How To Delete Bad Credit From Your Credit Report

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Removing Negative Credit

The following tips will help correct your credit and it should be done with all Credit Bureaus.

I have personally used these methods and had much success removing negative items,collection accounts that were not mine and removing errors contained in my credit report.

You are legally able to obtain a FREE credit report every 12 months by calling each Credit Bureau. If you were turned down for credit, you can request a copy of your credit report  and have the company that declined you outline why you were turned down for credit.

I will show you ways of removing negative items from your credit file. These methods are sometimes referred to as "Credit Repair".

These are the exact same methods credit repair clinics and attorneys charge up to $3,500 or more to perform. Since they don't always do it correctly, people have been taken for millions of dollars over the past years.

You can outsmart creditors who are damaging your credit!



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Credit Bureaus 

Equifax
Equifax compiles credit reporting data from many sources and creates a credit file that reflects your personal credit history including your FICO? score. Now you can view your credit report online enabling you to monitor your credit and monitor your score while protecting yourself from identity
Experian | Free Credit Report and Credit Score | Check Your Online Credit Report Today.
Experian offers a free credit report and free credit score. Check your credit history online today and find out your credit score. Monitor your credit report and credit score online using Experian's Credit Manager service.
TransUnion
TransUnion Credit Reporting

You Can Delete Negative Items 

Learn how I deleted 7 negatives in one day!

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Staying on top of your credit report allows you to protect yourself from identity theft, incorrect bills and a misrepresentation of your credit history.

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What the Credit Bureaus Don't Tell You 

1. Each item on your credit report must be proven or it cannot remain in the report. If the credit bureau cannot verify the item when investigated, it must be removed from your file whether or not it's true.

2. Every negative entry on your report can be denied or challenged at any time. The bureau must reinvestigate and if that item cannot be verified within a "reasonable amount of time", it must be removed from the file.

3. Items when challenged can be mistakenly erased. Consumers say they often experience computer operator mistakes.

4. Many times the creditor does not re-verify in time or the credit bureau is busy and does not handle your dispute properly. It must then be deleted.

5. The older an item, the more difficult re-verification is. It is possible it cannot be verified because records may no longer exist after 1 or 2 years.

Steps to Repair Your Credit 

1. Obtain your three credit reports.

2. Review the reports and locate the negative items.

3. Dispute the negative items with the credit bureaus.

4. Disputed items are removed or corrected. Items that were not re-verified are removed.

5. Negotiate with creditors and collection companies.

6. After negotiating and making payment, creditors delete the negative accounts or change them to a positive rating.

7. State the item you are disputing, but do not use dispute forms or file numbers provided by the bureau. This will cause fewer delays by the credit bureau asking for clarification.

8. Do not confirm the account if any information about the item is wrong.

9. Do not use letterhead (you don't want to raise any Red Flags).

10. Do not photocopy a fill in the blanks form letter (another Red Flag).

11. Send disputes during busy times of the year. For Example: The first to middle of November can cause a delay in verification because of the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush for the creditor and the bureau can catch them before they can thoroughly investigate within a reasonable time.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act 

All Federal Laws are in the consumer's favor. This means you have the advantage. The specific law used here is the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

One part of this law states: When you dispute any information contained on your credit file, the Credit Bureau must verify the accuracy of the information with the creditor who reported the information within 30 days. If they are unable to verify the information within 30 days, it must be removed.

Congress passed The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) because they felt we all deserve a second chance. This act gives you the right to correct, update, amend and tell your side of what happened to the credit community. These laws do not work though unless you initiate and use them. A copy of the FCRA is included in the Appendix for your review.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets certain guidelines which credit bureaus and your creditors must follow when reporting your credit file, as well as giving the consumer certain rights.

All of this brings us to the task of working on your credit reports. Begin by getting defensive about your credit report. Remember that these credit reporting bureaus are just private companies selling information about you and are not your friends. You never authorized your creditors to sell this information and you are not sharing in the profits they and the credit bureaus are making.

Your Six Basic Rights 

1. You have the right to challenge the accuracy of your credit report any time.

2. The credit bureaus must reinvestigate anything you challenge without a charge.

3. The credit bureaus must reinvestigate within a reasonable amount of time. 30 days constitutes a "reasonable amount of time" unless the bureau notifies you otherwise (so keep accurate records).

4. If the credit bureau finds an error in the challenged item, they must delete or correct that information in your files immediately.

5. If the credit bureaus cannot or do not confirm the challenged item within 30 days, they must delete that information from your files immediately.

6. You have the right to submit a Consumer Statement of your view of the problem. If you, as a credit consumer, dispute the accuracy of certain information in your credit report and it is verified by the creditor as correct, then the credit bureau is required to include your explanation of your dispute, if you request, in your credit report. Limit your explanation to no more than 100 words.

Important: You do not want any other company to file a dispute for you because if the dispute is sent from anyone other than you, the credit bureau will suspect that you have paid someone to repair your credit and this will not work as well as it could have if you sent it directly.

Be Persistant 

The Credit Bureaus did not lend you money, so they're not as concerned as you if the information they have is correct or not. They are only paid to store the information.

