Help? On the right path, but need advice!

[Anonymous]

Hello, everyone! 

I've been looking on this forum for years, but I finally decided to create an account and join the community! I am in the process of wanting to pay off my debts and get some of those snazzy cards as I have some things holding me back. So, I'm reaching out for assistance.

First some back story:
In 2013, I applied for my first credit card: A Capital One Platinum w/ a $500 limit.
Three months later, I was approved for a BoFA Cash Rewards w/ a $750 limit.
I bought a $250 speaker using Fingerhut.
I bought a car with DriveTime early in 2014.
I also had a phone plan with T-Mobile.
Among a couple other things.

Due to work (or lack of rather), I had maxed out my cards, and couldn't afford to pay for them, my loan, or Fingerhut account. Needless to say, by late 2014, all of those accounts were charged off. At this point, my credit score was in the low 400's... I did nothing with my credit, and as time passed it got better. In December 2015, I was approved for a Discover IT Secured Card; I started it off with a $200 balance. 

Fast forward to today, I have the following:
Discover IT (secured card, graduated to unsecured): $2000 SL
Credit One Bank Visa (started w/ a $300 SL): $800
Credit One Bank Amex: $800
Capital One QuickSilver (started as Platinum w/ a $300 SL): $600 SL
Capital One QuickSilver One (started w/ a $500 SL): $600 SL
OneMain Personal Loan: $6137
Ally Auto: $15,207
First Investors (2017 Toyota Corolla that I totalled a year later, but no GAP :/): $3652

As far as collections, I have:
Deville Asset Management (Fingerhut): Closed, paid in full
Paramount Recovery (Medical Bill from 2015): $2934, Settled at $880.20
Medical Data Systems(x2): Both $137, both paid in full
Convergent Outsourcing(T-Mobile from 2014): $605, paid in full
Jefferson Capital Systems(My car from DriveTime): $6950.83, looking to settle since the debt is almost 7 years old.

My current scores are: 656 EX, 673 TU, and 666 EQ

All of the items listed above are what are still listed on my credit report currently. I have tried to dispute the paid items, but they come back the same; no deletions. Unless going through the apps is wrong? 

I hope this isn't too much. I'm trying to have all my debts paid by the end of the year now that I have my income the right way.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Anonymous]

Long time lurker, seldom poster here!

Congrats on your rebuild and progress.

Regarding your unsuccessful disputes, I was in the same boat disputing paid CO accounts. They just come back verified because they are valid. However I can share a DP regarding the Early Exclusion dispute process through Transunion. 

I had a medical collection that they would not update as paid and even had placed an errorous duplicate CO placed on my reports after an unsuccesfull dispute. I don't rememeber who initially shared the DP but I went through the Transunion website to dispute and selected Early Exclusion or the option that refers to the DOFD. Transunion completed this dispute the same day, immediately removed the tradeline (literally received the dispute resolved email 20 or so minutes after it was submitted).

Note this collection account was from late 2015. 

I didn't see much point gains when my other paid collection fell off but this was the last on Transunion and I received a 29 point gain alert the next day. My Transunion is now clean. No collections, no baddies.

I have submitted the same EE dispute to Experian (on the same day) but this one is still pending. 

My EQ report is clean. No collections, no baddies.

Hope this helps and someone will chime in with some more pointers for you.

Again Congrats on your progress.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous  First thanks for sharing and Welcome to the forums.  Have you tried writing your letters (typing) vs going through an app.  You may have better luck also writing directly to the Collection agency.  I would say asking for a good will jester to delete or because you are close to them coming off may help.  Did you had some type of agreement that was not honored.  Not sure if it will work because they are already paid and reported correctly.  When you made your agreement to pay was it with the requirement they would remove.

Another avenue would be to see if all the accounts are reporting correctly.  If there's the slightest error dispute that with the CRAs.

i assume all of your original accounts are reporting correctly or removed as well.  I believe once you pay without setting your terms you may be stuck with the remaineder of your reporting period, hopefully the reporting clock did not restart.

