If you have a success story of how you cleaned or repaired your credit, or how you built your credit, or even minor successes such as the pita ca you finally got rid of or the bk you got deleted etc., please feel free to post it here for bragging rights as well as incentives to the new members.

I've got a bunch of links to success stories here that I've gathered over time that I will be posting as time permits.

So, everybody is welcome to post their successes.

To Creditboards from "Echo"

http://www.creditboards.com/phpBB2/viewtop...ht=creditboards

Ok, I'm game, I'll go first. :wink:

When I first came to Creditboards last fall (I was a lurker for 2 months before I joined officially in December, 2003) I had been using Lexington Law for 6 months :oops: They had gotten some negative and some POSITIVE trade lines removed and had resulted in me getting A LOT of "frivolous" letters from the cras. I hated the dissorganized, unprofessional, slipshod way they did business, so I fired them. I decided to take responsibility for my credit and repair it myself, and I did a google search on "credit repair" that brought me to this board.

My main credit problem that brought me to Lexington and then to this board was a WHOLE LOT of defaulted student loan trade lines. I worked in Europe for 3 years and during those 3 years, I did not do anything regarding my student loans. I didn't pay them, and I didn't defer them. They all defaulted and when I came back to the US I had a real mess on my hands. I consolidated the student loans instead of rehabbing them, so all of the negative trade lines stayed on my reports. When I first ordered my credit reports from all three cra's in the early winter of 2003, I had over 50 negative student loan trade lines on each report! Each loan had transferred hands 3 or four times and each separate loan and separate transfer was showing as a charge off. My fico scores were in the low 500's. I also had several credit card charge offs (about 4) that had happened due to a relationship that I ended when I moved to Europe. a couple of them I was just AU on, and a couple of them were mine. I had several utility bills that were collection accounts on each report as well. I was in a situation of having a professional job at a relatively high salary, and having to pay for everything with a debit card. I had no credit and did not know how to change my situation.

Lexington law was able to remove a few of the student loan negatives, (about 10 or so total, which sucks for the amount of time they took!) but basically my reports were about the same when I started reading this board as they were when I started six months prior. I read every post on student loans and every post on disputing charge offs. I removed some old addresses and started disputing the student loans as "not mine". A whole bunch of them fell off. I just kept disputing, I disputed dates, amounts, beginning dates, date of last activity, etc, and was able to get all of the student loan negatives off of transunion and equifax. I still have 4 negative student loan trade lines on experian. So, due to this board, I was able to remove around a total of 150 negative student loan tradelines off of all three reports!

I was also able to dispute the credit card charge offs off of Transunion and Equifax and a suspicious "public record" on transunion on a credit card that I was AU on that Asset acceptance had put on my report. Experian removed 2 of the charge offs and changed the status of the other 2 to "paid".

I was also able to dispute the utility charge offs off of Transunion, and all but one of them off of equifax. (of course they are still on experian, UGH!) I opened up a household unsecured card ($300 limit) last summer, and opened up a first premier secured card in december to establish positive trade lines. I also opened up a CC bank unsecured ($500) in december. These cards were the first cards that I had had in 4-5 years and they re-established my credit history.

With all of those negatives removed, my scores went to the high 600's to low 700's and I applied for a bunch of cards this spring. (March,april, may) Here is what I received:

Chase Universal Platinum $9000
US Bank Worldperks Platinum $4000
Union Plus $2400
Providian Platinum $3000
PenFed Visa Gold $10,000
Target Guest card $200
Walmart $100
Saab Financial Services 0% car financing for $27,000

I was also approved fora Corvette card $600 which I declined, and a DCU visa gold for $3,000 which I also declined due to the bureaucracy involved in opening an account with them.

My scores are now lower due to all of the new credit and a reaged fcnb charge off for $200 that just showed up on transunion and experian. Here are my fico scores as of today:

Equifax 666
Transunion 640
Experian 630

I could never have gotten to this point without this board and the wonderful people on it! I never wanted to deal with repairing my credit and I tried to avoid dealing with it by hiring Lexington Law to do it, but finally I took responsibility for my own credit and I am so glad that I did!


THANK YOU SO MUCH CREDIT BOARDS!



lgt

Due to 75K in medical bills, I filed BK7 in 1994. In May of 2003, I applied for and received a mortgage for a house, even though I had over 25 negatives on my reports.

Around that time, I discovered this board and started in on my one-year journey of credit repair. The only thing I have left is a Fed Tax Lien that was paid a year ago. I hired an enrolled IRS agent and he just pointed out to me that the Lien was filed in the wrong County and it is in error.

Anyway, I went on an 'applying binge' in March and got approved:

DCU 2nd Trust deed 80K
DCU Visa 10K
Patelco Visa 10K
Penfed Visa 15K
Penfed LOC 10K
Netbank Visa 12.5K
USAA Visa 10K
US Bank Visa 5K
US Bank LOC 5K
1st Tech CU Visa 5K

Combine those with a few other accounts that I have open, my total Lines = $104,000.

There is no way I could have done this without CB's help.

Right now I am in the middle of closing 5 other "Toy" cards...

Cheers!!

Cas

I've been doing my own research since 6/2003, when I thought I would pull my CR off QSpace for fun. I was 33 at the time and had come to grips with the fact that I was just a "credit creep". When I saw my scores, I was suprised that they were as high as they were. I had a bunch of CA accounts and a couple of charge offs. I had a Providian CC (yeah I know), a CCB CC(again), and a Cap 1 (all the winners). I had all of these accounts for about 1 1/2 years with no lates.

To make a long story short, I used the template dispute letters from QSpace and in 30 days 7 CA accounts dropped off and my scores went up about 40 points! I disputed the remaining items again in another 30 days and even more came off.

My FICO scores looked like this:
EQ:526
EX:492
TU:455

Prior to CB my CC accounts were:
Providian: 1k
CCB:1k
HH bubble card:$700
Crap 1:$250
Total:$2,950

After reading till my eyes bled, asking questions, using trial & error reasearch, deleting old info, CRA disputes, nutcase letters, 1-2 punches, ITS letters, a little luck and having my parents add me to their CCs as an AU, I was able to completely clean up TU and EQ and have 1 paid CA & paid judgment on EX.

May '04 my scores looked like this:

EQ:758
EX:701
TU:672/704 (split file)

Since May '04 I have applied and been approved for:
Amex Platinum:No limit
DCU:$13.5k Visa Plat
HH Trio:$22.5k total
FNANB Ciruit City visa:$10k
PenFed Visa Plat:$30k
PenFed PLOC:$25k
1st Tennessee Visa plat:$10k
Chase:$7k
RNB Target Visa:$700
Total:$118,700

BTW, everything but Chase is reporting and my scores looked like this today:
EQ:727
EX:693
TU:670/702

9/04
EQ:749
EX:701
TU:754

I think that I am going to take a rest on the applications for a while.

