Improve Credit Rating1

First let's start off by analyzing what "past due" is. Past due to you can mean anything past the due date. To your creditors it can mean the same thing. By being past due a day or a week can mean a hike in your interest rate. But to the credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion), if you are less than 30 days late, they do not care. They only care about accounts that have been more than 30 days past due. Anything under 30 days is considered on time in their eyes.

So now that you know what a "past due" item is in the eyes of the credit bureaus, you can do things to fix it. By far the most effective way to get rid of a past due item is to write to the credit bureaus. I don't know the exact percentages, but all I know is that a lot of people have gotten their late items dropped from their credit reports just by writing in to all three credit bureaus. When writing in, the credit bureaus have exactly 30 days to examine and investigate your claim. If they do not, then they have to drop it from your credit report, pursuant of the FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Act. So when you are writing in, make the dispute very short and simple. Give them your basic info such as SSN, Name, and account number of the item in question. Then you can just write one little paragraph about the late item and tell them why it is wrong. This should not be more than a few sentences. Once you are done, send it off and away and wait for their reply. My first time trying this, two of the three credit bureaus removed my late item and the third one removed it after my second try.

You have to remember, if it doesn't work the first time, you have to try again. But make sure you use different reasoning for each time you try though or else they will dismiss your claim as frivolous

There you have it. It is as simple as that if you want to erase late items from your credit report. For items such as collections and charge-offs it may take a little more work but this method can work in those instances also.

There you have it. It is as simple as that if you want to erase late items from your credit report. For items such as collections and charge-offs it may take a little more work but this method can work in those instances also. Once you delete the late items, it is important to continue to keep your credit clean and clear. If you keep getting in the same cycle and having to keep sending in dispute letters you will no doubt be on their radar and the dispute letters will no longer be effective.