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Collection ended up on credit report--help please!

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:24:39 -0800

Through no fault of my own (in brief: I was unconscious, but may have been unwarrantedly credulous later), a collection agency's action has become visible on my credit reports. How can I remove these? Here's the story: About a year ago, I was transported to a local hospital by ambulance. Fortunately, I pulled through well, and was discharged within hours with no sequelae.

The ambulance company ("Company A") took my particulars en route. I was in no condition to give my address, so they copied it off my driver's license. However, they failed to notice that I had updated the address on that document, and did not read the back of the card, where the update was. (I live in California, where this incident occurred, and there's a space on the back of my driver's license for just this purpose.)

It has been some time since my first California driver's license was issued, and so the forwarding service from my initial address had long since expired. Therefore, I never received any bill that they sent. Furthermore, as I was unconscious until I reached the hospital, I did not note the ambulance company's name and address (or, for that matter, anything else about the journey).

Fast forward to autumn 2009. I receive a letter from a collection service, stating that I have an unpaid bill to Company A, for emergency medical transportation! I had never received a bill for this, and having been incapacitated, wouldn't have known who to pay. I called the collection agency and told them about this, and they said I should send payment to the ambulance company, and gave me a "trip number" to mention. They also said that if I did so, there would be no complaint on my credit report. I sent payment and heard nothing more of it.

Fast forward once again to the present day. I have recently requested my credit reports, and have seen that all three have collection activity posted owing to this episode.

I am nuclear-pissed about this. While I am considering getting ACAB tattooed on my knuckles and telling people it means All Collectors Are Bastards, I'd readily settle for getting all mention of this out of all of my credit files.

I know I've done some stupid things here (admitting the debt, dealing with the collection agency via non-written means, not following up, maybe even more things), but can I fix this going forward, and if so, how?

Best way to pay debt collectors?

Loto — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:41:58 -0800

Now that I am able, I would like to pay the debts I have accrued over the past few years. When confronted with debt collectors, what is the best way to deal with them so that this positively impacts my credit report? Young and dumb, I didn't pay a number of bills that I should have when I was in school and just after I graduated. I would like to pay these off now. It isn't a huge sum of money, in total, but it is a black mark on my credit report. I've paid the original creditors when I've could but I have a number of debt collection agencies calling me about other debts. These are legitimate debts so I am not worried about that but with the horror stories I've heard about collection agencies I want to make sure that I do this right. It doesn't help that I have been ignoring the problem for a long time; in most cases I have never even spoken to these agencies.

When trying to pay a debt through a collection agency, how should I proceed? Should I request a bill in writing and then cut a check? Pay over the phone with a credit card? How do I ensure that the debts are marked as "paid" in my credit report?

Can I get someone else's credit report?

a22lamia — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:14:56 -0800

How do I legally get a copy of my ancestors credit report? An estranged relative died last year. I was the first member of my family to contact the county (in NY) about the death. They sent me all of my relative's bills including many credit card accounts in order for me to settle the estate under the small estate program. Shortly thereafter another relative decided he wanted to take care of the estate and I sent all of the paper work to him. Well he didn't end up taking care of it and now I've got certified letters from the county coming to me and have been warned that I'll be hearing from the funeral home soon regarding their bill.

I have all the information I need to settle the estate except the credit card information. I can't call the relative with it because it will start a new round of drama where he will promise to file and not do it again. How do I legally get a copy of the credit report?

Is it possible to improve my own credit report?

grablife365 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:47:09 -0800

Credit report question. Is it possible to add positive information to my report? My lender tried but was told a 3rd party can't do it. Does that mean that I can't? And is there anything I can do to raise my score quickly? I'm still dealing with a pay for delete with Verizon but in the meantime I'd like to see what else I can get going. My score right now is a 612 (though I thought it was 619 last checked) and I need to get my points raised quickly. I'm working with a downpayment program in Houston who does not require a minimum score. I figure it would be hard to find a lender who would work with me with this score so my best bet is to raise it somehow. Everything else lines up wonderfully and I'm running out of time to get into my own place before I have to be out of this one.

A loan officer I spoke with tried to get my car added on my credit but was told a 3rd party can't do it but beforehand she made it sound like it was possible. I'd like to try it for myself.