THANKS TO EVERYONE AT CB...I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

To the newbies & frustrated people...DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!

I've posted my biodrama before and elsewhere, so if you've been around the boards awhile, feel free to ignore the rampant redundancy. Otherwise, maybe my story will help encourage somebody who's just beginning. [ Cut and paste begins. ]

While I was completing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology during the 1990s I acquired more than $85,000 in student loans. At the time I didn't worry too much about that kind of debt because, after all, they were just student loans with incredibly low interest rates. Like so many others, I fell into the trap of seeing those loans as "free money." (PsychDoc's hint #1 for those who are still as unwise as I was not too long ago: Student loans are not free money. Rather, they are exactly what the phrase implies -- borrowed money you have to pay back.) Crazy as it sounds, I remember often applying for the maximum available amounts just in case I needed some extra cash, even though I didn't need that much. Of course we all know what can happen to extra cash. Poof. Had I been smarter about borrowed money, I'd have gone through grad school with something more like $55,000 in loans rather than the higher amount I amassed, a difference that would have made my life easier later.

Also during the 1990s I managed to acquire some credit card debt as well. When Citibank gave me a $5,000 line of credit, I didn't view that as an opportunity to borrow money from somebody at a hefty interest rate. Instead, I got the card (and a few others like it) and thought, "Hooray and wowzah, five thousand dollars just for me! How will I spend it?!" I thought I invented that kind of naive attitude toward credit, but I've since found out that I'm not alone. Unfortunately, lots of people fall victim to the view that a credit line is pretty much equivalent to additional income. Hint #2: In my opinion, and I recognize and respect that there are other points of view, equating credit with revenue is not only unrealistic (and not too far removed from what we in psychology term "psychotic") but almost certainly a factor that can lead some people to fiscal crisis and even, in some cases, to bankruptcy.

The third nail in my own credit coffin was the sloppy way I paid my bills. I would pay two or three months at a time, rather than monthly, thinking, "Gee whiz, I do pay my bills though, so who cares if I pay them according to my own schedule? I'm doing the banks a favor after all since I'm paying late fees, so they must love me." Clearly I knew very little about credit reports and absolutely nothing about credit scores. (During the 1990s, very few people knew about credit scores since they weren't yet available to consumers. Only credit bureau "subscribers" like mortgage brokers, banks, and other creditors could access a consumer's credit score. MyFico.com didn't exist yet, and in any case the Fair Isaac Corporation still held that credit scores needed to be kept secret because consumers could never understand them, etc.) Then I went to buy a car. Oof. Was my wife ticked at me or what? My credit was terrible. Soon we found out that my sporadic bill payment patterns would also prevent us from being able to buy a house as well. Lesson learned. Hint #3: When you begin to repair your credit, don't even think about paying your bills late like you used to do. You can't climb out of a trench you're still digging.

In 2000 I decided to reclaim my wife's fiscal confidence and do something about my sad credit rating, so I bought a credit repair book at Waldenbooks. I quickly looked through it and learned the basics. Essentially you could sum up the contents of that book in a sentence: There are three main credit bureaus which maintain consumer files, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows consumers the right to dispute their contents. How the author managed to stretch that out into a whole book is beyond me. Hint #4: Most credit repair books out and out suck. I read the book and then, like so many people who buy self-help books, put it on the shelf above the TV and did nothing.

We now interrupt this story to bring you a breaking anecdote. Does anybody remember the movie "Airplane"? In that movie, the young man goes on and on and on about his life ad nauseum, until finally the old lady sitting next to him on the plane literally hangs herself to escape his diatribe. If you're feeling a bit like that now, I truly understand, so release your unconscious from reading further. (Unless you want to read the good stuff which changed my life.) Cough, cough.

My life really did change in late 2000 when I experienced some entrepreneurial success. I paid off my loans ENTIRELY. Whoopee! $85,000 in student loans and another $20,000 in consumer credit debt wiped away in a few months! My credit score was going to soar up, up, and up, right? Uh, nope. And that's when I began to understand just how corrupt the system truly is. Here I had demonstrated financial ability, fiscal skill, and moral responsibility, and my credit rating still stunk. My score was in the mid 500s before I paid off my loans, and it was in the mid 500s afterwards. There were people out there who defaulted on their loans rather than paying them (and maybe some of those folks are reading this, and I pass no judgments) whose scores were the same or better than mine, but shouldn't my score have been higher than theirs? PsychDoc's credit repair hint #5: The system is not fair and does not necessarily reward those who do the right thing. Rather, the credit scoring system seems designed only to benefit creditors who are given a "legitimate" excuse to charge higher rates.

Needless to say, I had become galvanized to do something to fight back against a system that had proven itself to be unfair to me and my family. Now I was serious. I began to seek out others on the internet who were fighting credit rating battles like myself, and I was lucky enough to find bulletin boards (not unlike this one) where consumers traded tips and moral support. Hint #6: Make Creditboards.com your home, and be teachable. I also signed up with Lexington Law Firm (a consumer law firm which advertises a lot on the net) and with Bill Bauer's Creditwrench.com (an independent credit consultant). Now, while I am not paid to endorse either of these entities, and while the very idea of buying consultation from others is downright controversial among do-it-yourself'ers, I did make that choice, and it's a part of my story. In my case, Lexington did a good job removing a good number of negatives, and the only reason I quit after 6 months was because I had decided that I wanted to take matters into my own hands and clean up my credit instantly. (More about that not-for-everybody technique in the next paragraph.) As for Bill Bauer, I bought his consultation in 2001 back when he charged only a one-time fee of $35 which frankly I considered a bargain. Since that time, his fee increased to something like $200, and I have no idea whether he's delivering value for that these days since I've not spoken with him in years. Of course there are other well-known credit consultants out there (almost all of them controversial too) like Christine Baker at Bayhouse.com and Kristy Welch at CreditInfoCenter.com, among others; I did not buy consultation from them, however their web sites contain free information I found helpful. (As an aside, NO, I'm not in that business, so I don't take on clients, so please don't write me. I know that sounds rude, but I may as well just say that now before somebody gets their hopes up and wastes time sending email.) My position on buying consultation is different from what you may hear from others, because I think it can be helpful, especially for those who don't want to embrace credit repair as an obsession. Hint #7: Good paid consultation is available, but be careful. Check a consultant's or a firm's Better Business Bureau record, and stay away from anybody who wants a HUGE sum of money (like thousands of dollars). Also, respect those who don't believe in buying consultation, because many of those people will become your good friends on these boards. Some people will flat out tell you that buying help is always a bad thing because you can do it yourself; maybe they're right, but I just happen to disagree with that black-and-white one-size-fits-all opinion.

