some bad luck in 2008 with my husband moving across the country for a job. He stayed there for 1.5 years. It was touch. Doubles rent, utilities and etc. So my my credit suffer had 3 small cards 2 from premier and i hsbc. I was paying on time then and working on my CS then. Once he moved they went to the crapper. They have been PIF for some time now. I also had some judgements, total of 9. I have disputed most of them some have come off. TU is touch I only have 4 left on there now. EQ and EX have removed them after much disputing. I do have the collection companies that those 3 cards went to and they are not removing them. No matter what. Moving on. I started with 515 EQ, 570 EX, and TU 582. I have constantly disputed looking for any reason for them to either remove the accounts or fix the information reported. It has been working. I am constantly checking them and looking for alerts. I started on 02/01/2014. Today is 04/23/2014. I have today Tu 675, EQ 618, EX 657. I have opened a CO secured credit card in 02/14. Keeping what on my ultilization. Uping my available credit. 2 wks ago was approved for Kays account for 3000. I bought a small necklace to use my credit. Always paying on time. I tried barclay, chase and was denied. I have to wait 6 mths, maybe ill try again. Recon denied with both too. On Recon not soft inquiry. So they were looking at lower scores and reporting. Did not want to do hard inquiry again. I find its a big game. Many years my husband and i payed cash did not want credit cards. We thought it was best not to be in debt. Boy how wrong we are now that we are in our 40s and trying to purchase our home. It is what it is.....Live and Learn.....
I have been battling my credit scores for some time now, but finally I am in a financial situation where I am able to REALLY knock it out and push those scores up higher!
I am currently on a civilian deployment to the Middle East, and have been squirreling away my paychecks while out here (since I live & eat on base, I save a ton of $$!) and my hubby and I are hoping to use that savings to go toward a down payment on a home.
My hubby has better credit scores than I do; the only things harming his score is that his card utilization % is a bit high, but I've been working on that diligently and expect to have him down to the 25-30% range within the month.
For me, I have a few late payments in the past, and 1 collection from 2008 that is due to a medical visit, misunderstanding with billing dept etc. so that hurts my score a lot. My utilization percentage is a lot lower than hubby's, as well as my age of accts & number of accts.
I hope to get all 3 of my credit scores up to 750 by end of 2014!!