Sorry I could not be of more help.  Maybe some learned members may have more to offer.

Good luck on your new journey.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hello, everyone! 

I've been looking on this forum for years, but I finally decided to create an account and join the community! I am in the process of wanting to pay off my debts and get some of those snazzy cards as I have some things holding me back. So, I'm reaching out for assistance.

First some back story:
In 2013, I applied for my first credit card: A Capital One Platinum w/ a $500 limit.
Three months later, I was approved for a BoFA Cash Rewards w/ a $750 limit.
I bought a $250 speaker using Fingerhut.
I bought a car with DriveTime early in 2014.
I also had a phone plan with T-Mobile.
Among a couple other things.

Due to work (or lack of rather), I had maxed out my cards, and couldn't afford to pay for them, my loan, or Fingerhut account. Needless to say, by late 2014, all of those accounts were charged off. At this point, my credit score was in the low 400's... I did nothing with my credit, and as time passed it got better. In December 2015, I was approved for a Discover IT Secured Card; I started it off with a $200 balance. 

Fast forward to today, I have the following:
Discover IT (secured card, graduated to unsecured): $2000 SL
Credit One Bank Visa (started w/ a $300 SL): $800
Credit One Bank Amex: $800
Capital One QuickSilver (started as Platinum w/ a $300 SL): $600 SL
Capital One QuickSilver One (started w/ a $500 SL): $600 SL
OneMain Personal Loan: $6137
Ally Auto: $15,207
First Investors (2017 Toyota Corolla that I totalled a year later, but no GAP :/): $3652

As far as collections, I have:
Deville Asset Management (Fingerhut): Closed, paid in full
Paramount Recovery (Medical Bill from 2015): $2934, Settled at $880.20
Medical Data Systems(x2): Both $137, both paid in full
Convergent Outsourcing(T-Mobile from 2014): $605, paid in full
Jefferson Capital Systems(My car from DriveTime): $6950.83, looking to settle since the debt is almost 7 years old.

My current scores are: 656 EX, 673 TU, and 666 EQ

All of the items listed above are what are still listed on my credit report currently. I have tried to dispute the paid items, but they come back the same; no deletions. Unless going through the apps is wrong? 

I hope this isn't too much. I'm trying to have all my debts paid by the end of the year now that I have my income the right way.

Thanks in advance for the help!

---

 I strongly advise against disputing accounts, it just brings new updates and hits your scores again. Inaccuracies can be corrected, they is no rule saying they have to delete just because you find one, you just hope they don't respond, but in this day and age, they are fairly on top of it. I personally would not roll the dice on those odds.

You said these accounts went south in 2013/2014. They are likely just around the corner from falling off your credit reports, but need to know when.

I would definitely pull all 3 credit reports, for free (no scores, but free to do so weekly through 4/2021) from annual credit report to see when to expect these baddies to drop that way you know when and where to focus your energy. I have not found any other credit reports, and especially for free, that are as comprehensive and give you exact dates of when they should be falling off. You can always surmise, but it best to see it right in front of you. You might be surprised. I say this because if you pay that big derog and it is due to drop off in a month or two, you could have put that money elsewhere. If it is a good settlement, you could still take it to be done with it, but at least know when it drops.

There is also EE (early exclusion) to consider from those dates on the CRs, if they are that old (from 2013-2014), I would not dispute them, I would find out those dates and then work EE.

6 months before the "estimated date of removal" on TU, call and ask for a supervisor, be clear you are not disputing and kindly request EE.

1 month before the "on record until" date on EX, call and ask for the dispute department, and be clear you are not disputing, but rather kindly requesting EE. EX has 3 month EE, but they bake 2 months into the "on record until" date, so that is why some people will mention 3 months and why I say to call 1 month before that specific date.

Just leave EQ alone, it will have "date of first delinquency" and it will fall of at or before 7 years from that date. It would be best to let them fall off naturally with that bureau.

This is just my opinion. I would start with those 3 reports and then make a game plan for EE instead of taking those hits by disputing.

Good luck!