Thanks. 
I am rather new to trying to understand credit, as you can see from my scores. This may sound stupid, but it hadn't occurred to me that my student loans are reflecting on my credit score. Over the years, I've let the student loans go when money is tight, because I figured I those loans would take so long to pay off that being late a month or two wouldn't make much difference. Student loans don't seem to affect me, since it's not like a utility in danger of being shut off. I'm really glad I checked my report and found this out, because I was wrong.
I have 2 credit cards, one with an occasional 30-day late and that has a balance of around $1,300 out of $1,500 max. I got the other credit card 6 months ago through my bank. It has zero balance and I've never had a late payment with it, I use a bit and pay it off each month. I got it intentionally to try to raise my credit by establishing good credit.
Altogether, I have 4 student loans that have had deliquencies recently. Two of those have been 60 days past due twice each within the last few months. I've started to budget recently (I know, another no-brainer, but better late than never). I was wondering in what time frame I could raise my credit score to a reasonable number, to keep my credit at a good level.
@kythe571 wrote:Thanks.
I am rather new to trying to understand credit, as you can see from my scores. This may sound stupid, but it hadn't occurred to me that my student loans are reflecting on my credit score. Over the years, I've let the student loans go when money is tight, because I figured I those loans would take so long to pay off that being late a month or two wouldn't make much difference. Student loans don't seem to affect me, since it's not like a utility in danger of being shut off. I'm really glad I checked my report and found this out, because I was wrong.
I have 2 credit cards, one with an occasional 30-day late and that has a balance of around $1,300 out of $1,500 max. I got the other credit card 6 months ago through my bank. It has zero balance and I've never had a late payment with it, I use a bit and pay it off each month. I got it intentionally to try to raise my credit by establishing good credit.
Altogether, I have 4 student loans that have had deliquencies recently. Two of those have been 60 days past due twice each within the last few months. I've started to budget recently (I know, another no-brainer, but better late than never). I was wondering in what time frame I could raise my credit score to a reasonable number, to keep my credit at a good level.
What are the exact dates of delinquency for each 30 and 60 day lates?
It really is important to know exactly what your reports say.
From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".
Ok,
In 2007 I had two 30-day late payments and one 60-day late payment on an account that is no longer open. This is still showing though.
In Nov 2010 and January 2011, I had 60-day late payments on two student loans. I count them as one loan since I make one payment which applies to both. This is why they have exactly the same payment dates. But the credit bureaus count the unsubsidized and subsidized loans as two separate loans, so it totals to four 60 day late payments recently. For some reason, TransUnion counted November twice, which makes the number of late payments look even worse than it is.
One credit card was 30 days late in Feb 2011, and 30 days late for 4 months in a row last year, Oct 2009 to Jan 2010.
Yeah, the more I look at it, the more this pattern of late payments really sucks. 
@kythe571 wrote:Ok,
In 2007 I had two 30-day late payments and one 60-day late payment on an account that is no longer open. This is still showing though.
In Nov 2010 and January 2011, I had 60-day late payments on two student loans. I count them as one loan since I make one payment which applies to both. This is why they have exactly the same payment dates. But the credit bureaus count the unsubsidized and subsidized loans as two separate loans, so it totals to four 60 day late payments recently. For some reason, TransUnion counted November twice, which makes the number of late payments look even worse than it is.
One credit card was 30 days late in Feb 2011, and 30 days late for 4 months in a row last year, Oct 2009 to Jan 2010.
Yeah, the more I look at it, the more this pattern of late payments really sucks.
The most recent lates are the ones you need to concentrate on first and although the older 30 day lates (2007, 2009, and 2010) are starting to lose their sting as far as scoring goes creditors can still see all of them and that can make them very nervous.
You need to start a very aggressive but cordial GW (Good Will) letter campaign to get all of these lates removed but especially the most recent 60 day lates and the 30 day late from 2/2011. You can do a search here onsite for a particular creditor and see how others have approached them with GW requests and what seemed to work and not work so well.
Creditors are under no obligation to grant GW deletions but it does happen to many people. Persistence seems to be the key. If you get a no for an answer just keep trying. It's worth it if you can get even one late payment entry removed.
Do you have any other negative items in your reports besides the late payments?
May I ask where you got your scores? No one has been able to buy their own Experian FICO score since February of 2009. Creditors can pull Experian and also there is a CU (PSECU) in Pennsylvania that supplies that information to it's members only. You can only buy true FICO scores at a few places. One place is here at myFICO. I suggest you do an internet search for "myfico discount codes" to save a little money.
At one time you could also purchase your Transunion score at transunioncs.com but that site seems to have stopped doing that. Equifax will still sell you a FICO score but you have to look very hard to find it. Though unless you are planning to apply for new credit in the near future I would be more concerned with repairing your profile than what your score might be at this time and how much each late is hurting you.
All this is just my opinion and I'm certainly no expert on GW's and the like. Hopefully others with more experience will also add some comments and suggestions.
From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".
