Please Read Before Posting - NEWBIES START HERE Latest Topics

6/2/26 ERROR for site owner: Invalid key type when trying to create account?

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:08:36 +0000

A friend trying to make an account here and when he gets to the captcha part for days now trying it says "ERROR for site owner: Invalid key type when trying to create account" can anyone opass this on and see if it is a website issue? Thank you!

Newbie Part Deux!

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 02:45:12 +0000

Hey everyone! I am back after years of being out of the credit game and life happening.

This new world is going to be hard to navigate but hopefully as I make my way through some credit moves, I can share for all to benefit.

MarvBear, Breeze, WhyChat, Radi8 and more I hold fond memories for. Now that my kids are grownish, I am passing on some lessons I learned here and they are even teaching me a few.

Don't I miss bumpage with my whole heart, LOL!

Anyway, hello and glad to be back. :)

Glad To Be Here

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:40:59 +0000

Just joined a few days ago. Still getting the hang of the navigation, but love what I’m seeing so fa! Can’t wait to interact more!

Man. Am I glad I found out about this site!

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 06:16:09 +0000

I heard about this from one of Mike's the credit guy video. It appears to me the information here is just as trustworthy.

Newbie from Maryland

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 16:21:35 +0000

Hello folks,

However, I am not new to the Credit Boards forum. I lost my forum account for long time, but I can't recover my old account due to my old email address. Instead, I have sign up with my current email address.

My goal is buying new laptop quickly since my laptop is very old and several years old. Problem is all VISA/MC cards are maxed out. Two of my dept store credit cards have half utilization and continue to pay balances down. That is only way to get loans from my credit union because many creditors will not approve my new account unless all credit cards have less than half utilization.

Credit card approvals

Sun, 28 May 2023 07:52:40 +0000

I was just curious if anyone has a list of banks and what credit bureau they pull from when you’re applying for a credit card.

New Newbie

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 10:57:15 +0000

Hey all. First time here and looking forward to learning more. My credit isn't the worst but it's not the best. I'm hoping to get a house within the next couple of years, so I was hoping to be able to gleam some information and get in the best position possible.

Just landed... looking to find a way to correct my credit and build wealth

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 17:15:09 +0000

treated my credit like *Admin and our Terms of Service prohibit profanity* for a long time. looking for a way out of my mistakes and learn how to use credit to build wealth.

Wondering how I should respond to Security Credit Services LLC

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 19:13:09 +0000

I have a collection on my report from Security Credit Services, LLC. I started first off by sending a debt validation letter. The response came from them where they sent me a letter of account from them, and an alleged e-signed contract from the original creditor. Multiple concerning things were put into their letter of account. Their letter of account stated a date the account with the OC was established. They then stated the date they bought the charge off (the date they gave was 4 months before the account was even opened), they stated who they purchased the account from and the name was a complete different name than what was on the alleged contract. They gave an amount owed with no backup of how the amount was arrived at. They referred that they have no obligation to provide any information as they have "verified" and then referenced Chaudhery. My response to them stated I requested proper validation not verification. I included proper validation includes a signed contract, itemized accounting of balance, and verification. I referenced Spears vs Brennan and the FTC Wollman opinion letter. I also brought in to question the letter of account with the wrong date, wrong creditor name. They replied with the same alleged contract and another letter of account with a changed date of purchase. I responded again asking for proper validation and questioned again the original creditor they purchased the alleged debt from. They responded a third time with another letter of account with a changed name matching the original alleged esigned contract. I have complaints open with the CFPB, and BBB in their state as well as the AG in their state. Instead of providing itemized accounting to satisfy proper validation, they said in writing that they opened a fraud investigation dispute with the original creditor, which was never what I asked for. Their responses continually state As this is a business, we do not remove accounts simply because you tell us to do so. We have proper protocol and guidelines to follow. If you wish to further dispute the account, you will need to reach out to the orginal creditor SmartPay Leasing, LLC at the website we have provided you multiple times in response to your disputes which is not what i asked for, proper validation is what I asked for. I'm not sure what I should do at this point.

Second time newbie saying hello

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 14:52:04 +0000

Hello all. About 7 years ago or so I had gone through this process with excellent results. Due to life circumstances, things happened in life and I'm back to square one. I remember a handful of things I had learned, while others have slipped my mind. Not sure how the landscape of credit repair has changed over the past 6 or so years since my absence. Any words of wisdom, or nuggets of information on the way the landscape has changed would be of great value. My plan is to first re-read psychdoc's guide, then comb through the newbies starting board.

Hey there, could the third time be the charm?