The situation may not make it likely though. The car dealership doesn't have the ability to report. They would have to have a certain amount of accounts open in order to be able to report (or so I'm told) so adding it myself is my only option. I'd like to know its possible but hearing no, it's not is better than wondering over it daily.

Also, what other ways can I improve my credit. I only really have two negatives on my credit and the main one is Verizon that I'm trying to pay off and get deleted and they aren't budging. I don't own credit cards, have been a member of a credit union for years if that helps, but I don't have much time at all, like not even 3 months. I pay monthly bills since December but they aren't in my name. I'm in a pretty stuck situation now with my credit and with the living situation but I would appreciate any answers as always.

Thanks.

Can I fix my credit history? Should I?

ocha-no-mizu — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:17:40 -0800

Botched online credit card applications: can I have them removed from my credit history since they were due to an unresponsive website, and does it really matter anyway? I tried to apply for an American Express credit card online, but the website was behaving badly and would be unresponsive for several minutes after I submitted the application. I tried several more times throughout the day, and on the 3rd or 4th attempt it finally gave me a response (more or less immediately). Since I've only been in the US for a few years, my credit score is apparently still too low, and I was denied.

Fair enough, that was not completely unexpected. The problem is that one of the reasons I was given for the denial was something like "too many credit applications in the past 12 months". Concerned that all of those earlier applications that got lost in the tubes actually made it to American Express, I called their customer service. Sure enough, they were all recorded and now 3 or 4 denied credit card applications will show up in my credit history. I was told unequivocally that American Express couldn't remove them from my history, despite the fact that most of them were due to their dodgy website.

Can I fight this? Should I fight this? Despite having a low credit score, I have already successfully applied for a car loan and a mortgage through my employer's credit union, so I don't have much need for a glowing credit history. I'm only interested in the credit card for the cash back benefits; I wouldn't be too upset if I never got a credit card. Is there any reason why I'd benefit from not having this string of denied credit card applications on my record?

I swear I'm not really a deadbeat

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:28:02 -0800

Should I disclose this stuff on my rental application? How far back do they check these things, anyway? I am looking for a new place to live, but I have a blip on my credit/rental history.

A few years ago, I sublet from a friend who broke the lease after I moved out. Many months later, long after I'd moved and forgotten about it, a credit agency contacted me about the situation and tried to get me to pay. I contested it last year and the debt was dropped.

I checked my credit on freecreditreport and my credit is above 760. The ding is still visible, however, and I'm worried about the details making future landlords nervous even though I make plenty of money and have a stable job.

The application I'm filling out right now says I must have 12 months of good credit/rental history and pass a criminal background check as well as verifying my income with pay stubs. However, it also says that if I falsify any part of the application or leave it incomplete that they will deny the application.

Below this are several boxes I am asked check, including "have you been sued for rent". This worries me; I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to share information that won't be an issue anyway.

So, my question is: Should I tell the landlord on my application, or say nothing? I have lived in the same place for three years with no problems; however, since the ding happened just before that and the credit report shows that the bad debt was dropped in 12/08, I'm not sure if I should mention it ahead of time or try to explain it later if and when it comes up.

I don't know if the ding will/could show up in my credit or rental history (or maybe both).

Everything else on my credit and rental history is spotless.

This is in Texas. Asking anonymously for obvious reasons, but can be contacted here: anonymousmefiquestion at the g mail.

Legit landlord or identity thief?

Asymptote — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:33:11 -0800

What personal info does my future landlord need from me to make sure I'm legit? How do I make sure he's legit? This is my first time renting an apartment. Before I sign the lease, the landlord wants (among other info) my social security number and a copy of my driver's license. He says he wants these to run my credit history and do a background check on me. Because my parents will be cosigners on the lease, he wants the same information from them.

Is this reasonable? Or am I just setting myself up for identity theft?

Furthermore, how should I go about checking him out? Is getting his background check and credit history a good idea?

Background:
The landlord lives in NY and the apartment is in CT. I have not yet met him in person, but we've talked over the phone. I've seen the apartment and met with the current residents, who say the landlord is great. I've done some preliminary web searches to check up on him, and he's almost certainly who he says he is.

Fannie Mae designation on credit report?

Sweetie Darling — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:41:54 -0800

Why does my credit report list our mortgage as a Fannie Mae account? As part of the kickoff to the Year Of Paying Cash And Not Screwing Up (yay), I pulled our credit reports from Equifax tonight. We've had a conventional, 30-year mortgage with GMAC (no PMI) since 2003. In the comments under our GMAC listing, it says "Fannie Mae account." Just curious, why would that be worth noting? I don't remember seeing it on prior reports, but maybe Fannie just wasn't on my radar screen before.