My credit repair fun really started in 2001. I had become VERY involved with a consumer credit discussion board. One member of that board was pretty famous among our crowd for bringing small claims lawsuits against the three credit reporting agencies. He filed his lawsuits, and he then settled with them one-by-one for NO money but for COMPLETELY CLEAN credit reports. Wow, that sounded great, so I took a deep breath, and did the same. I had some scary moments, like when Trans Union's law firm managed to get my lawsuit transferred from small claims court to federal court. At that point, I initiated a phone call to the TU corporate counsel directly and said something like, "Look, I think we have a shared enemy -- the outside counsel you've retained -- you've got to pay them, and I have to fight them. Can't we just discuss this and settle the matter amicably?" They settled. By the end of the next month, my three credit reports were perfect. Doc's hint #8: Small claims lawsuits can be very helpful. However, don't just dive in without doing a few weeks of reading and preparation by combing the online consumer credit discussion boards. Many people on these boards have sued creditors with success, too, although that's not part of my personal story, so I can't give a first-person testimonial about that.

During 2001 and before my three successful small claims suits, I also had the good fortune to leverage my training in psychology (and my attorney brother's good advice) as well as the consultation I bought, and I devised a technique that would prove helpful to me and many others. I wrote the original Litigious Nutcase letter series for fully-paid accounts with very bad tradelines. Up to that point, the conventional wisdom among the consumer advocacy crowd went something like this: "Whatever you do, don't pay off your debts because then you'll lose your credit repair leverage." Well, that philosophy didn't sit well with me for a couple of reasons. First of all, I had paid off my debts, and I still wanted to clean up my credit, so I just couldn't accept the idea that I had no leverage with these fully-paid creditors. Second, I'm somebody who believes people should pay off their debts if they can (and of course some people simply can't for good reasons, but that's another story). All of that being the case, it quickly occurred to me that you DON'T lose your leverage if you're dealing with a fully paid account simply because you're then free to harass the hapless creditors to your heart's content (within reason, of course). Doc's hint #9: No law limits a consumer's nuisance quotient. You can find more about the Nutcase series on Creditboards here including links to a fuller rationale and testimonials.

By 2003, I had served as a paid writer for The Motley Fool (fool.com), co-authored their FICO 850 seminar, and consulted for Smart Money Magazine and other companies regarding consumer credit. I also maintain the "whopulledmycredit" Yahoo group, and I'm involved with writing my own book (which hopefully won't be as vapid as the one I mentioned above). So I continue to have fun with this. Doc's last hint #10: Have fun with your credit repair involvement. Even during the most difficult times, celebrate all you've learned. If times become tough, reach out to others for help. After you succeed, go ahead and brag about yourself -- you've been through hell, so you deserve it. Moreover a story that ends well may be just the thing that provides somebody else with some hope.

Well, that's my story. Anybody who took the time to read all the way down to here and survived the experience should be congratulated. Seriously, I hope something here helps someone. Otherwise, I hope you'll pardon this narcissistic exercise.

Doc

My journey began on Creditnet when I started looking for reasons why I never seemed to get the best terms despite what I thought was pretty good credit.
Shortly after I moved to CB and have been here ever since.

At the time I only had 2 30 day lates had been a long term home owner, and made a fairly high income; but what I was to learn the real problem was I did not have the right cards, the right mix or the understanding of what FICO meant to my financial situation.

During this time I traveled a lot for work and would max up my Cap1 and Amex cards creating high utilization and causing my scores to be low depending on how the reporting went.
I came to understand just how much FICO affected our lives and the antics, misreporting that went into this magic number.

I was determined to make some changes and not be a victim anymore, the wealth of information that Pam and others shared on disputing inaccurate information became a foundation for future success.

Realizing that utilization was my big problem I spent a lot of time researching others success in building credit, spending weeks pouring over what folks were doing, and systematically targeting what to apply for.

One of my early success was a Carter lumber card, now I knew that there was no Carter lumber anywhere near me but it was an easy approval and I got $2800 Cl that helped my utilization.

As I followed the posts of Humblemarc, George, Mark LA and others, I admired their ability to parlay cards into better cards with better terms and lines on existing cards.
Thinking heh this is for me, armed with this knowledge I began to view credit in a different light, not accepting what rate they said you got, using retention departments instead of CSR’s, deciding what creditor will get my business based on what they are doing for me.

All the while doing things in a metered approach, paying attention to how it might affect my scores, and having fun as I became to amass what has become over $200,000 in unsecured credit.

Now this is not to say I would ever use this much, but it affords a huge amount of options and would not have been possible without all of the fine members of this board.

CB has been enlightening in more than just credit but in wealth building techniques, freeing up money for additional savings to my retirement fund, my kids education, using credit to purchase real estate, starting a business.

For these things I am eternally grateful.

i cant say i had to repair credit. i had to learn how to tweak it more than anything. this place helped me a lot. when i started reading hear last summer, i had 5k in credit card limits from all subprime banks, a car loan for 10k at 9% and another car loan that I got when I started reading hear for 6k at 16%. since then, Ive gotten rid of almost all subprime cards and gotten prime cards with my new credit card limits total at almost 40k. that 2nd car loan is paid now and the only thing im paying interest on is the first car loan. i now got my house too for 345k and its all like a dream. one big thing ive learned though from here comes from hearing the people who have had to claim bk or have cas or cos on their crs. its important to have a financial plan. when you incur new debt, know that you have to pay it back eventually. also realize that any interest you are paying is money that you are basically giving away. thats all for my rambling. thanks cb.

I've been lurking here for a few months and I've learned so much. Thanks to everyone here!

Anyway, we had a foreclosure in May, 2002 and then declared BK 7 in Oct. 2002, and it was discharged in Jan. 2003. So it's been about 1 1/2 years.

About 9 months after discharge, we applied for and received a secured CC with American Pacific Bank for $500, and we later sent them another $500 so it has a $1000 CL. We charge a small amount monthly and pay it off in full. They needed a copy of our BK discharge since it had been under 1 year. They report to all 3 CRAs and they don't report as a secured card.

Then I found this forum, and decided to get a copy of our credit reports with FICOs. I ordered EQ in April, and our score was surprising: 651. We had about 6 old TLs that were in good standing (but closed) when we declared BK7, plus 20+ years of credit, which helped. We have about 13 negatives, IIBs.

I then ordered TU and EX in May. TU was 665, EX was the lowest at 626. So I decided to try disputing some items that weren't reporting correctly on EX. (I started on EX first since it was the lowest, and I didn't want to mess up a report with a higher score.) I disputed 5 accounts that showed balances and weren't listed as IIB. I just ordered a copy of EX on Friday, and they are now reporting correctly and the score jumped up to 692!!

Oh, and early in June, after much thought, I also decided to apply for a pre-approved Providian Platinum card offer we got in the mail (I didn't opt out). We got accepted with a $3500 CL, no monthly fee, 9.9% interest. Again, we will pay this off monthly and got it just for convenence and for rebuilding.

Anyway, our goal is to qualify for a VA loan sometime next year, hopefully by next summer.