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 01:03:04 +0000

Hello hello!

I'm a long-time lurker, and I guess I posted a few times back in 2007. I don't remember exactly lol, long time ago, but it shows on my profile. I'm about to start my third journey in building personal credit. Hope to be able to share my progress on here and seek advice of the brain trust.

Anyway, I've learned so much from this board. Full of great people and probably the best resource on the Internet for building/rebuilding credit.

Went through my first Chapter 7 in 2011. Doubled that up to 14 here in 2022 with a currently open Chapter 7. Discharge expected any day now (last day to object is today). Both bankruptcies were primarily due to businesses failing and then living off the credit until it inevitably ran out.

By way of a little info about me. I'm 45, from New Jersey, and have mostly run businesses most of my adult life. So, I've had some successes and some failures. The business that failed back prior to my first BK was something I took over after the death of my father, it was not in an area I had a lot of experience in, but I was able to keep it going till 2010.

This time I have a few businesses that are more in my field -- and I hope to keep building them. In any event, I will also be building business credit and working very hard to avoid them from going belly up. There are two principal businesses: One is a 503(c)(3) charity and the other is a business just getting into government contracting, along with some work for large corporates. Both are in the tech realm -- IT services, and a charity in the IT realm. I also have another for-profit that I use as a management company and/or for small projects from time to time. I will be probably be building credit on that entity as well. In the past, not being able to have decent access to working cash flow has held the businesses back, and I'm going to be looking to mitigate that to the extent that I can.

I regret that the businesses failed, but I have learned many lessons from these failures. However, I do not regret doing what I had to do to keep afloat personally and business-wise when things started to decline. If you have the choice between being out on the street or maxing credit lines, I'd choose to max the lines every time. I must also honestly say that I lacked maturity with the earlier businesses, was thrown into it after Dad died, and wasn't ready to stick to the grind stone and work work work. I was not yet mature enough to recognize the importance in doing that, and spent too much time in the clubs etc. That's certainly not going to be happening, I've moved past that life. I'm really looking forward to putting in the work to build these businesses and the opportunities they will create in my life.

I'll be posting as I get going and hope to use as many best practices as possible this time around. I'm also going to read up many of the pinned threads to have a good base level of knowledge. Some of this I'm sure I already know, but I'm down for a refresher. I appreciate any help that is given and will do my best to help others with questions or that need other help that I can provide. Please also don't be shy if I do something wrong, break a rule or something on the forums. I'm going to try not to, going to look for pinned posts with "list of rules" sounding titles, as soon as I submit this post. But by all means, if I do something wrong, let me know, and it won't happen again.

Thanks for reading this, and I hope you're having a good day!

Hello

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 00:01:23 +0000

Hi everyone,

I came here to find out how to get one blip off Equifax. Thanks for having such a great forum.

Hello from TX on the credit repair journey.

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:54:54 +0000

Hello everyone!

I've been working on my credit repair journey for about 2 years (ish). Due to some crazy issues with my ex, my credit at one point was a whopping 385 many years ago (note to anyone -- don't let your spouse use your credit for business when they don't know how to really run a business). Then a divorce, BK, and some crazy attention to detail, I'm back up to 692 last I checked. I still have a LONG way to go -- and a bunch of things to clean up on my report.

Anywhoo... I just happened on this website and there is some AMAZING information here. I can't wait to soak it up and even provide some assistance when/where I can.

When I'm not working on my credit, I'm an avid reader of informational books, ride my motorcycle as often as I can, hang with my kids, and run my business in between.

I'm an open book and happy to chat with anyone about darn near anything.

how this website works?

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 23:06:17 +0000

Hi everyone.

a few questions. how long should I wait until a moderator confirms my post? I am new here but not new in credit information sometimes it takes a day that my post is approved. how long it is like this? should I always wait someone approves my post?

how can I like a post? :)))

Returning for another credit cleanup journey

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 17:31:56 +0000

Joined and learned lots years ago... Need to remember all that... Back for another chapter in credit cleanup journey...

How to add my recent applications results to creditpull database

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:46:25 +0000

Hi i want to add my recent applications results to creditpull database. How to do that?

Hi

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:31:39 +0000

Hello everyone, Paul this side. I am new here and really hope to be a good and genuine member of the community, to learn and to share my experiences with everyone.

Cheers.

Disputed a good name by accident

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 01:36:54 +0000

Hi so I spoke with a representative over the phone at all 3 credit bureaus and disputed my name variations and addresses. I messed up and forgot that I had only one bad name!! And she said she removed the baddie name however she updated the good name twice 😭😭 will this ruin my good credit card that I currently have opened?

also unfortunately I signed up with a credit union with my full name however they only used my middle initial (bad name).

is this tied to that same name ID? It’s only my checking and savings accounts no credit card just yet.

