rudy2008 wrote:
fico score on 619
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1600 in unpaid debt in collections
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some bad credit card payment history from 7 years ago
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a judgement on rent from an apt 3 years ago which i am disputing
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i now have a car loan and just got a new credit card
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will have the judgement on my record settled out by nov
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what else can i do to raise my credit score up 50-60 points in a year?
Just paying collections will NOT improve your score. If these collections are from 7 years ago, then you need to call the CRAs and inquire as to the DOFD. Sounds like some of the debt is too old to report, and you should dispute it as "too old to report". If it is too old, and you haven't been making payments on it, then they likely can't sue and can't report. Do you know the SOL?
What's the balance, CL and APR on the one CC you have? Is that your only open CC?
Adding more CCs establishes additional good credit. Is there an AMEX default in your past, ever? IS there a BK in the last 7 years? If no and no, apply for an AMEX Green, Delta and Hilton. Barclays is another one to consider. FCUs are also generally quite generous. See the Friendly CC thread in my sig.
Never be late on anything.