Secured CC or time?

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, my question is-
I have one unsecured CC (14 months old) for $7900 from NFCU. I also have an account with Less Schwab (9 months old). Both are 100 percent with about 15% util. I haven't been able to get approved for a second CC. Should let these accounts mature, or should I get a secured card? My scores are just below 600. Thanks for any wisdom you can share.

[rmduhon]

What's keeping your scores down?

[Anonymous]

Collections, two cell phone accounts, an old insurance, and a cable bill.

[rmduhon]

If you list the derogatory accounts with the DoFD we might be able to help there.

[Anonymous]

What is DoFD?

[rmduhon]

Date of First Delinquency. You'll find that on your reports from the bureaus, not from a monitoring site

[Anonymous]

I only have access to Credit Karma currently. All they show is the age I believe.

[medicgrrl]

You can get your free credit reports from the credit bureaus once per year by going to annualcreditreport.com. This will show you when those accounts will be dropping off or it will show the date of first delinquency.

[Anonymous]

AT&T through AFNI $1553 DOFD=3/17 until 01/2020

Geico through Credit Control Services $163 DOFD=2/17 until 11/2021

Verizon through Jefferson Capital Systems $1031 DOFD 05/2016 through 04/2020

Comcast through Southwest Credit Systems $684 DOFD 11/16 through 06/2021

[medicgrrl]

Your DOFD is different than when the collection agency opened the accounts. Your DOFD on those accounts appear to be 2013 & 2014.

I've read that AT&T pulls their collections back every 6 months and gives them to a new collection agency. Some people have had luck watching for the collection to be removed around that time then calling AT&T directly and paying off the account before it gets transferred again.