People working on their credit reports say many times their letters are ignored by the credit bureaus. It's believed the credit bureaus try to discourage people from working on the reports by making it difficult. People have said even with proof an item is not theirs, its removal from their report can take three or four challenge letters. When the credit bureaus say they have verified or confirmed an item, it seems all they have done is verified it is in their computers. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH PROOF!!! They need to provide greater proof.

Sending your dispute letter by CERTIFIED RETURN RECEIPT MAIL increases your chance of a response. This should not be done with the first attempt. Keep a record of when you sent the dispute letters and what date you should expect a response. If you have received no answer to your dispute after 30 to 37 days, attack the credit bureau with a certified return receipt letter, for an updated credit report demanding the disputed items be deleted. If the bureaus do not reply within the 30 days, it must be that the information was either inaccurate, or it could not be verified. In either case, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the items must be immediately deleted.

People have found it possible to eliminate negative marks on credit reports simply by going through this process of disputing items over and over again. Since many creditors won't take the time to defend the negative item, eventually you can "repair" your credit through default by your creditor not responding to the credit bureaus request to verify the item. This commonly occurs. The creditors do not always have time to deal with a bothersome piece of paperwork and that is your advantage.

When you get the updated report carefully review it to see if you have lost the negative items and to see if anything else has changed. Consumers working on their credit report have found while disputing one negative item, for no apparent reason, another negative item or two disappeared. Usually some progress is made each time you challenge, but do not get discouraged if you don't get results each time. Remember, the credit bureau would like you to quit bothering them because if you aren't disputing the report, they can legally continue selling it as profitable information.

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Repeat the Process 

Patience and persistence are important keys

After you have received your response, repeat the process all over again. People who have successfully cleaned their credit report say that they have denied a bankruptcy or judgment and have received verification from the credit bureau that it was in public record. They denied a second time and some even a third time, and finally the credit bureau deleted the bankruptcy from the report. So do not get discouraged! Patience and persistence are important keys to incredible success in repairing a damaged credit report.

The creditors who reported the items to the bureaus must be the ones to provide information to verify the dispute. These creditors do not always have the staff and proper records to verify all disputes within 30 days to keep the item from being removed. So you can see how possible it is to remove negative information from your credit file.

How well will this work for you? The only way is to try.

Easier Items To Dispute And Have Removed 

Easier Items To Dispute And Have Removed:

*Item is older than 2 years
*Discharged bankruptcies
*Charge-offs
*Inquiries
*Repossessions
*Late payments
*Accounts that were late but are now paid off

The reason these items are easier to remove is simple; when you dispute an older account or an item that is now charged off, the creditor is not too concerned with the account any more. They may not even be able to find the necessary information to verify the dispute. Even if the account was once seriously past due, but now is paid off, they usually will not take the time to verify the dispute since they have already been paid.

More Difficult Items To Dispute And Have Removed 

More Difficult Items To Dispute And Have Removed

*Accounts that are currently past due
*Recent Bankruptcies
*Judgments
*IRS or State Tax Liens
*Current collection accounts

These are more difficult because creditors keep these types of accounts in their current files and they are expecting you to pay them. That's why it will be much easier for them to verify the information and keep the item on your credit file. However, it is always worth a try.

Important: It is completely legal for you to dispute items on your credit file even if you know they are correct. You are simply testing to see if your creditors have maintained the proper records to verify the dispute. You have a very bad memory and forgot that the negative accounts on your credit file are really yours.

Federal Laws require that the Credit Bureaus verify all disputes. If they are unable to verify your dispute, the law says it must be removed from your file.

How To Dispute Items 

To dispute a negative item on your credit file you need to first identify the negative items that you want removed.

DO NOT complete the Dispute Forms that the Credit Bureaus included with copies of your credit file that they sent you. It's much more effective to write letters as we've presented.

Be sure to include a copy of your credit file and keep the original for your records. Highlight or underline the items you are disputing. Mail the dispute forms to the address listed on each credit file.

To dispute an inquiry, simply write that you never applied for credit with that company.

Make a photocopy of your dispute letter for your records and be sure to send it by Certified and Return Receipt Mail from your local Post Office. Mail your dispute form to the address provided with your credit file. Repeat the above process for each item that you want removed or changed.

This technique is extremely effective in removing any negative information that was supposedly verified as correct after your dispute.

Important: Always remember that if the dispute is sent in from anyone other than you, the Credit Bureau will suspect that you have paid someone to repair your credit. This raises all sorts of Red Flags. Since they make so many mistakes it is imperative that they believe you are working alone and trying to fix a real legitimate mistake.

If there is a negative item that you want removed from your credit, such as a bankruptcy, charge off or collection account, you may want to write that this is NOT your account and you want it removed immediately.

If the account is now paid off, but was seriously past due at one time, DO NOT write that it's not your account. Instead, write that it is your account but was NEVER past due and you need it updated to say that everything has always been current.

If the Credit Bureaus were able to verify any disputed information as correct, it would remain on your credit file. So you'll need to contact the creditor who is reporting the information. The creditor who reported the item is listed on the left or bottom of your credit file. If their phone number is not provided, call directory assistance in their city and ask for the creditor's telephone number. Call and ask them to mail you written proof and documentation that this is actually your account, since you do not believe the account belongs to you.