And on a side note, does anyone know what would happen to mortgagees if GMAC doesn't survive its restructuring?

(I think I felt better when I wasn't paying close attention to stuff like this.)

Can I make an effective dispute of my credit report?

b_thinky — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:31:01 -0800

A creditor and I disagree on the amount I owe. Not paying what they say I owe will negatively affect my credit. Do I have any options? I could write two pages on all the lies I've been told on the phone and all the times I've tried to use their website to make payments (for which I received email confirmations for) that weren't charged. As a result, this creditor is billing me for about $3000 interest which I shouldn't owe.

They will not budge and nor will I. I simply don't owe the money and won't pay it. Eventually, this will hurt my credit, which is my only concern at this point. My question is this: can I dispute their derogatory report of me, and will my dispute make any difference in my credit whatsoever?

My credit score is currently down to 700 because of some other negative reports earlier this year. Basically, I moved overseas and didn't pay off a power and phone bill which were mailed out after I left. I never knew about the bills until they went to collection and even though the total amount was just $300 my nearly perfect credit was dinged substantially.

I should note that I actually don't need any credit nor do I anticipate needing any for a few years. I live in Hong Kong, pay for everything with cash and don't need to buy a house, car, appliance or anything that requires credit. I make a substantial income and have access to a low interest margin account through my brokerage in case I need extra cash.

In a couple years, I'll move back to the USA and buy a house and a car, at which point this account could come into play. Does anyone have any advice on what to do or not to do here?

How do I dispute my credit report from overseas via online?

chrisinseoul — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:58:32 -0800

URGENT: How do I dispute my credit report? Difficulty: no (current) American address or phone number, and not currently in the USA. Background: Twentysomething English teacher in Seoul, South Korea. American citizen, but I've been in South Korea for 8 1/2 months.

Earlier today I decided to check out my credit report from annualcreditreport.com on a whim. I noticed SEVERAL credit lines I couldn't possibly have opened, what with being in South Korea and all. These have apparently progressed to the point where they are being 90 days past due or charged-off. I did not open these accounts, to say the least, and am certain I'll be looked at rather skeptically by some. I'm in South Korea, though - 7,000 miles away.

I should note that I experienced some fraudulent activity with my bank's debit card back in April and May. Through a lot of work with the bank (and more than a few expensive phone calls), we were able to cancel the old card, reverse the charges, and get a new debit card (where it's sat unused in a file cabinet for the last several months). I assumed that was the end of it... until now.. Through the credit report I have the names, addresses, and some phone numbers who I supposedly have accounts with. I have account numbers of accounts I don't have.

Is there a website where one can dispute AND MONITOR PROGRESS issues on their credit report online? So far I've researched csccredit.com (affiliated with equifax), but they can only send a report via mail to an American address. I *highly prefer* online (if worst comes to worst I'll have the report sent to my parents - a slow and highly inefficient process, at best).

I return to the states in about 3 1/2 months - and from the horror stories I've heard online, it may take every day of that to get back to good. Help, please.

Should I fix a credit report typo?

Jemstar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:00:38 -0800

Should I fix a minor typo on my credit report? My credit report contains a minor error in my personal information. An old address of mine is listed three times: two times with the correct house number and street name but slightly different street abbreviations (Cir and Crl for Circle--note I am not concerned about that discrepancy), and once with the wrong house number but correct street name. The numbers are the same but two digits have been switched. In all, the three addresses are (for example):
2402 Oak Cir,
2402 Oak Crl, and
2042 Oak Cir

I realize this is a very minor mistake, and it seems to me that anyone looking at it would assume that the last address is a typo. I know there is a procedure for fixing errors, but I would like to know if it is something I actually need to worry about. The typo has been in place for a few years and in the meantime I've had no trouble getting approval for a credit card and car loan. The reason I am hesitant to go through with challenging the mistake is that it sounds like a major pain: sending certified letters to all 3 reporting agencies, getting proof of the old address (I'm sure I could find something, but probably not until I go home to "2402 Oak Cir" this Christmas), and waiting a fairly long time before it would even be fixed.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and want to share your advice? Is it easier than I'm anticipating? I don't want to do anything that would potentially hurt my credit rating so I'm happy to fix this if it's important. Thanks in advance!