I started my credit repair journey almost 2 years ago. My divorce left my credit in shambles. When I first started, all three FICO's were in the low to high 500's. I bought Kristy's book, Good Credit is Sexy, and got to work. I made a plan of attack for each negative TL. Some took a very short time, others are still giving grief. All old debt was paid, and the nutcase letter of PschDoc helped me get rid of one nasty (thank you!). I found CB and several others, but CB is the most addictive by far. The info here is very empowering - just when you think there is no hope, there's a post or advice that just fits your situation. Knowledge is power, and sharing it with others is strength.

I bought my first home in Feb 2004...I feel like a different person! When I was married, we couldn't even ever get a loan on a car, let alone a house. Going from credit-impaired to buying a house is a HUGE accomplishment...one that took me thru many late nights researching, reading until my contacts were dry, and writing letters that were effective instead of being thrown in the trash. Knowing how to negotiate, and the law, has given me tremendous courage to stand up to illegal activities by CA's & OC's. I'm totally addicted to my credit reports...and my sisters. Just for fun I like looking back at how far we've both come...she's enjoying the new VISA that she rec'd from DCU (thankfully, her car now runs much better due to being able to get some things fixed - due to a VISA). She and I both know that making payments timely is extremely important for more than just a FICO score. Letting something slip by can and will haunt you for years. Several people I know have asked for my help with their CR's...when their determination turns passive, I'm no longer interested in their dilemna. If their CR's aren't important to them or they have no desire to fix wrong stuff (I actually had a friend who had filed for BK, who's CR was mixed up another person w/the same name living in this state who also filed for BK a year after which totally trashed his FICO - who couldn't be bothered to stay on hold with EX to try and rectify it) I have to walk away. Being responsible and determined is half the battle.

The one CA left on my EX (which is the most despicable CRA) has been my favorite part-time ruse. My mortgage company didn't care about them because I had so much documentation on their illegal, erroneous, and old TL. So, I've let them sit on there for too long. They are my current project, that I hope to have gone here real soon. DCU gave me $7k on my car to help consolidate some CC debt...at 4.9%. I've also got a Circuit City VISA and a GM MasterCard, all thanks to CB. My BofA VISA is still secured, but I'm going to talk to retention about that one...its time. Understanding the how-to's is a huge help and I feel eternally grateful to CB...making this my most favorite site to check on daily.

The 700 club is not that far away....I'll be there because I don't give up and I want an AMEX Blue Cash card!!!

I found CB after spending 5 years or so in credit purgatory. I had a couple of store cards charged-off in college and a few utility bills wind up on all three reports.

I started my repair in February of 2004. My reports were clean in June. I disputed not mine, DV'd, utilized the ACA process, wrote goodwill letters, and disputed again during that time.

Before finding CB, I had somehow functioned for several years with only a Crap1 card, $500 limit.

Since June, I have applied for and received:

Chase $2,000
MBNA Worldpoints $5,500
MERRIL (MBNA) $5,000
USAA $10,000
Amex Blue $2,000
BofA $8,100

And I haven't even called Patelco yet!

Thanks CB! I thought I had to wait a couple more years!

(Updated 10/22/04)
Recovering from previous poor money management on my part has been hard work in progress for a couple of years, but it's paying off!

Before credit repair:
- FICOs in the mid-500s.
- Providian Gold Visa, 3.5K, 23.99%
- Providian Classic MC, 1K, 23.99%
- Target Guest Card, 0.5K, 21.6%

Now (with a lot of help from my fellow CBers):
- FICOs up nearly 150 points, all CRs at 700 or above.
- Four baddies removed - IC System (twice), CBCS, NCO.
- Bogus inquiry removed - Factual Data (they claimed DW and I had applied for an apartment in 2003 - we have owned our house since 1987).
- HIPAA letters resulted in one deletion, and in four corrections.
- EQ, EX and TU now reporting correct information (except for one item below, but that's not EQ's fault)
- Pursuing collection a $3K default judgment against a CA for FCRA/FDCPA violations (refusal to DV, trying to collect on zero-balance account) won after Target Visa denial on 7/13/04. Since they received the judgment, a subpoena for asset disclosure, and complaints from ACA and two states, the CA has put this bogus account on my son's EQ and put two hards on my EQ. I've filed a second $3K lawsuit.
- Target: Upgraded to 18% Visa at $6K from 21.6% Guest Card at $500 (I PIF, so APR doesn't matter that much.)
- Providian: Visa APR down to 16.99% (1.9% BT checks), fee refunded; MC CLI from 1k to 2K.
- New CLs - Fleet 12K, Citi 12K, BofA 8K, Bank One 6.5K, Home Depot 4K, Chase 0.4K, Amex Rewards Green. Total CLs increased from $5,074 to $54,474.

Now, it's my job to use this credit wisely.

Thanks everyone!

http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttal...&threadid=18400

http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttal...&threadid=19655

This is where it began for me...until I met the people who now mod this forum, I was constantly bullied (Gulf State, Arrow, some law office that pyramided the debt). I learned that yes, I screwed up, but I still have rights and these mistakes CAN be fixed. Just try not to do it again :wink: .

Creditboards has guided me through my credit "makeover"

Before makeover the only positives I had had were:
First Premier $200
First National Bank of Marin $300 (suckiest card there is IMHO)
Both were secured cards.

I fired First Premier and FNBM and now I have:
Chase Visa $1500
HH Corvette Card $600
HH Union Plus Card $750
Rooms to Go Card $3500 CL God help me be strong!
Rhodes $ 2500
DCU car loan Refinanced from 22% to only 7.9 My biggest victory so far
Tiger Direct Card $2000
Target Guest Card $300
Dell $1500


I still have a way to go to get my scores to 700 but I am defnately seeing progress.

I found CB in December 2003. I read a lot and asked a few questions. I bought a house in 1996 and filed for BK in 1997. I look back now and kick myself for filing BK. I received bad advice and took it. I figured I had my house and never planned on moving....why worry about my credit? Yes, I was incredibly naive and stupid.

I am much smarter now. DH and I have just sold our house and are moving into another in the next couple of weeks. New credit includes Patelco Visa $3000 and Target guest card $200. My main goal was to remove negatives and raise scores for new mortgage.


JAN 2004
DH ME

EX 585 597
TU 608 483
EQ 577 542


MAY/JUNE 2004
DH ME

EX 597 628
TU 657 630
EQ 629 628

Hmm success stories. Let me see

1)Helped hundreds of people with National Check Control, kicked them in the butt to file complaints, let the charge to take them down even after the threats from their legal counsel, and watched them get shut down by the FTC. Did I mention a federal indictment is being filed against their officers and their bank accounts are frozen.

2)Let the charge against JBC. Helped a couple attorneys prepare class actions and stated another dozen lawsuits with various NACA attorneys. Helped about 150 people give or take through emails with JBC. Talked to the Minnesota attorney general and the FTC investigator in chage of the JBC investigation. Currently JBC is being sued by CT and MN.