I’m new to this and got too excited. Have I screwed it all? Because right now there’s a new name ID and the bad name ID. The good one is gone and the bad one is now attached to my credit union membership.

Pleaseee help!!!

Fresh out of BK7 and trying to rebuild

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 22:28:17 +0000

Hello all, I found out about this website through a friend and Im looking forward to gather as much info as I can to get back on track.

I am 3 months off a discharged chapter 7 and am looking to rebuild my credit.

Current Ficos off Experian 30 day trial subscription:

EX - 623

EQ -611

TU - 606

Not sure how reliable they are.

2 weeks out of BK7 I received a preapproved offer from Credit One for a CC with a 500 limit. I took it since I needed to start somewhere

Last week got a preapproved offer from Upgrade Card and gave a a $2500 limit tha will be $8000 after I turn in two paystubs. No annual fee(any one have experience with them?)

Today I got a preapproved offer from Mercury Mastercard and was approved for $3000 no annual fee

Any other tips or suggestions are welcome

Ben

So glad I found this site

Sat, 16 Oct 2021 16:47:14 +0000

Always have tried to maintain good credit but recently got a debt collection letter and been freaking out. After searching for options, so glad that I found this site. Hoping to learn from here and contribute in any way I can.

Glad to be here!

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 23:33:03 +0000

Hi peeps. Wishing everyone good health and success in their credit endeavors. Here to learn and actually make a lasting change in my life as many before me have thanks to the trove of invaluable knowledge/ awesome individuals here. Can’t wait to get to know some of you and grow together!

Money Owed to University - NEED GUIDANCE

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:36:22 +0000

My Situation

I currently go to college in Oklahoma and owe money to the college I attended too. I owe a good sum of money, 18k for everything. I’m getting collection calls, and I’m not even sure I want to attend college after realizing how much I messed up. My credit isn’t good. Ghost nearly I believe. What do I need to do so I don’t get in any bigger trouble than I am in now? Any advice would be helpful.

Returning member from the old days

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:35:04 +0000

Howdy everyone! I used to be very involved here but got swept away by life stuff. I have a financial goal so I'm back to clean the cobwebs out of my credit. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

Pay for Delete? Want to do it the right way

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:26:29 +0000

I have two medical items at a CA.

One is on my credit. Dental company.

The dental company zeroed out my bill as a courtesy.

They sent me docs to say my account is paid in full. Actually that there was no bill aka I owe them nothing.

Now, if I send that to the CA (radius solutions) will they totally remove the mark on my credit, or just keep it on there and say 'PAID IN FULL'.

I would rather have it not even listed....aka totally removed from my credit reports.

The second one, Quest Diagnostic, is with radius solutions CA as well.

Now, if I pay radius, they say they will mark it paid in full.

So do I pay direct to Quest? And how do I make SURE that the quest mark, if it lands on my credit, is deleted?

Thanks

Credit-Credit

New and dont know where to start

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:31:43 +0000

Hi everyone im new to this trying to figure out where to start at with cleaning and building my credit

Paid collection and charge off

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:45:10 +0000

Hey guys I have a question I have two collection accounts with Portfolio and midland both were settled and removed . But the original creditor is still reporting the accounts as charge offs how do I go about removing the original creditors from my credit report ?

How Long Between Final Payment Collections Payment and Update of Credit Report

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 05:40:20 +0000

Hey all,

I just finalized a payment for a Chase Card and was wondering how long Chase, or other credit card companies/Debt collects take to update credit files.

Should I immediately dispute my credit report after making final payment? Wait 30 days? Not sure how to proceed.

Looking for a new balance transfer CC

Fri, 21 May 2021 22:09:35 +0000

I have 5 credit cards with a total availbe ofbout $9000. My current CC use is is 12% today but will be under 10% the first week of Junee under %10 next month. The only balance of about $1000 is on my Discover 0% card that will end the promo in December 2021. I'm not having a problem paying my monthly balance due. In fact I usually pay in $200 to $400 on my outstanding balance oftern at least 2 times a month. My current credit rate is about 737. I had a bankruptcy 5 years ago. Before that I had excellent credit. My bankruptcy was due to a health crists rather than irresponsible use of my CCs'. I'm now rebuilding my credit.
My first question is this: Is it likely or unlikely that I'll get approved for another balance transfer CC? I know no one but the algorithm that accepts or denies any individual I'm just asking for personal experience re: this.

