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Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

My family and I (British) lived in California from 2001 to 2006, but moved back to the UK for personal reasons. We are returning to California in February 2008, this time hopefully for good, but I have a few concerns about my credit.

All the time we were there, we had good credit. We had two checking accounts, both with credit cards, with decent limits, and paid them off regularly. We also had two consecutive car leases during that period, and had no credit-related problems.

When we left, we retained the checking accounts and credit cards, one of them clear, but still had a balance (about 40% of limit) on our MBNA Visa card. We used the accounts (checking and credit) occasionally when visiting.

Unfortunately, I failed to make the regular monthly minimum payment on the MBNA Visa card three times during last year, one of them with a two month delay, although when I paid it was always at least the full outstanding minimum amount.

They did not contact me to complain, but at some point around September, they lowered the limit to just over the balance at the time. I tried to contact them on-line and by phone, but never received responses to my on-line messages, and the person I spoke to on the phone could not tell me anything about their "rating" of my account.

Their on-line service offers the option of requesting a letter describing the credit status of the account, but that can only be sent to the registered address, which I never changed (it is still our last US address, which we left in August 2006).

In November, I liberated some other funds, and paid off the balance completely.

My problem now is how to clarify my credit rating, and hopefully repair any damage done by my missed payments, so that it does not adversely affect us on our return to the US in February, since we will be setting up home again and require some credit, as well as another car lease.

However, I cannot request my FICO score as I do not have a current US address, and (as I described before) the accounts are registered to a mixture of C/O a friends' address and our old address, and I do not wish to move the credit card address to be our friends' address as well, in case it somehow affects THEIR credit rating.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.
Message 1 of 9
8 REPLIES 8
SmartCookie
Valued Contributor

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

hi simoneves and welcome!
 
Sounds like you have done a lot of research, but please make sure to read the 'Start Here' and refer to it often.  http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=ficoscoring&thread.id=2654
 
Also see the Frequently Requested Threads sticky for examples of letters, among other things. 
 
From what you are saying, it appears that you have PIF MBNA.  I would start with asking them if they can re-open the account.  They will probably say no... I don't think they do that and as well the account is probably with Bank of America now.  What you will need to do is to write a GW letter to them once you determine who now has your old account records.
 
The place to start now of course is to pull your credit reports even if you cannot get FICO scores.  You should have no problem doing so if you just use your old address (where you got your statements for MBNA shouldbe fine) in order to get online access.  Just put the address in as your current one and do not add any additional old address info at all.  I suggest pulling all 3 reports here at myfico.com as that should give you the least trouble with getting to view and print online.  If you were to go thru annualcreditreport.com or directly thru the individual sites for a paid report... they might insist on mail only.
 
So try that first so you can see what you will be looking at now as opposed to once you move.  PM me if you are wanting a discount code or search on google.com.  I recommend you get the Suze Orman kit as the reports there are viewable for a full year.  You'll get 3 reports... so you can use 1 up for each CRA.
 
You should be fine,especially since you are tackling this now.  Midnight Voice here on the forums is an expat and has great advice all around.  Barclays bank is something to look into as well to establish or maintain good credit when coming or going between the UK and USA.
 
 
EQ 787 EX 781 TU 737 11/17/07 *** I am not an attorney. If I was, I might not clip coupons. If you want legal advice, consult an attorney. If you want my personal opinion, feel free to consider my posts***
Message 2 of 9
MidnightVoice
Super Contributor

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

You might also try the three free annual reports online, using your old address
The slide from grace is really more like gliding
And I've found the trick is not to stop the sliding
But to find a graceful way of staying slid
Message 3 of 9
SmartCookie
Valued Contributor

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away



MidnightVoice wrote:
You might also try the three free annual reports online, using your old address


Normally I would agree because it's free (who can argue free), very detailed and accurate.  In this particular situation I caution even attempting it first because it's way too easy to get locked out (ie mail only to last addy on file or send in verification docs), most especially with TU.  Also, he'll have to identity verify cc and other account numbers he might not have access too with annualcreditreport.
 
Had this issue 1st hand with my mother and it was a headache enough... and she's been at the same addy for 40 years.
EQ 787 EX 781 TU 737 11/17/07 *** I am not an attorney. If I was, I might not clip coupons. If you want legal advice, consult an attorney. If you want my personal opinion, feel free to consider my posts***
Message 4 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

Thank you both for that excellent advice.

The credit card account in question is indeed with Bank of America now. I have full on-line access to the account, and nothing on there indicates that they have a problem with me per se. They certainly did not request specifically that I pay-in-full. I did that voluntarily, and since then (two months ago) the credit limit has stayed at the lower value (not dropped to zero, as one would expect if they have closed the account).

As I said, I have tried contacting them twice on-line, but they have not responded, and once by phone with no results, but perhaps I am expecting too much. If they are writing to me at my old address, I will not get those letters as our mail redirection has long expired. I realise that communications disconnect was a stupid thing for me to let happen, but I can't do much about it now, especially as we will be back in the US in a month's time. I guess I can write them a GW letter now anyway.

I will investigate the Suze Orman credit report deal, although my concern there is the mixture of addresses (credit card at old address, bank accounts with later C/O address) so I'm not sure which one to use, especially as the latter isn't mine.

I'll give it a try, though.
Message 5 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

Guess I needn't have worried...

TransUnion 740
Equifax 733
Experian 749

The Bank of America (previously MBNA) card shows up as completely clean.

I do have a couple of 30-day-lates on my other VISA card from about 3 years ago, but that's literally the only flags on anything.

Simon very happy.
Message 6 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

I also just managed to speak to somebody helpful at BoA, and they confirmed that there are no flags on the account, which surprised me, but I kept my mouth shut.

I asked why the credit limit had been halved last fall, and he couldn't say, but suggested it might be to do with leaving a large balance on there for a long time (a year) with no other activity.

All good news, and hopefully that card will work to pay for our household shipping back to the US next month!

Simon still happy.
Message 7 of 9
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

Great news, and welcome back. Hope your move goes well. My dad was in the Army, and we moved every two or three years. To this day I feel queasy when I see a moving van! Smiley Very Happy
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 8 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving Back to US After 18 Months Away

thank your lucky star, it is probably happened when boa took over mbna( I like Boa, mbna is the only cc, i ever closed, very high interest rate regardless of one's fico)
Message 9 of 9
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