3)Camco. Well LOL camco. about 2200 emails answer from camco victims. Helped at least 50 of those stop payments on checks to camco. Cost them millions in lost collections. Helped a dozen attorneys file suit against their company including a class action going out of Michigan now. Helped the FTC gather complaints against them and provided testimony against their company. Started the ripoffreport on camco and got it filed under google. Now camco is hit with a 300k fine and are under investigation again with possible criminal indictments.

As I always say people. The little man or woman can be heard. You just gotta believe and stand firm in your beliefs.

It's great to see you didn't let your disappointments of two months ago stop you from knocking the cover off the ball with regards to renegade CA's and credit companies. I know you get frustrated by others reluctance to "act" but I want you to know that your actions and motivations are appreciated and we're all lucky to have you on our side!

I have made significant strides on my credit repair journey and am now to the point where my credit repair is complete and I am now just watching it age.

Back in December 2002, I finally decided I was no longer going to be subprime as I had been for the past 10 years. New wife, new job, time for changes. I pulled my credit reports and discovered that most of the baddies I had were past SOL, but still sticking around. At this time, I had two tradelines a Chase card with a 2K CL and BoA with 1.5K.

I found creditnet and creditboards and started doing research. I started disputing the past SOL stuff and had pretty good success. The one sticking point that I had was an old charge-off that was still within SOL, but had been paid. While reading the NY state law, I found where any paid chargeoff could be supressed after 5 years. So, armed with this information I got the chargeoff supressed.

I then called Chase and BoA and had them go back and review my credit again. Which resulted in both cards getting 7K CLI's. It was also during this time that I realized I had no history, so I had DW make me an AU on her 10 year old Sears card and my scores soared.

I then decided that I wanted to do some fast tracking on my CL's, so I did some card upgrading/combinations. Once I got things above 15K with my two tradelines, I went shopping for better cards. This last December, I was approved for my Delta Skymiles platinum card with a 20K initial CL) and my Amex green card (which I later upgraded to Platinum).

Now I am sitting back just waiting for my accounts to gather some age. During 2003 I recieved the following cards:

Chase MC 30K
Merrill+ Visa 35K
Amex Delta Plat - 48K
Amex Platinum Charge

Now, I am waiting on everything to hit the one year mark for age, then I will go back and try Diners Club again.

Wow! is the Amex Plat. really worth the $395 annual to you?

I started my repair in March of '03. FNANB decided they wanted to pull my credit report after my bk was discharged. I tried every avenue to get them to delete the inquiries (they pulled TU and EQ) and they wouldn't. I was mislead by their corporate office who told me they would delete and they didn't. So I sued and won. From that day forward I was on a mission for good credit or acceptable at least. I have hit so many snags on my journey but I just picked myself up, "brushed my shoulders off" and kept on fighting. I am not stopping until I am a homeowner. My scores started out in the 400's, today they are EQ 623, TU 647, and EX 654. This board has been my inspiration and motivation. Thanks a million CB!

Yes it is. I travel at least 50% of the time, so the benefits are well used.

Five months ago, my scores were all in the 610 range, EQ was clean (always has been), TU and EX each had one icky (student loan related) on them.

I discovered CB in April and read and read and read some more before taking the plunge and joining in May. Opted out, started pulling PG daily, FICOS every two weeks and started disputing.

Last Saturday I posted how, after disputing, my TU report is now all shiny clean.

Today's mail brought my latest EX report and VOILA!

CLEAN! Icky is GONE!

Scores in my sig. My goal is to let new accounts age, and hopefully TU will join EX and EQ in the 700 club by Retail Hell Season, er Christmas.

Super duper thanks to everyone!

$85 GOLD DELTA

or

$135 PLATINUM DELTA

Is not as good FOR WAY CHEAPER???

I started on CN last July - about one month before I closed on my new home. Scores were already in the 675-690 range by then just by my baddies being fairly old (3 of 4 were over 5 years old) and counting less towards my scores. I was just trying to figure out how to negotiate a settlement with a CA so I could close on my home. I accomplished that part and just continued to read and soak up info. I didn't really get into the "credit repair" aspect of things over there. I was mainly interested in improving my utilization and adding a few new cards to my lineup since I hadn't been able to get approved for anything good in so long. I got a Chase card for $4K and Amex Green and thought, oh this is easy, my credit is really not that bad after all. Then I got hit with a wakeup call. I was declined for Amex Blue and the Citi Diamond Rewards card. Doh! While the scores I had were good, I still wasn't where I wanted to be.

Then I found this board in early November. After reading for a few days, I submitted my 1st round of disputes. I had 4 things each on all 3 bureaus(1 CA and 3 OCs). Luckily, everything fell off of EQ and TU in the first round. And my scores immediately went into the 720s. With a more tweaking and improvement in utilization over the next 2 months, I was able to get EQ and TU up in the 780s. I finally applied and got the cards I wanted. Amex Blue, Chase Ultimate Rewards, National City and multiple increases on my BofA Plat. I got rid of Cap 1(s), Providian(s), and Amex Green - the card I desired only months prior.

EX is still a work in progress. I was able to negotiate with the CA and got that off of my reports and so far I've gotten 2/3 of the OCs off. Last one is due off in Sept.

I refi'd my home after only 6 months of owning it. Got out of paying PMI and I lowered my interest rate by over 2 full percentage points - and thus saving a lot of $$ in the process. Lowered my rate on my truck by several %. Same for DW. All my CCs now fall in the 6.99-7.9% fixed range where my previous best rate was 11.9%.

I also got DW's FICO scores from the low 600s about 6 months ago to 723 average now. Her reports were more of a challenge - having 6-7 negative items on each report.

Overall, borrowing $$ has gotten a whole lot cheaper for us.

alright ya' I finally get a chance to use the computer today, I have been so busy drinkin' and relax in my new home,... anyways, I'm here 2nite to tell my success story by starting to thank GOD and CB.

On August 2003, I started my credit repair journey due to soo many enbarassment and denials for credit cards, cars, cell phones etc.... my scores were in low 500s.... so, a friend of mine reffered me to this credit repair company, I paid them $395.00 to work on my credit and was planed on doing the wife's one later.... at the very first month, their work was very efficient, I believed within a 1 1/2 month they got 2 or 3 accounts deleted from my file (EX,EQ,TU)... going on 3 to 4 months "nada", I have not have anything else deleted....
One night, I was browsing the web then I found "Creditnet" I found lots of great information there .........ANYWAY... somehow I got into CB.com website. I spent twices much more time reading asking alot of stupid questions everyday (I still do) I spent almost a month asking question and reading, I wanted to make sure that I have the basic understanding on credit repair. YOU guys are marvelous, I can never explained how much you guys have help me... no matter what the question is, there is alway an answer at CB,.... to make a story short, On 01/24/04 I started working on my own CR and the wife. within a month I have had more deletions than the Credit Repair Company did in 4 months. I was very determined to get my credit fix. I never got discouraged even when things didn't go my way. I kept on going after OCs and CRAs until I get what I wanted..I guest what I'm try to say here is "be persistent and consistent" its not goin to be an easy journey. I never thought I would have so many CC's over 150k in credit and owned a $208k home NO BADDIES in my report. Now my family and I can actually live the life we're always dreamed about. This might be alittle off the subject... I have seen a lot of newbies are so quick trying to sue CRA or OCs, and then comeback here and asked for "what should they expected" please stop trying to be ahead of the game, read/learn read/learn read/learn and read/learn before trying to file against any one, beacuse the outcome may not be what was expected.... sorry I had to say this to ya'!!!!
Anyway .. a GREAT THANKS TO ALL CB MEMBERS. finding CB.com was really a dream come true, without God and CB.com I don't know where my life would of been by now.....


sincerely,

Calito...