My second question has to do with closing one or both of the Capital One CC's I have. There's no outstanding balance on either. My credit line on one is $750 and the other is $250. I don't really need these accounts and very rarely use them, and then pay off the outstanding balance right away. If closing these accounts makes getting a new 0% balance promo (for at least 15 months) I'm willing to do it. If this extra amount of unused credit I have will increase the odds of getting a new $0% balance transfer card I'll leave my Capital ONe CC's open..

As a side note: I've always paid off my Discover card within 3-4 months and that's what I expect to do with the current balance. I'm heading off on a trip in AUgust and would feel more comfortable finding s new ba;amce transfer card befpre going

15 years ago - 520 to 702 Fico and a new house. Thanks Creditboards

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 04:17:29 +0000

15 years ago and in my twenties, I started documenting my journey of rebuilding my personal credit here on this forum. Disputes, pay for deletions, adding trade lines and using HIPAA to go from 520 Fico to 702 when I bought my first home. This site held a special place in my heart and I was eager to share the knowledge gained and I did.

Shared with my brother, he then used the info to boost his credit credit as an authorized user on family member accounts, ultimately destroying their credit and his by opening up credit in their names and racking up 35k in debt and a vehicle repo.

But I'm here again because I want to build business credit for my upcoming business for when and if I'll need it. Documenting, sharing helps to encourage others, adds knowledge and keeps me motivated. It's a marathon, not a race.

I cannot for the life of me find my old thread or remember my old user name. It would be nice to look back and read.

Anyways, glad to be back.

Hi everyone! I'm a returning member and glad to be back.

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 13:12:51 +0000

Hi everyone, I'm a returning member who joined around 2008 for some much needed guidance on how to rebuild credit after a bankruptcy. This site was a godsend because I was able to go from a myfico from the high 400's to mid 800's. I look forward to being a part of the group. 🙂

Newbie! Happy to be here!

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 12:54:06 +0000

Hey, guys!

I'm super pumped and balls deep nerdy about credit! Too much too soon? That's kinda my style.

any suggestions on navigating this site? I'd like to really learn about increasing both my credit limits & scores.

Ok. Thanks again!

Newbie to Business Credit. !! Some Fast Success

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 17:24:03 +0000

Hello all I am a newbie to this , just started on 6/14/18. pulled d and b and Experian and found I had 3 lines on d and b. with a 65 paydex score. So with that I started reading and reviewing videos on you tube and found some of my approvals are listed.:

Uline -100, Quill -200, Grainger -1000, sns 1000, Supply works -1000, Sprint 12 lines no deposit, Amazon 3500.00 net 55, TBC-750 temp credit and rest under review, local Bookstore -$500 does not report, Quiktrip Wex-$4000 gas card, Fleet cor _$500 with a 200 deposit (not sure yet) , Menard pending, Hertz pending, BP pending. They are all slow reporting. I got these all first round probably the trade lines helped. 10 years in business, 800 number, 411 listing, website, good standing with State ,etc

How you found creditboards

Fri, 28 Mar 2003 18:26:12 +0000

Wow! We are really growing fast!! It's wonderful!

As I see the new "faces," I can't help but wonder how you found us. So, I thought maybe you would be willing to respond to a poll (one of our really nice features). :mrgreen:

Welcome and Getting Started

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 19:20:01 +0000

Welcome to CreditBoards!

How did you find us?
http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1149

Credit Boards Acronyms List!

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32

Welcome to New Members!
http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154494

Please begin by reading the rules of the forum and some posting tips (read only, no questions here):
Board Rules, Tips and Tricks

Here is basic reference material (read only no questions here):
Beginner's Credit information

Psych Doc's Transcripts an Excellent primer by Psych Doc:
http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=152541

Jen's guide for those new to credit repair- excellent resource and starting point:
http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?s...425508&st=0

Excellent Index to important discussions and starting points by Sassy:
http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14797

What is "B"? You're going to ask, so here's the answer!

When you are ready to join in the discussion, or have a question to ask, please join in our discussion forums!
Discussion Forums
You will find forums specific to general credit questions, automotive financing, mortgages, money management and bankrupcy. Additionally there is a forum for general (off-topic) discussion.
Please select the forum appropriate to your questions.

Creditboards.com is a consumer discussion forum and does not provide CRO services, legal or professional advice.
You are encouraged to retain the services of a professional as necessary.
Creditboards is not a "publisher" and assumes no liability for member-provided content.
Please review the Terms of Service and Forum rules.