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Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

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BMW_328i
New Contributor

Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

(((Moderators, please dont move my topic- it's relating to FICO scoring)))

 

Hello,

 

I'm in the process of rebuilding my credit.  Here's a snapshot of my situation:

 

  1. Five collection accounts (totaling ~$1,900)
  2. One repossession (two years old- ~$12K)
  3. One charged off revolving account with CC. (~$200)

 

EQ-504

TU-496

EX-510

 

Will I see a significant bump in my FICO score?  I plan to payoff the CC and open a secured card.  Should I also pay the collections?  I would assume that that one CC is at 100% utilization- so paying it off will be of good.  Is it unreasonable to estimate a 100 point upward swing?

 

Thanks in advance!

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 2 of 15
14 REPLIES 14
RobertEG
Legendary Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

Payment of delinquent debt, be it to a creditor or debt collector, does not negate the fact that any reported derogs occured, and thus does not lead to score improvment.

 

The basic process is to offer payment to the creditor or debt collector on the condition that they delete their negative reporting.

If they accept, then you get the sought score imrovement.

Message 1 of 15
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

First of all, good for you for being proactive with this!

 


BMW_328i wrote: 

Will I see a significant bump in my FICO score?  I plan to payoff the CC and open a secured card.  


What would you consider significant? There's a lot of other stuff dragging down the score. But paying off the CC is a start! Even if you don't see a huge jump in score, it's still a move in the right direction.

 


@BMW_328i wrote:

Should I also pay the collections?


If you have the means, then yes. I know there are scenerios where some would counsel against it (and there's not enough info here to tell whether you're in one of those scenerios). But generally speaking, paying your creditors (assuming you have the means to do so) is the path to healthy credit.

 

Message 3 of 15
BMW_328i
New Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

In the short term, I'm will be purchasing a used car & didn't want the be within the sub-prime teir.  Given that, I want to increase my score by at leat 100 points within 90 days.  I had an old card with a small balance, however, it's currently showing "charged off" and isn't in collections.  So I will pay that off immediatly.  The score simulator estimates, on average, a 60 point jump.  If I also factor in my new credit card, hopefully that will bring me at least 570+.  Lastly, when my new card reports I'm hoping that jump will bridge the gap between high 500's to low 600's.

 

in the long term, I plan on paying all collection accounts per the requirements of most lenders.  I'm glad I found this site as it has great tools for taking control of my fiscal responsibilites.  

 

Thanks.

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 4 of 15
BMW_328i
New Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

Your statement is false in reference to my specific question.  If you are talking collections, you're right.  It's my understanding that paying them off has zero benefits.  I was hoping there may be a light increase to my score if I did pay them off.

 

This question at hand is does a payment of a charge off account along with opening a new CC equal a significant increase for a person in my situation.

 

Thanks for your input.

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 5 of 15
BMW_328i
New Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

I got a collection deleted via the dispute process.  I see that myFICO doesn't reflect that- is there a lag between Fair Issac & the CB?

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 6 of 15
iv
Valued Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection


@BMW_328i wrote:

I got a collection deleted via the dispute process.  I see that myFICO doesn't reflect that- is there a lag between Fair Issac & the CB?


Deletions aren't a trigger in the monitoring to update report/score...

 

You'll need to wait for another event (balance change, etc...) to cause a trigger, then the score will also update to reflect the deletion.

EQ8:850 TU8:850 EX8:850
EQ9:847 TU9:847 EX9:839
EQ5:797 TU4:807 EX2:813 - 2021-06-06
Message 7 of 15
BMW_328i
New Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

Paid my charged off and my deposit for Capital one.  Once CAP1 reports I will do a deposit for a BOA card.

 

So I think I should easily see 100 point bump for the following events:

 

1. Paid charged off not in collections

2. Opened two credit cards

3. Collections accounts deleted (at least one)

 

Is there anything else I could do for my unpaid colllections besides a PFD/GW?  I tried to call the EO at CAP1 to no avail- they transferred me to the Recovery Department.  Also, I do have 1 paid collection that is due to drop in October- would the CA be more willing to delete since it's almost seven years?

 

Lastly, in case your curious, as my username states, I have my eyes on a used 328i (~$20K) in the near term.  So I want to get the best rate possible (down payment will be ~$5K).  I also plan on purchasing a house within the next 1-2 years.  I wish I started this process a long time ago...

 

Thanks in advance.

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 8 of 15
BallBounces
Valued Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection


@BMW_328i wrote:

Paid my charged off and my deposit for Capital one.  Once CAP1 reports I will do a deposit for a BOA card.

 

So I think I should easily see 100 point bump for the following events:

 

1. Paid charged off not in collections

2. Opened two credit cards

3. Collections accounts deleted (at least one)

 

Is there anything else I could do for my unpaid colllections besides a PFD/GW?  I tried to call the EO at CAP1 to no avail- they transferred me to the Recovery Department.  Also, I do have 1 paid collection that is due to drop in October- would the CA be more willing to delete since it's almost seven years?

 

Lastly, in case your curious, as my username states, I have my eyes on a used 328i (~$20K) in the near term.  So I want to get the best rate possible (down payment will be ~$5K).  I also plan on purchasing a house within the next 1-2 years.  I wish I started this process a long time ago...

 

Thanks in advance.


Regarding the bold, since you did not provide enough information to make a more educated guess, I will just say, "no".  The collections accounts deletion will have a significant impact.  A paid charge off is still a charge off.   What does it look like in terms of missed payments prior to the charge off?   Regarding the notion of asking for goodwill on an account that is not paid, well that seems unlikely.  Regarding the Collection that is nearing 7 years, you could attempt to ask them to delete it.  You could also ask for an early exclusion if and when appropriate. 

FICO 8 Scores for April 2025:      

Do you know your SuperFICO?  
Message 9 of 15
BMW_328i
New Contributor

Re: Tradelines: Charge Off vs Collection

Thanks for your reply.  What information do I need to give?

Starting FICO 8s | 01/2020: EQ 495 ✦TU 471 ✦ EX 505
6Month FICO 8s | 06/2020: EQ 576 ✦ TU 533 ✦ EX 543
7Month FICO 8s | 07/2020: EQ 598 ✦ TU 530 ✦ EX 567
12Month FICO 8s | 01/2021: EQ 606 ✦ TU 589 ✦ EX 576
15Month FICO 8s | 04/2021: EQ 634 ✦ TU 613 ✦ EX 598
XXMonth FICO 8s | 07/2024: EQ 644 ✦ TU 684 ✦ EX 657
Message 10 of 15
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