Though I've just joined CB I have been waging the credit repair war for almost a year. I've focused in on Equifax since it seems to be the most commonly used one in my area. In that time, I've managed to get 8 "negative history" accounts removed, 2 tax liens, and 1 duplicate. I still have 14 baddies to go, so I'm not done by any stretch, but with the great people of CB advising and encouraging me, 800 is just a matter of time.

Thanks to you all!

DiamondEye :8)

PS - BTW this site is very addictive as I'm sure you all know.

I'm going to go back and read everyone else's success stories in just a minute, but I wanted to get mine on here before I lost my train of thought:

It is just amazing how much easier it is to be successful at the credit game when you know some of the rules. Sometime around May, I realized that in addition to killing off the negatives on our reports, we really needed to start building some new positive credit as well. I've gotten my fair share of denials - but mostly because I was jumping the gun for cards we really didn't qualify for. Since May, though, DH and/or I have been approved for a second Target Guest ($300) (had one already @$200), Fleet Secured ($500 deposit), GECCC ($300), Orchard ($300) and apparently, as of Tuesday a Chase Platinum MC ($1,500!) from a cold call application that DH did over the phone! (You know, I think we got the same "preapproved" offer in the mail and I tossed it because I figured there's no way we'd get Chase - but when DH did the phone app they pulled TU which is DH's best score by far - 665.) The interest rate sucks (20.9%) but Chase is Chase and $1,500 is not a toy limit in our home, so hopefully this will open the door to bigger and better things! I'm also getting ready to beg for reconsideration from Patelco since our scores are way up from a month ago.

The Fleet, Orchard and Chase cards aren't reporting yet, so I'm expecting to take a bit of a FICO hit on age once they do, but it just might be balanced out by bringing our utilization way down, as it's currently around 74% with those silly toy limits, and the trip out of town I just took.

As an added bonus: DH and I plan to buy our first home next spring. Six months ago, I was sure that purchasing a home without a cosigner was a pipe dream, and by next spring I expect us to be offered the BEST rates!

THANKS A MILLION, CB, we couldn't have done ANY of this without you!

Fiona

I got fired when I got a new manager who wanted his own guy in my job, and was unemployed for 6 months in 1994. We lived in an expensive part of Texas at the time. When I finally found a job in my field it was at 2/3 of my old salary. 6 months later I got a good offer in Oklahoma, so we moved, but then my wife took a large pay cut. Living off credit cards, especially when I didn't have a job, started our credit on a downhill slide.

In 1998, my wife got a much better job and things were looking up...we actually bought our house then, but the interest rate sucked because of the previous credit card problems, just lates - no charge-offs. Then in 1999 I got suckered twice because I did not have the knowledge these forums provide. First was when a CA threatened to sue because of lates on a Providian account. Second was finding a BK atty who was all too eager to just take my fees and dump me into a BK13 plan. I could have avoided all of that if I had known how to.

In early 2002 we were discharged from the BK13, and that spring we needed a new car to replace the one that was 10 years old with 186K miles on it. Our income was no problem, but we barely found financing at 18.99%. The car salesman spoke briefly to me about having their finance guy work with me to make our credit better - I didn't know what he really meant, and never got a chance to follow up, but that planted the seed in my head. A year later - summer 2003 - we needed to do some things to the house, had to settle for another crappy interest rate, and that's when I got serious about fixing my credit. I found CreditNet first, then came here, and spend most of my time here.

I still have some work to do, especially on our Experian reports, but things are much better now because I have applied what I have learned on this board. Between all 6 reports for my wife and me, I have had deletions of 5 of the BK13 notations. Almost all of the baddies are gone, only 3 left for me and 2 for her, both on EX. The house and the car loans with the sky-high rates are both gone, re-fi'd this spring, saving us over $400 a month. I am adding credit cards so as to avoid the utilization trap, National City, 2 B of A, and Amex Blue so far, with Bank One pending.

Today I pulled my wife's TU FICO report, and the score was 764. That's a long way from the 580-ish it was when I started.

I just want to say thanks to everyone, and encourage the newbies to read, learn, and work, because it will pay off.

Some positive change since becoming aware of impact of low credit scores.Eq is better fico at 699.Cannot get prime cc due state tax lien.
Tu fico is 636 and EX 633. Tax lien is 31 months of age, amount paid 244.
It's silly to wait so long for this to be deleted from cr.

Transunion is very silly. I have been trying to get then to update my auto loan. Ex and Eq update monthly.Tu has not updated my auto loan since april 04. Myfico stated scores will improve as loan balances decrease.

Tu does not get the picture.Have filed a complaint with the FTC. Even if scores don't increase,Tu should report and update accounts. I don't like Tu.

Hey I'm thinking of applying with Paletco. Does anyone know what the criteria is? My EQ score is a 665. But I'm only trying to go with places I have a sure chance of getting.

I read that they require income verification, in what form? I can't find my W-2's to save my life, but I have some check stubs.

Also, how long before they let you know. Is it instant online? Or do they have that 10-15 day thing like Bank Orchard?

Thanks guys,

Dee

Well since joining CB approx two months ago, I have went from scores in the 490's on all three CRA's to Eq score of 674, EX 626, and TU 731.

I have
(Did not have any of these before CB except Plains Commerce and even they gave me a CLI to a whopping $400.)
US BANK $1500
State Farm $700
US BANK PREMIER LINE $5000
(was a reserve at $4000 they upgraded without me asking)
US BANK Financing for a 2004 Lincoln Aviator at 3.9% $2000 down
Orchard Bank $300
Plains Commerce $400
Capital One $500
Robinsons May $500
Union Plus $3500
Walmart $320
Circuit City $1500
Old Navy $200
Target $200
Gap $200

THANKYOU CB for all of your help, I am telling you when I went to get a car in March/April they literally laughed me off the lot, now well I have the vehicle I want and didn't have to settle, and I have CREDIT....
Thanks alot

UPDATE
JCPenney $200
BofA $600 (it's a start)

Still working on it but so far since joining CB

# of negs deleted: 4

Before CB, all my scores were in the mid to high 500's and I had only subprime credit credit cards. New credit and CL since 9/2004:

Lowes: $400
Target: $200
Old Navy: $200
Patelco: $5000
DCU: $5000
Chase: $4000
HH: $250 (told them to keep it)

I would have never known to apply for these cards (and get approved) if I had not joined CB. This is just the beginning...