REMEMBER 

Almost all creditors and collection agencies use computers to store information about debtors and they throw out original, signed contracts along with other original documents. This makes it easy for creditors to store and organize information BUT makes it impossible to actually prove the account is really yours and not just another mistake.

Federal Law requires that upon your request, all creditors must show you written proof that the account in question is in fact yours. Written proof is a copy of the contract you signed with the original creditor. You are stored on the creditor's computer and chances are excellent that they have thrown out all the proof that this is your account.

The only creditors that may have proof are the courts (Recent Bankruptcies, Unpaid Tax Liens, Unpaid Judgments & Unpaid Child Support)

Again, all Federal Laws are in your favor. If you say an account is not yours and the creditor does not have written proof that the account belongs to you, they must remove the account from your credit file and cease all collection activity.

Important 

Only allow a creditor 7 days to get the proof into your mail box (3 days to find it and 4 days for the mail). If it takes any longer they probably do not have proof and you should start taking action by
Contacting the Attorney General's Office in the city of the creditor who is damaging your credit. Get the phone number through directory assistance. Tell them that you have a creditor who is damaging your credit by reporting an account that is not yours. You have requested proof that the account belongs to you and they do not have it. They will contact the creditor and have the account removed from your credit file. This is free legal service and almost guarantees they will get the item removed.

If the creditor does supply you with all the written proof that the account belongs to you
offer to settle the debt for 10 cents on the dollar provided that you have the money. If you owe $1,000, offer the creditor $100. If they refuse, tell them that you will file Bankruptcy and they will get nothing. This will certainly open them up to negotiating with you. Whatever you agree to pay them, it should be a lot less than you originally owed them. Do not agree to pay interest charges or penalties on past due or collection accounts.

If you don't have the money to make payment arrangements,Remember that the laws are in your favor and you are legally allowed by Federal Law to dispute the negative items on your credit file every 30 days. You are allowed to repeat this process as many times as you wish until the Credit Bureaus cannot verify the item and must remove it. As you already know, the creditors do not have the staff to handle all the disputes they receive, so if you persist, eventually the items may be removed.

Important: If you agree to make payment arrangements with any creditor, do so only under one condition. The one condition is that before you pay any money, the creditor must mail you a written agreement that they will report the account to the Credit Bureaus as current, paid off and never late! Otherwise, it may still remain on your credit file and may not be worth paying.

Know Your Rights 

Sometimes the Credit Bureaus may reply telling you that they already verified the information as correct. If this happens, write back telling them that it's a Federal Law that they must verify your disputes and that you'll sue them for $5,000 for each dispute that they do not handle properly. Once they know that you are aware of your rights, they'll become very cooperative.

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Reader Feedback 

Lensmaster

Allan wrote

hi thanks for the great advice. i just had two concerns.

1. Does it matter how recent the negative are? I haven't had a job since July and so I missed all my credit card payments and now I have 7 closed accounts on my account. They all closed within the past 2 months.

2. Should I send a separate dispute letter for each dispute I file to each of the credit bureau's? Or can I send one dispute letter and highlight the items I want to dispute. Would that be to obvious?

Reply Posted November 12, 2008

ACAssociates wrote...

in reply to dadwani Hello dadwani, Thank you for visiting. Could you tell me how long has the repo and foreclosure been on your credit report? one year? two? Regarding the other items, follow what is written here within this page. Remember: the credit bureaus must validate each item you are disputing. If they cannot, it must be removed. Are the other items you mentioned rather recent? You can also purchase the booklet that I have advertised on here( 37 days to clean credit). This man also gives you step by step instruction to remove items that are negatively affecting your credit. I have only received positive responses from this lens and those who purchased his e-book.
If I can be of more help, please contact me.

ReplyPosted November 02, 2008

Lensmaster

dadwani wrote

I have a repo and a foreclosure on my credit along with alot of late payments, inquires, and charge-offs. What would be the reason to dispute these things, like do i say that its ot my account or do i say that i've already paid the creditor? please help.

Reply Posted October 26, 2008

ACAssociates wrote...

Ali,
Sorry for this late reply, but have you told the collection agency to remove the item from your credit report? If not, I would call them (follow up with a written request) & demand it. Also notify the credit bureaus of the paid item and request it be removed due the fact it was paid. Let me know how that works for you. Additional tips can be found by clicking the banner in this lens. The author also gives many tips on how to remove such items.

ReplyPosted September 30, 2008

Lensmaster

ali wrote

hi i was not aware of the way you can get collection and credit card company to remove late payment . so just recently i had a line of credit in collections and i paid it off is there any way i can remove it from my credit report thanks in advance for any info u can give me .

Reply Posted September 19, 2008

ACAssociates wrote...

Hello Donna,
I'm not quite sure I understand your question.

If you want to remove an item from your credit report, just follow what I have outlined in this lens and it should work well for you.

If you have any other questions, don't hestitate to reach out again.

Thanks for visiting
Andrea

ReplyPosted July 05, 2008

 
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