Help me fix my credit score.

desjardins — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:03:08 -0800

Should I dispute the adverse item on my credit report or just pay it off? Also, will a balance transfer help or hurt me? Last July I moved and closed my account with my old cable company. I returned the equipment and paid the balance. I got a notice saying I owed them $69 but I figured my check had crossed in the mail. I called them and the rep said my account was at $0. So, I forgot about it and ignored the mail they sent me. The cable company itself never called me to get the money. A collection company started leaving messages for me about a month after closing my account, but they didn't say for whom they worked and I never called them back. This company is also notorious for calling the wrong person and as they never said my name, I assumed they must be calling the wrong number. Now the $69 is on my credit report and I'm pissed because 1) I was never told it was going to collections and 2) I don't really owe them the money (unfortunately I have no proof of returning the equipment). I don't have the energy for a drawn-out battle with them - I just want it off my credit report. Should I just pay them or won't it matter?

Another thing hurting me on my score is that I have two credit cards that are maxed out. The interest rates are absolutely obnoxious (28% and 29%). The third one has a really high credit limit and a low balance, and it could easily accommodate the balances of the other two. The balance transfer rate is 9% and the fees would amount to $200. The rate is only good until May 2009 and there's NO WAY I will have them paid off by then, but then the rate just jumps to the normal APR of the card (25%) which is still better than the other two. I have had this card forever and only paid late once. I am likely to be adding another $5000 to the card soon because of the wedding/honeymoon (I'd still have room for the other two balances.) Should I do the balance transfer?

where do i get a credit report?

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:52:53 -0800

where do i get a credit report? wikipedia says annualcreditreport.com is the way to go, is this correct? do i have other options? p.s. this is anonymous because i'm in my late 20s and embarassed about not knowing how to do this at my age—i've never had a credit card and i've never taken out loans so i've never had to do this before!

My credit report, it makes no sense to me.

TomMelee — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:16:35 -0800

Help me understand my credit, please? Still working on fixing my credit so I can buy a house, but I'm confused about some things on my report. I've managed to get my score up 60 points in just a month or so, but I really need at least another hundred to be really happy.

Back story: I was in the Americorps, they didn't send on my forbearance papers to my student loan holders, I got defaulted. Whatever. All that's over with now as I've been paying out the ass to the collection companies to get them under good status now. Also, as a college undergrad, I had a couple credit cards that got away from me. I DID finally pay them all off though, and a couple of them I cancelled before they cancelled me. I currently have 0 credit cards.

A picture of my current debt looks like this:
Car payment
Insurance Payment
Student loan payments
And that's it.

The problem is that a lot of that derogatory stuff is remaining on there and I don't know what to do about it. Example: I got sick and went to the doctor, they didn't ask and nobody thought to update my address. They sent the unpaid balance to a place I didn't live. I got the collections letter and went down and paid it in person right away. It was seriously like $60.

So a picture of my derogatory account info:
There's one credit card still out there. It had a $200 limit and I totally signed up for online only billing circa 2000 and forgot about it. Now they're saying it's a $1100 account. Condition: derogatory

Another card: closed, current, 0 balance.

Another card: closed, current, 0 balance.

Another card (honestly I think it's' the same as the previous one, they're both Citibank cards and I only had 1): closed, current, 0 balance

Student loans still showing as derogatory because the collections people don't update until the 9 months of repayment are over. 2 accounts like this. What stinks is that Sallie Mae's on here AS are the collections accounts. Not only that, Sallie Mae AND their servicing company show up for the same accounts, plus the credit collection accounts. So let's see, 2 accounts valued at like $2500 total show up as 6 negative dings.

Car loan: open, current, ontime over minimum payments for 27 months in a row now.

Something, don't know what it was: closed, paid

Previous car loan: 36 on time payments, closed, paid

Then that medical thing, shows up as paid, but also as derogatory.

I know that's long, I apologize. My score's right under 600 right now, but I think if I can clear up some of the multi-accounts it'll shoot up. Are things like that $60 collection going to stay on there for the full 10 years? WTF?!