Ok here it is:) Not much as of yet. I started this process not even 2 months ago. I started with all low FAKO 500's. Fako's as of today are like this: EX=597 EQ=569 TU=553. I do pull PG on a daily basis, just to look at what they are saying and see what is happening with my disputes. I read alot of the boards and look at what my Better half points out to me also. I read all I can that Sassy has to say and I do pm her for advise if I don't want to say it up here for all to read I also read LKH written things. I send everything CMRRR, and I follow the advise and what has worked for others. I do have a BK7 2002 discharge. I have sent Sassy a couple of links and a letter I obtained from my atty that got some Judgements taken care of. She posted it for me since I was a chicken to do it myself. I have a very good record and papertail I am keeping. I print a copy of everything for myself as well as whoever I am sending it to. I have done 2 online disputes and printed everything I did with it and put it in my folder. I have pulled my true FIKO 2 times. I am going to wait just a bit longer to pull it again. I have opted out also. I do not talk to anyone on the phone at all. I had a CA call me after I sent in a dispute to CRA and I refused to talked to them and shot out letters to BBB, AG and FTC along with a CD nad DV letter to them. Also telling them they were in violation because it was the very 1st time they had EVER contacted me. I was real hot about it and stewed at work all day long over it too. SO her are my results as of today.

EX= 9 judgements reporting $0 owed now. 3 bad TL gone. Still have a BK7 to get rid of and also want to get the Judgements removed completely removed. 4 BTL to get rid of yet. 4 BTL marked as paid, don't know if I am going to go for delete on them or not yet. They say paid now. 1 BTL changed to current I am still unsure if I am going to go for a delete on it or not because it looks like they have changed it to a PTL. 2 BTL that are marked as disputed by me, I want them off too.1 BTL marked IIBK I am in the process of writting the PR letters for what they verrified tonight to send out in the am. 2 actual PTL reporting. Still fighting some old addys & name varriations.

EQ=2 Tax Liens GONE, 5 Judgements reporting as $0 owed. BK 7 still there. 3 BTL removed. 2BTL reporting in dispute. 2 marked IIBK. 2 marked as paid. 1 marked as $0. 2 others that are just BTL. 3 PTL reporting. Have only the correct name as of now, but still fighting old addys.

TU= All old addys are gone, still fighting 1 name. 4 BTL GONE. Still to go BK7. 5 Judgements with balances showing. 9 BTL to go + 1 marked IIBK + 3 marked pd after CO + 1 marked in dispute. 4 PTL reporting.


What was easiest to come off was 1st Priemeir. FBN Brookings, and Fingerhut. 99% of my trade lines should be marked IIBK. I am only going thru CRA's at this point. I do not want them as IIBK I want them all gone or if I can get a PTL out of them, hahaha that would be a joke and a miracle. Although not impossible. I did have 1 of them update from a dispute to current with a $0 balance and it shows open but it is not open at all and it is pd and past due on other 2 reports. It came back verrified that way in the dispute. It was all pat 120 days late and CO on all 3 before dispute.

! of PTL is an actual Repo that reports as pays as agreed and a $0 balance. Not a day late shows. I have decided to leave it alone, only because it is + and has some age to it. Another TL I am leaving alone has age to it and it reports as never late,,closed Card lost or stolen. 1 PTL is a loan I had my local bank help me get and it is PD off. took the whole yr to pay it. And the last is my new Sears card. Used it 1 time and it off as soon as I got home online. I am still trying to get local bank to report my CC but it has not happened yet.

In 19 months I have INQ:
EX=5, 1 is my cell phone, all others are denied.
EQ=3, 1 is my new Sears CC, all others are denied.
TU=11, 1 is my loan, 1 is CC from local bank that is not reporting, 1 is BoA secured card I waiting to get in the mail, All others are denied.

Current FIKO's as of 11/07/04 are:
TU=599
EX=614
EQ=623.

There is hope out here and I will not be happy until I have a better Fiko than my better half does and his is you might as well say perfect.

Hi everyone,

I just joined credit boards 5/05 and my story is not that successful but her it goes:
I pulled my credit report from all 3 bureau's on 4/16/05, and I have gotten the following info removed:

American Agencies collection account: duplicate (DELETED)

American General: 120 days from 2002 (ACCOUNT COMPLETELY DELETED)

Cmre collection acct: DELETED

Revcare collection acct: DELETED

California business bureau collection acct: DELETED

California business bureau collection acct: DELETED(YES THERE WAS 2 ACCTS)

Macy's chargeoff: DELETED

County of San Bernardino Collection Acct: DELETED

County of San Bernardino Collection Acct: DELETED

County of San Bernardino Collection Acct: DELETED (yes there was 3 maybe even 4)

I still have a ways to go, but to newbies like myself starting out, it's hard
work, but it can be done. It's a long process, but don't give up, I still have the following items to work on

American Agencies collection account/Pac Bell-this is bogus never ever used Pac Bell Service. Already filed a complaint with ftc.

American Agencies collection account/Pac Bell-same situation as above, imagine that they let me open 3 accounts at the same time, how can that be when I never had 1 account!!!

Arrow Financial Services/First Premier-anybody have advice on this one. I sent a pay for delete letter today. We'll see what happens

A F N I/ Anderson Financial Network/Sprint Pcs- any advice??? I sent pay for delete letter today. I'll update u.

I C Systems/Verizon-don't know how this will turn out

Midland Credit-HSBC/Household/Orchard-does anyone have any experience with them???

Midland Credit-HSBC/Household/Orchard-any advice???

Intercol Collections-due to fall of 12/05 (sol)won't even bother

Rma-Pur1/Sears-due to fall off 12/05 (sol)won't even bother

9 more to go, will it ever end???

I have only been with creditboards about two months. I started disputing before I found creditboards through advice from a couple of books I bought. But I didn't have a real understanding of the whole process until I joined creditboards. I am so grateful to creditboards for all the help I have gotton here. The results of my first dispute with all three CRAs which I began through a phone call(I have since learned to write letters), was 3 deletes on EX (two from American Agencies), then with TU I had 4 deletes (the same two from American Agencies and - second mistake- two that were Macy's accts that were under Satisfactory accts but said "closed by credit grantor" on them - had I found creditboards before my first dispute that would not have happened), and with EQ, the worst, nothing was deleted although there was only two collection accounts on it (one of which is not mine at all and is also appearing on TU and verified there too. After that I opted out, went back and deleted old addresses and old married name with all three CRAs. EX deleted right away (that was a result of a post on this board giving the ph. # to call for that) as did TU, EQ (the worst) is making a big dispute over one address and name. I was also able to reinstate my Macy's acct as a direct result of a posting on this board related to that topic.

