Preferibly one that is free or has a free trial and is highly accurate
There is no place to check your credit score for free. You will have to pay for the score from all three bureaus. I think that most have a free trial where you can sign up for a monthly subscription and receive the free credit report and a free credit score.
The statute of limitations has nothing to do with when credit card companies can report to the credit bureaus, is has to do with the legal time that they can sue you to collect your debt.
In the State of Illinois it’s 5-years.
Derogatory accounts show on your credit report for 7-years from the date of first delinquency or 7-years and 180-days. This is mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
I’m trying to increase my credit score. One of the negative factors on my credit report was the apparently small amount of available credit on my credits cards. My credit card company does not give out that information. What credit card companies will share this information with the credit bureaus.
CITI
CHASE
GE BANK
WELLSFARGO
I had a credit card a few years back that I got late on. A few months later, they had charged off the amount and we reached a settlement agreement. I paid the agreed-upon amount and they sent me a letter for my records saying that there was a zero balance. That was in 2/2003. Ever since then they have been reporting me 90 days late each month, with no balance and no payment due, but 90 days late. I’ve discovered this each time that I see my credit report, which has been 2 times per year. Each time I call them, spend 3 days on the phone and get another letter. Then I fix my credit report. 2 days ago, I checked my credit and there it is again. They are reporting me 90 days late for the past 39 months, and the card has been at zero for 4 years now! This is the 7th time I’ve done this with them. Who can I file a complaint with so it finally stops? Needless to say, my interest rates on my other cards are as high as they can go because of this inaccuracy, and I’m frustrated!
First, don’t talk on the phone. Send a letter, registered mail citing the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Google it and see your individual rights.
The Federal Trade Commission regulates credit and bureaus. Also, your state Attorney General’s office may have complaint lines.
www.clarkhoward.com is an excellent resource to combat these credit thugs. Also, send a letter to all three credit bureaus disputing this particular account, at the same time while you are disputing it with the credit card company. Send photocopies of your receipt where you paid off your credit card and the settlement agreement. If it continues, sue them. Go to www.nolo.com and purchase how to sue in small claims court. Good luck, credit agencies are nothing but thugs and they need stiffer and harsher sentences for breaking the law.
I had doctor bills when I was eighteen, under my FATHER’s insurance. My FATHER was billed for the copayment, but never paid. My father has been working with many creditors including the collection agency now handling this bill. 6 or 7 years after I received the services, I got a letter from the collection agency demanding payment. I don’t have any problem paying, however I don’t want it to hit my credit report. Can they immediately report this collection account even though this is the first time I’ve been made aware or that anyone has tried to collect from ME? It seems that someone should have to bill ME, PRIOR TO REPORTING TO A CREDIT BUREAU.
Any insight is greatly appreciated.
As for "Common Sense’s" comment….you need to educate yourself. Do you realize that debt collectors are a very important part of the economy? They collect millions of dollars every year from consumers…. without them, YOU, along with the rest of the world, would be paying more money for every service you receive & every item you purchase. Saying nothing good comes from debt collectors is crazy. I’ve been in the industry for many years and we get more Thank You letters from debtors then we do nasty letters… so that should say something about the way we do business. MOST agencies have very trained collectors that are taught to help the consumer find a solution to the situation they are in. It’s not like we go out and break knee caps or anything. But, you just keep thinking what you want, but be sure that you don’t cry about it next time you go to the doctor’s office and they charge you $25 more then you are used to for an office visit. Just understand that they have to do that if they want to recoup their money for the services they’ve provided you and every other person in the waiting room, provided they are not using a 3rd party collection agency.
As for your question… First of all, I’m confused about why your father has been dealling with the debt if it was turned to the agency under your name. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a 3rd party collection agency can not discuss your bill with anyone other then yourself, your spouse, or your lawyer. In order for them to discuss with anyone else, they need verbal or written permission from you first. You should also check the statue of limitation for your state. Keep in mind however, that the statue of limitations is based on the date of last activity on your acct. So, in the case where there’s no payments made, the date of last activity would be based on the date the services were recvd. However, if you or your father has made payments that has been applied to the debt, the statue goes from the date of last payment. Most agencies do not report the acct to your credit right away. My agency waits for about 45 days from the date of ref. to report. So, if the debt is paid prior to that, we do not report. If it has already reported to your credit, then you can at least explain the situation and ask them if they will remove from your credit. But, keep in mind that in order to do this, they will typically expect payment in full on the balance owed. Anyway, worse they can tell you is no. If I’m understanding you correctly and they did in fact discuss the debt with your dad without your permission, you could always tell them you are aware that they’ve violated the FDCPA and that you want to speak with a supervisor to have the acct removed from your credit in exchange for you NOT filing a complaint agaisnt them with the American Collector Assoc. Typically, if you cooperate with them, they will cooperate with you… so go into it being pleasant. Understand that they have a tough job and they talk to alot of people everyday that are upset about the situation they are in and some of the consumers are down right mean. You’ll get way further with the collector if you are nice to begin with.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
http://www.acainternational.org/consumers.aspx
You can also check out the above link for info re: consumer info on dealing with an agency.
Is this a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act? Some creditors will correct the information on the credit reports, but then they will come back again later on and report the original balance as past due. And then I will have to dispute it all over again. How can I stop the creditors from doing this?
NO they cant this is a violation of the fair credit reporting act, Contact your bankruptcy attorney and have him/ her send a letter of discharge for that debt , and that should clear things up
you should not have to dispute it once it has cleared bankruptcy,
the bankruptcy will show up on your credit report for the next 10 years tho
I need to disupute incorrect info on my credit report but the toll free # listed want me to buy another credit report. How can I not purchase another report and file a dispute?
Here is a link to a pdf file you can download from the FTC on how to dispute an entry on your credit report. You must follow the guidlines or you will run around in circles.
The CRA’s have a specific format to file a dispute. It works best to do what they need you to do.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit/reports.shtm
Download a pdf file regarding how to dispute with CRA’s
Hope this answers your question.
I just found out that I don’t have a credit SCORE on equifax (and therefore cannot get financing for anything) due to a lack of activity on my credit report in the last 6 months. So I am considering a gas card – IF it will report its’ activity to the credit bureau. That way equifax will have to re-issue an actual SCORE.
yes gas cards are reported to the credit bureau’s
the reason is because they are actually financed by a bank (normally Chase or Citi Bank) and they report to the bureau’s….
How often do credit card companies report your revolving credit balance, and how long does that stay on your credit report?
For instance, if you have a high revolving credit balance and pay it all off one month (and stop using your credit cards for a few months), how long will it take for your credit score to improve based on your lower revolving debt balance?
If you pay off the card in full, then your credit score will have an increase within 30 days of the card issuer reporting to the credit bureaus. Most creditors report once a month. Once the credit bureaus update your file, the "result" will be instant.
If you do not use the card, then it will do nothing to help you build your credit rating, what counts is to not carry balances and use the card each month for small purchased, like gas for your car, and pay it off in full, each month.
what is the difference between credit bureaus ? which one is better?
or what will happen if check all their check box?i mean are they different from each other or they are the same?
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site that will give you online access to free annual credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. All other sites will require you to sign up for credit monitoring services.
You need to check all three credit reports. Not all creditors report to all three. An error on one might not show on the others. Creditors use all three. There is no one better than the others.
Your report is free but you have to pay for your score. If you really want your scores, go to Myfico.com. You get real, up-to-date FICO scores which creditors use.