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Starting Off Negative

Phyltre — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:50:23 -0800

Someone opened a credit account in my name a few years back; it is now overdue. What do I do? A credit check has uncovered a credit card opened in my name in 2005. It is now over $3,000 overdue. The only person who could have done this is a close family member currently trying to overcome a heavy addiction (leaving little doubt as to the culprit.) Prosecution isn't really an option, and the family member is in no position to provide this money. I plan to confront said family member very soon, but I know that they will be unable to do anything and very well may not remember making the charges.

So what can I do? I have $25,000 in student loans to chew through and I'm barely making $600 a month right now; I'm hardly in a position to pay someone else's debt. And I need to build my credit, which is a pointless exercise with that card sitting on my report. Do I have options?

Wicked Stepmother Trashing my Good Name

almostmanda — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:06:51 -0800

The financial problems of someone who shared my name and former address are showing up on my credit report! How do I even begin to go about disputing this, should the credit agency's investigation not go in my favor? My father, who I am on shakey terms with, remarried a couple of years ago, to a woman who shares my first name and middle initial. So now we share a first name, middle initial, and last name. They've since divorced, but in the time that she was there and occupying my old address, she's managed to rack up a loan, a credit card, and a bunch of medical bills that Transunion seems to think are mine, and hasn't paid off a one of them. They've gone to collections. My Equifax and Experian reports are correct and show only good accounts (two credit cards without balances, a consolidated student loan, a private student loan--I've tried to take care of my credit).

I've disputed these accounts through Transunion and am waiting for them to investigate. In the meantime, though, what can I do to prepare for dealing with this? Since I gave Transunion my current address, I'm worried that her collectors are going to start hassling me. I don't know if this is a mistake on Transunion's part, or if this woman is opening lines of credit with my SSN--she's not exactly of high moral character.

My question is, how do I go about proving I'm not her, when we share a name and past address? Would all of these accounts have required a SSN number to open, and is there any way I can find out if she has used hers or mine? If she didn't open them with my number, the dispute should clear that up, but what actions do I take if she has been opening accounts with my information?

How to Grow Good Credit in 2008

cockwaffle — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:10:32 -0800

Help me design the Best Possible Plan For My Credit in 2008. Ten years ago I had no cash, and terrible credit. Today I have some cash, and no credit. I want to make some good choices next year, based on a well-considered strategy. I should start by saying that I know this is a very nice problem to have. It's taken a long time to get here and I want to proceed wisely.

Back then: After getting into some minor credit card trouble in college ( lss than $2000), I argued some of the debts, settled the others, and never again looked twice at a credit card. But, I wasn't spotless; I still had hit-or-miss records on my student loans, and the assorted unpaid utility bills and bank overdrafts. There was a lot of robbing Peter to pay Paul back then, so any tiny surplus went to groceries, rent. Any time I could get a bit of a leg up, I'd improve my track record a bit, and by sticking to a cash-only policy, I stayed out of trouble. Fast forward to today: Recently married; partner had similar hit-or-miss past (sans the student loans), but no major credit stuff. Both happily employed with plenty of surplus, and making enough that we are both paying off debts here, socking away savings and retirement there. The one car is paid off; no mortgage. So, I've paid off all my old debts and claims, but there's no new good news to take its place. My FICO: TransUnion: 670, Equifax: 660. No Experian, because there's not been enough recent activity. I literally have nothing establishing credit in my name, save my debit cards / bank accounts.
The future:
- At some point in 2008, we need a second car; researching, I checked with my bank and they can't offer rates better than whatever dealership we'd go through. We don't care whose name the car is in since legally, it's all the same pile anyway.
- A mortgage won't be on the horizon till this sub-prime thing blows over, as we are in a market that's been hit especially hard; besides, we don't have that down payment saved. Still, I want to be mindful of that on the horizon, say 2009 or 2010.
- I would rather not get a store card (it seems like inviting trouble to create a purchasing tool that requires me to acquire stuff we might not need, in order to establish credit)
- And, a gas card won't be much help either (we don't drive that much)
- I would like a general credit card, that I would pay off every month. It would be for small daily purchases; the big tickets would only be travel, or the odd time where one needs to pay $500 or $1000 for something up front (medical, plumbing emergency, etc.). Bigger purchases might get paid off every two months.
- I have frequent opportunities to make fairly high dollar purchases for my company, which are reimbursed on time. I've refused to float those expenses out of pocket, to date, but it seems like putting them on my credit card could be an easy way to pay off an even higher balance promptly.

