Stuck in the 645-680 range--want to be near 700

[RobertEG]

Payment history is the highest-weighted scoring category.

Scoring under payment history is based on an initial categorization of your file history based on broad factors which then place you into a scoring category, or "bucket," with resulting scoring done by comparison with others who have similar profiles.

Scorecard categorization, or bucketing, generally keeps you in a less-favorable category until your credit report is free of all major derogs.

Thus, score improvement in this critical category is often stagnant until the last major derog is excluded or deleted.

Major derogs include 90+ monthly delinquencies, a charge-off, collection, or any public record.

What are your specific payment history derogs, and what actions have you taken to remove the major derogs?

[Anonymous]

Was told you can’t remove derogatory payment history. They are all collections (no charge offs or public records). Also was told by an individual if you contact the company that you have the debt with, the countdown starts over because you are acknowledging you have a debt. The 7 years will start over again.

[Anonymous]

That's not accurate.  Once 7 years is up it's up, there's no clock resetting.  It's all based on the date of the reported delinquency, which does not change if you attempt to get it removed.

[sueblue34]

Definitely no more hard pulls. You have a lot of inquiries. Try getting the serifs removed through good will letters. Garden and work on paying on time

[Anonymous]

My scores are very similar to yours. But i have a lot of miss payments from students loans. But been in repayment plan for over a year and half now.

[SouthJamaica]

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wrote:

Have been stuck in these ranges for awhile

Current Scores are this

Equifax 646

Transunion 681

Experian 678

Have a 13 % credit utilization rate on 14,050 available credit

4 derogatory marks that are from 2012

28 total accounts

4 years 3 months average age of credit history

17 hard inquiries

90 % on time payment history

I don't see what else I can really do to make my credit rise other than waiting for the derogatory marks to be removed.

Does anybody else have any ideas for raising the credit to the 700 range?

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1. Get your overall utilization down to 9% or less.

2. Maintain individual card utilization at 28% or less.

3. Try  to have as many zero balances reporting as possible, but not zero. Ideal is to have all cards but one reporting zero balance, with the one card reporting a small balance.

4. Send as many verification letters as possible to the bureaus to try to get rid of some of the negatives.

5. Don't apply for any new credit or any CLI's that involve a hard pull.