Tony Banks asked:




The truth of the matter is that repairing your credit can take some time but its surely not impossible, it takes time for a few reasons. If you discover that there are errors on your credit report or you want to challenge certain entries, the dialog via mail that you have with the credit bureaus will take at least a couple of weeks before you know the final outcome.

Especially if the credit bureau has to contact a third party creditor for information. The good thing about this is that they have a specific amount of time to do this by law. Once that time frame is up, they have to delete the item in question from your credit report. It is important that you understand the credit laws so that you know when they are in violation.

Once you begin the process, you can expect to start seeing results within a couple of weeks. You want to pull an updated version of your report often during the process to make sure all necessary corrections are being made.

Each of the credit bureaus will also send you a letter letting you know of any chances, additions or deleted items from your credit file. Also keep in mind that you have 3 credit reports from the 3 main credit bureaus. (Equifax, Transunion & Experian)

Each bureau operates independently of the other and their corresponding times will be different when dealing with each one. Keep in mind that each of your reports from the three bureaus can possibly have different information, it’s a good idea to work on all three at the same time.

Katherine

Duwayne Mcclendon asked:




When you are repairing you want to make sure all information is correct and there are no duplicate items on your credit report. I had noticed an old HSBC Tax Advance showing on my report twice, one was listed as being current with a $0 balance and the other had a balance of $441 and 120 days late! I had seen this on my report and at first was just going to wait it out until the 120 day late listing was updated to current with hopes my score would be higher with two accounts listed as current.

Today my patience got the best of me, I called Transunion which was the listing agency for the duplicate accounts and requested a deletion. At first the operator said “ok sir I will place the duplicate account for dispute,” I immediately told him I did not want to place a dispute but for him to delete the duplicate listing now. It was in my favor that both accounts had the same account number and that the 120 day listing was updated 11/2007 and the current listing was showing updated 12/2007.

After about 5 minutes the representative for Transunion confirmed the duplicate listing had been removed and if I needed any more assistance. I kindly thanked the representative of Transunion and proceeded to complete my daily credit pull from TrueCredit. WOO HOO! Account deleted and my score jumped 14 points!

When you are repairing your credit be persistent and make sure you have all your facts regarding the accounts when you call or write any of the three credit bureau (Equifax, Experian, Transunion). You have to legitimately prove the account is reporting improperly for the credit bureau to remove the listing for them to remove it.

Anne

Conleth Onu asked:




Is bad credit ruining your life? Have you been denied credit because of negative information on your credit report? Do you want to learn how to make a good credit report instantly? If you answered yes to the above questions, you’re in the right place.

Having a bad credit record will make your life difficult in many situations. Nothing can slow you down faster financially than negative information contained in a credit bureau file. Sometimes, the information is true, other times it is deceiving or even totally wrong. What can you do if you believe that you have been turned down for credit because of inaccurate or outdated information?

There are some steps that you can take, to get rid of blemishes on your report. Your first step should be to get your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. You can get a free copy of your report one time a year, and you can also obtain one at no charge if you have been denied credit within the past 60 days.

Once you have obtained your report, examine it carefully. Make sure that all information is being reported correctly. If you find any incorrect information in your report, you can dispute it with the credit bureau.

Send a letter to the credit bureau explaining your dispute. When filing a dispute, tell the credit bureau what information you believe is incorrect and the reason why. Include any documentation that would help support your claim.

By law the credit bureaus are required to delete negative items from credit reports whenever a particular item reaches a certain age. Also, inaccuarate or unverifiable information must be deleted from credit files.

If there are accounts on your report that need to be settled, you can negotiate with the creditors. Be sure to have the creditor sign and date the settlement proposal and return it to you, before you pay them.

Once you have finished eliminating negatives from credit report, and have a clean clear credit report, it’s time to add positive information on your report.

A secured credit card can help you build good credit. It looks and works like any other major credit card. Secured Visa and Mastercard are issued against your depositing cash in a financial institution. That deposit serves as a collateral for the credit card. If you maintain a good account, your excellent credit rating will be recorded on your report.

Another effective way to add positive credit information to your credit file is to take out a small installment loan from a bank and pay it back promptly.

You can also build good credit by getting Department Store and Gas Company credit cards. By having your very own major credit card, you can qualify for instant credit at many department stores and gas stations.

Once you have established a good credit rating, you will be eligible for loans, credit cards, and other items of credit.

Rodney

Ashley asked:


I am 20 years old, and pulled my credit report about 3 months ago. I found three collection accounts on my credit report.

I first disputed the accounts with the credit bureaus, who all verified the accounts. These accounts are not mine, I know they are not mine, for a business in a state I have never been to.

My next step was to send the collection agencies a certified letter requesting validation of debt, that was over 2 months ago, no response from any of them.

I was doing research on Y/A and found out that now I should dispute the accounts with the credit bureaus again and send certified mail with copies of validate letters, that they failed to answer OR I should contact the credit bureaus for something called Method of Validation.

My question is can anyone help me with a sample letter or tell me how to word a letter to the credit bureaus saying they should delete the accounts because the collectors did not validate. I am not good at writing letters, I feel inadequate.

Also should I list all three accounts on one letter to each bureau?

Glen