I want to proceed practically and with care, and in the order that will create the best effect, fastest.

Should I get the credit card before applying for the car loan? Should I postpone the car until after the credit boost that the (eventual, unplanned) mortgage will give... even if that will harm our quality of life for two or three years? Should I get a store card even if I don't want one? Should I definitely apply for a credit card that my bank offers, before any other lender, since they know me? I really would rather not get a secured credit card if I don't have to; will my FICO require it? Should I try to boost my FICO before I even consider applying for credit?

Tell me what to do, and why you think so. Or tell me of your own experiences and what seemed to work well. Or of websites, books, financial gurus we should check out. Or of glaring considerations I might have missed. I know you might not be an accountant, credit counselor or financial advisor, but we don't intend to hire one of those anyway. Our plan is to inform ourselves as much as possible, and then weigh it all and decide what makes the most sense.

Paying money I don't necessarily have, to people I don't really owe, for reasons I don't fully understand.

prophetsearcher — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:51:47 -0800

Succumbing to Extortion Filter: How should I pay back a debt I don't really owe, to a collection agency that's been hounding me for years, to make sure it doesn't appear on my record? More inside. This is a follow-up to my first askme ever. has it been that long? I've been disputing an illegitimate pair of debt collections for nearly the past three years, and it's been a rotten experience, as would be expected. After having these debts on my credit reports, (successfully) fighting to have them removed, having them REappear on some of my credit reports, again having them removed, I'm about ready to give up.

People wiser than me have pointed out that the entire sum is about $320, and I should just suck it up. I've argued that besides the principle of the thing, there is also the fact that even once it's paid, it will stay on my report for seven years, and I'd rather avoid that.

In the mean time, my friends the collection agents have confused me with my brother, and started going after him. Not knowing any better, he gave them his address, and now my credit reports have HIS address on them. They've threatened his credit, but it's unclear if they meant him or me, or if they *really* know who he is enough to wreck his credit. I've instructed him not to communicate with them any further.

At the moment, there is no record of the debts on my records, except for some minor detritus of my dispute on one of them. So, I figure it makes sense to seize the opportunity, and pay the damn thing. I've already spent more than this amount in time and tears trying to make it go away.

I've read that I shouldn't pay by check, as that just provides them with more of my personal finance information. actually, since i'm out of the country, it would be my mom's check, and I certainly don't want them to have any more family member's information. . So my plan is:
* Pay by money order
* Send it via fedex, so I can prove their receipt (easier for us than certified mail, though obviously more expensive).
* Include a letter.

And here's the question:
I've been advised about this letter thing, and I'm looking for help with crafting it. Basically, the advice from a lawyer (fwiw), was to write that I protest my liability for the debts, and by them cashing the money order, they relieve me of all debts, and agree to ensure that no record of these illegitimate debts appear on any credit report.

How should this be phrased? Should I threaten a lawsuit if it does appear on my record? What other steps should I be taking to make this all go away as simply and painlessly (ha. ha.) as possible?
at this point, we're hoping to avoid fighting it, since the sum is (relatively) small, I'm abroad, and we'd rather it just go away

What does a credit approval today say about my formerly-bad credit?

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:32:37 -0800

What does it indicate about my formerly-bad credit that I could be accepted today for a regular contract by a cell phone company? How can I tell when it's the right time to apply for a credit card again? I've been repairing my credit for a while now, so this is the first time I've applied for a credit-check-based account in a couple of years. I was approved and I'm excited about that, but I'm wondering what it indicates about how my credit is now. Could cell phone companies be called less picky, more picky or about as picky as other places that check credit, like a credit card company or a landlord? Or is that so much of a generalization that I really can't predict anything?

If it matters, my new phone is with T-Mobile and they said my credit indicates I could have up to three phone lines with them (don't know if that's average, low, or high number for them).

I have a few months before I can request any of my free annual credit reports again, so other than those, what other ways could I check up on my credit?

I know it would be useful to hold a credit card, charging only things I can repay immediately, to further establish good credit. (Last credit card I had was 9 years ago, in college, and I flunked on that one; its balance turned into a chargeoff.) If I should apply now for a credit card, can I pick any kind? I was thinking about one with a points system that rewards something I naturally do (one example is the Amazon card which rewards Amazon buying most).

