Greetings! I have been reading through many posts on this site over the past few days and have already learned a wealth of information. I wish I would have discovered this website a long time ago!
2005-2009 was a rough time for my family. Multiple job losses equated to a depletion of savings and a mounting on of credit card debt. 2010/2011 was a better period of time, as we were able to pay off (and settle) a lot of debts.
I am working on making 2012 a turn-around year – a year of improved credit and savings. The ultimate goal is to purchase a home within the next 6 to 12 months.
Here's a quick summary of my credit situation:
Equifax- 604
TransUnion- 564
Fake Experian- 560
Total Credit Extended to Me: $0
Total Balances: $4277
Any additional advice to my current situation would be very much appreciated!
After reading through numerous posts, it sounds like the best course of action for my personal credit situation is to send out a combination of DV, PIF, and GW letters for the following accounts.
USAA Federal Savings Bank-
(Credit Card)
Condition: Paid
Balance: $0
Pay status: Collection/Charge off
Past Due: $0
Opened: 01/06/06
This account has multiple past-due notations. I accepted a settlement with United Recovery Systems (total scum) back in March of 2011.
Question- I noticed that Equifax has $87 listed under the “Payment:” column. Is that something to be concerned about?
Send a GW and ask to have late payments removed?
Bank of America-
(Credit Card)
Condition: Paid
Balance: $0
Pay Status: TransUnion reads “Late 120 Days,” Experian reports “Collection/Chargeoff,” and Equifax reports “Late 120 Days.”
Past Due: $0
Opened: 12/01/07
This account has multiple past-due notations. I accepted a settlement with a Law Office based in Atlanta (the name escapes me) back in March of 2011.
US Bank-
(Credit Card)
Condition: TransUnion is reporting that it is closed, Experian is reporting that it is open, and Equifax is reporting that it is open.
Balance: $3130
Pay Status: Current
Past Due: $0
Payment: $99
Opened: 11/30/11
Although it is being reported to a few agencies as open, the account has been closed by the bank. I am currently on a payment plan with the OC of $99/mo with a balance of $3130 to go. Currently, I’m working on saving some cash to throw at this balance with the hopes of paying it off.
Although it is being reported as current with recent positive data (about a years worth), there are numerous late fee notations being reported to all three credit agencies.
Kay Jewelers:
(Charge Card)
Sigh. The internal collections department at Kay (AKA Sterling Jewelers) are relentless. I’m glad to have them off of my back.
Condition: TU is reporting “paid,” Experian is reporting “paid,” and Equifax is reporting “derogatory.”
Balance: $0
Pay Status: Collection/chargeoff
Condition: TransUnion is reporting “paid,” Experian is reporting “paid,” and Equifax is reporting “derogatory.”
Opened: 02/01/06
Numerous late payments are noted (30, 60, 120 days). I settled this account with the OC last summer.
American Express:
(Credit Card)
I was surprised to see that Amex currently isn’t reporting many details to the credit bureaus:
Condition: TransUnion reports “derogatory,” Experian is reporting “paid,” and Equifax is reporting “derogatory.”
Balance: $0
Pay Status: Collection/Chargeoff
Opened: 05/01/07
No late notations are being reported, thankfully.
This account was settled for less than owed with a CA, however only the OC is showing up on my credit report.
USAA Federal Savings Bank
(Auto Loan)
I recently paid off this vehicle off in full
Condition: TransUnion is reporting “closed,” Experian is reporting “paid,” and Equifax is reporting “Paid.”
Pay Status: Current
Date Opened: 01/2/07
Numerous late payments reported to all three credit bureaus.
CRDT CTRL CO
(Collections Account)
OC: Cox Communications
Balance: $164.00
Date Reported: 10/4/11
This is something recent that I was unaware of. To date, I have never been contacted by the CA.
NCO FIN/15
(Collections Account)
OC: RCN Cable
Balance: $69
Date Reported: 8/10/10
Another collections account that I was unaware of.
Ha, clearly I at one time had trouble paying the cable bill. =)
Finally, these accounts are listed as “Other Accounts”
Nicor Gas
The following account shows up twice!
Type: Utility Company
Condition: Paid
Balance: $0
Past Due: $0
Reported: 02/08
Numerous late fees have been noted on the credit report. Also, I’m not 100% sure that the past-due balance is actually $0. I think it’s possible that here is a small balance due, so I’ll need to confirm that (and budget some payoff cash) before I send off any letters to correct this duplication on my credit report.
Peoples Energy
Type: Utility Company
Condition: TransUnion reports it as “paid.” Equifax reports it as “closed.”
Balance: $0
Past Due: $0
Reported: 07/11
Numerous late fees have been noted on the credit report.
Amcore Bank
Type: Deposit related
Condition: All three bureaus are reporting it as “derogatory”
Balance: $914
Past Due: $0
High Balance: $914
Opened: 8/1/05
First Reported: 08/08
I have no clue what this is balance is for. I had a checking account with this bank about five years ago but withdrew the balance that was in the account and then closed the account. Should I send a DV letter? SOL won't help, as I'm more than 4 years away at this point.
Thank you so much for your help, everyone!
Starting Score: TU-470 4/11/19, EQ-482 4/11/19, EX-486 4/11/19