Though I feel good about the progress I have made I still have a Federal tax lien on all three CRAs which should be removed soon accoring to my tax attorney, 5 collection accounts on EX (four of which are with the same CA for the same OC with different amounts) and one NCO account, 3 TU coll. accts. one of which is the one completely not mine with Superior Asset Management, and 2 coll accts on EQ one with NCO and the other the one not mine only they are calling themselves Superior Credit Services on EQ.

To deal with these items that are left I am taking the advice of creditboards completely and I have DVed the CAs involved, sent them CMRRR, and sent letters to all three CRAs to reinvestigate. I will be reporting the results on the board in about a month.I have not looked into my Fico scores yet. I need to do that next and then apply for a CC or get a secured CC.

Before I found this board I believe that I had a better than average understanding of how credit and credit repair worked. I had read a few books, been to a few seminars and lots of internet research. I also used Bradley Ross Law for a year. I am doing my own credit repair now.

After I found this board about a month ago, it was like turning on a light in a dark room. Now that I have found this board(addictive board), I feel like Super Man. I believe that I can reach many goals with the knowledge that is available here.

CH 13 filed 1999 Disch 01/02.
Cap 1 400 CL (Toy)
Cap 1 3K CL (I am about to close both my cap ones, because of CL not being reported, just tired of shady folks and companies if you know what I mean)
Providian 12K CL
Mobil 500 CL
Mobil 150 CL
Ford Motor Credit (6k Bal)
Credit Union Car Loan(Pink Slip by end of year)

Now here is why I say this board is so great. After pigging out on the info here, I went online to apply for a Patelco Visa Gold with 5000 CL. I got cold feet and hit the cancel button. I checked my rpts the next day and he hard inquiry was already on EX. So I said what the heck and called Patelco and finished the app over the phone. In about 5 mins or less I was appvd for 5000. There were a few hiccups with the income verification and membersip. While I was waiting for my $25.00 deposit ck to post, because of what I learned here, I called back and asked for a CLI. I pointed out to the rep that I already had a CL with Providian of 12,000.00. He said oh yes I see that, and in about 5 mins I was approved for a CLI from 5K to 10K.

The above only happened because of what I learned from you great people on this board.

After more time on the board, I got a little ambitious to say the least. I applied over the phone for an Amex green card. Now mind you, my CH 13 included an Amex Green card that was uncermoniously cancelled by AMEX after my BK was filed in 99. The Amex Rewards Green Card was understandibly denied instantly. Prior to coming to this board, I would have stopped right there. But I sent a CMRRR reconsideration letter to Amex 2 days ago. I appealed primarily on the basis that my CH 13 was a 100% Plan. All creditors that filed a claim, including Amex, were paid 100% of their claim. It's a long story of why I had to do a 100% plan, so i will spare you.

I am eagerly awaiting there response to my reconsideration letter.

05/05 TU 690
EQ 692
EX 622 (I mistakenly disputed a CL that was reported as CH 13/Never Late and it was updated to CH 13/CO. I had a cow and raised hell with the creditor, even though it was my fault, it should be corrected this month.

This board is FANtastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started out in 3/04 with scores in the high 500’s. I had around 20 baddies per report. My DH had scores in the mid 500’s, with a BK7 and tons of TL’s reporting wrong. (Including 2 FUSA TL’s) My goal at that time was simply to get a mortgage. I had no desire for credit cards as anything other than a tool to improve my credit to get the mortgage I wanted. (Little did I know...) I worked from March until May, then we got Orchard, Cap 1, Walmart, Chevron, DCU and Patelco, which gave us 9K in available credit. We also refi'ed our car with DCU- from 10.75% to 4.99%. I stopped applying in 8/04 so that we wouldn’t have too many new accounts for the mortgage, let those accounts age and continued working on repair, and then in 11/04, we were approved for a mortgage!!! Our best option was FHA because one of my baddies was 2 mortgage lates and that combined with my DH’s FUSA TL that is still reporting horribly wrong meant we couldn’t go conventional, and we were getting higher rates on sub-prime than FHA. We had to sell our current home before we could move, and after 7 months, we still had gotten nowhere, so we decided to take a few months off trying to sell the house and go ahead with trying for some new credit. My scores were all between 665-680 and DH's were 650-660. We were approved for:

Joint
Patelco Visa Increase 1K to 4K EX
Patelco MC 2K EX (Same pull)
Local CU 3K EQ

Me
Circuit City Rewards 1500 EQ
Citibank 3K EQ
AMEX Green EQ
AMEX Delta 1K EQ (Same pull)
BofA 6K TU

DH
Target Store 200 EQ
Lowes 300 EQ

My DH also got the 7-10 message for Providian (EX) and the walmart Discover 7-10 (EQ). He still has FUSA reporting wrong, so I don’t really have a lot of hope for approvals. We were both declined for cap 1 CLI’s. Orchard happened to give me a CLI a few days ago of $200. I was approved for 3K from Citi, but I have an issue with having 2 legal mailing addresses and I am still trying to prove who I am to them. These approvals gave us 20K in additional credit, for a total of 29K. I cannot BELIEVE I now have citi, amex & bofa, a pre-approved mortgage and a car at 4.99%! 18 months ago scores in the 500’s and a debit card.

My remaining baddies are-
EQ: paid med collection from 99, discover paid CO from 98 (wrong DOLA), 2 30 day mortgage lates from 02.
EX: Providian paid CO from 00
TU: paid med collection from 99, discover paid CO from 00, 1 60 day SL late from 00

DH’s remaining baddies are-
5 IIB TL’s
BK7 PR
Evil FUSA

CB- I don't post much, but I'm forever reading. You have provided me the tools and support I needed to change our lives! Thank you!

I hope to be a success story in the making. I couldn't find an introductions board, so I'll start here. I used Lexington for about a year, and was relatively pleased. My credit problems were all commercial, though, and as of 1998, I had about 50K$ worth. This included a mobile home and a VW Jetta that we leased in 1997. We meaning myself and my ex-wife. Long story short, our jobs went overseas, we divorced, I couldn't find steady work for 5 years, and I lost everything I had built up over 8 years. Now everything I have fits into three or four boxes. I have a car which doesn't run, and I cannot afford to have repaired(85 Mercedes). I am a part-time tudor at the community college where I attend as a full-time nursing student. I am 35, male, divorced, and I moved back home when my father had a heart attack in 2002. I am only NOW beginning to get back on my feet again. I have no assets save for a blended 401K which has about 800$ in it.
I have heard that a good way to raise your credit score is to utilize many bank and credit acconts, For example, use a credit card with a small balance to pay each individual monthly bill, and have a separate checking account to pay each of those each month before the interest accrues. Is this a good idea? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks folks!
Jason

from the newbies section