Background check shows false info?

anthropomorphic — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:36:12 -0800

New employer has done a background check - returns addresses I've never lived at? All the info I have from the company at the moment is that the address has shown up on my social security number. I've checked my free credit report and I don't see anything out of the ordinary. What's going on? What do I do about it?

How can I cancel credit cards when I don't know the account number?

david1230 — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:27:13 -0800

How can my girlfriend cancel credit cards when she doesn't know the account numbers? My girlfriend just got her free credit report and found credit cards on the report that she never opened. There are 4 or 5, they all have $0 balances, and they're all still open. The report has issuer's name and an obfuscated number. How can she cancel these cards?

My tax returns are being sucked up by unpaid Stafford Loans that have long disappeared from my credit report. If I offer to pay the whole thing off, what can I expect?

ValveAnnex — Thu, 17 May 2007 18:24:26 -0800

Repaying Stafford college loans that disappeared from my credit report (due to age), but still collect all tax refunds - what kind of hit might I expect on my credit, reactivating the account by a full-payoff? More importantly, what kind of deal can I propose to avoid all the interest? Anyone have experience with this? I've completely blown these people off, so I'd be popping up, after over ten years, offering to close the account. I received an offer about two years ago to repay half of the entire debt to completely close it out. Considering the amount of interest over the years (over 15 years of interest has accrued), I'm afraid if I offer to pay it off, they'll want WAY more cash than I can pay.

My goal is to get debt out of my life, even debt that has disappeared from my credit report. But I don't want to go through more and more years of bad credit due to reactivating this account with activity.

I don't want to continue to lose my tax refunds to this account, which can sometimes be over $5,000/yr. What should I do?

I am not my own grandpa, Experian!

aristan — Thu, 10 May 2007 23:10:45 -0800

My father, grandfather, and I all have the first and last names, with only different middle names to distinguish us, no suffixes. How do I go about untangling our credit reports? Because of the way information is reported to credit unions, you'd think we were the same person with more addresses and aliases than a Bond villain!

I checked my credit report today and was a little leery when all three agencies asked me about my mortgage. Since I don't have a mortgage I knew right away we were going to have problems.

- Equifax has everything basically right for me, other than having an old address and the employer I was with in 2000. They only list a single recent positive account for me.

- Transunion pitched a hissy and won't let me see the report online because I refused to tell them all about my mortgage. As I am not privy to my parent's financial history, I have no idea who it is with or how long the terms are. If I want a Transunion report, I have to write for it.

- Experian is totally fubar and has the following:
* Dad's birthyear instead of mine
* two negative accounts of Dad's
* one negative account that doesn't provide remotely enough information for me to figure who the hell it belongs to.
* one positive account of Dad's
* two accounts of mine, one negative and one positive, both recent.
* Every permutation of my dad's name, my name, and my grandfather's name.
* Dad's social security information listed as an "alternative" to my own.
* Information on my parent's mortgage.

It bothers me that Experian gave me so much information on my parent's credit, even though when answering the questions to prove my identity I didn't even try to answer things related to their mortgage.

I'll pay, I swear. Just don't hurt my FICO!

Turd Ferguson — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:23:15 -0800

Is there any way to stop a $50 collection action from dinging my credit rating? A few months ago, I went to the emergency room. My insurance has a $50 copay for such things. Somehow, despite the fact that all my other, much larger, bills are paid on time every month, this one managed to slip by to the point where I just got a letter from a collection agency. Apart from being slightly mortified, I'm concerned about my credit rating, which is currently quite good.

I'm wondering what the best course of action is here. I have 30 days to write to the collection agency and dispute the collection. Can I find an old copy of the bill & pay it directly to the hospital, then dispute the collection? Or should I pay the agency quickly? Or something else?

The hospital did take my SSN, and my girlfriend has a collection action on her credit report for about the same amount, so I know they can ding me if so inclined. It's absolutely not a matter of being able to pay the bill -- just credit damage control.

Help save our credit!

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:01:07 -0800

Help us save our credit! We're not sure why, but our mortgage company started returning our automatic bank payments a few months ago. We were abroad for some of that time, and didn't realize this was happening. All of a sudden, we're in foreclosure. We have the money (since they sent it all back) and are trying to get the company to reinstate the loan. But our biggest concern is our credit.

So far our credit report only reflects past due payments, not the foreclosure. How can we protect our credit and remedy whatever damage has already been done?