Our Picks

My son in college, playing baseball was injured and sent for an MRI. They used my insurance information. I never received a bill. I was expecting the school to cover the bill since the baseball coach and AD sent him for the MRI. Anyway, we recently pulled his credit file and its showing as a collection on his reports. I disputed as "not mine" but it came back as confirmed.
 
How do I proceed????  contact the school 1st? Why Chat do I just follow your procedure?

Here's where I am.  My goal is to get my credit score to 650 for a mortgage and I currently have a 620 (after initial disputes).
 
Opt Out Done Dispute Addresses Done Initial Dispute Done I did not dispute any medical accounts (i don't have the money to pay them offc  
The initial dispute went fairly positive I would say 50% of all accounts that I have were deleted. I guess where I'm stuck is what do to next for thr accounts that were validated.  They where things like utilities and credit cards.  I'm far outside my initial 30 days and some accounts are within their SOL.
 
Thanks!

I got a letter back in June of 2015 from Weltman, Weinberg & Reis out of Ohio  saying they were trying to collect a debt for Progressive insurance in the amount of $2700. This was related to a motor vehicle accident that I wasn't even involved in. Someone was using my license plate on a motorcycle that I sold him without my permission and he had no insurance or registration. It was a pretty standard debt collection notice but I hadn't yet started writing my own letters so I hired a local attorney to send them a request for validation. They never responded to his letter but they did try and collect a couple months later. The attorney called them and advised them they were way outside the 30 days and were in violation of the FDCPA. 4 years go by and I get a certified letter saying I'm being sued by the same debt collector except now they have tacked on another $3000 making it $5700. The original incident took place in October of 2013 so we are only a couple months away from the 6 year statue of limitations. If they are trying to scare me its working and I am more than pissed off that this is coming back around again. I am going to talk to a new attorney on Wednesday but this seems to me like a clear cut violation. Then I realized the debt collectors address is now Philadelphia and that is where I have been getting dozens of calls from over the last couple months, also violations of the FDCPA. I'm also considering contacting the FTC and the BBB but I wanted to talk to the lawyer first. I kept all the correspondence from 2015 also. Does anyone have any input or advice for me?

I wanted to file chapter 13 to get out from under credit card debt. I defaulted on all the accounts a couple years ago. I’m married and my husband and I have separate accounts. His bills are current and mine aren’t. The problem I’m having is they’re making me include his income for the means test but they won’t let me include his debts. So there’s no way I can afford what they say I have to pay. Is there anyway around this?
 
 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I filed for Chapter 13 back in 2002. It was discharged about two years ago. It has fallen off two credit reports and I'm sure you can guess the one that it has not. My question what paper work should I keep if any in relation to my BK? By the way after it fell off my scores are in the high 700's.

My FICO is currently over 770 and I like to keep it that way.  But recently, I have a charge that I am disputing with a car rental agency who claims I owe them, and is in the process of forwarding me to a collection agency.  So my question is, at my rating level, how much of a negative effect can this cause?

How do you find out who really owns a debt? I have several credit cards that were charged off and gone to collections. I’ve been contacted by more than once collection agency for the same card. I want to settle these debts as bankruptcy isn’t an option but I don’t know who to contact.
 
 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My son is 17 and I am trying to set him up for a positive credit and financial future.  He is joining the Navy and will be contributing to a ROTH IRA and saving money for emergencies and such. I also want him to have and maintain a good credit score. I know his clearance will require a good score (due to the job he will have we know its required) and we are teaching him the do's and don'ts of credit. All the things his father and I wish we knew at that age. I was thinking about adding him to our cards as an authorized user to help his score. My only concerns is our card is very low (we are rebuilding our score). We each have a Visa with a $450 balance. We have maxed it out in the past but for the most part it remains paid off, just sometimes its reported as maxed out because pay after they report. It's never been late though. I'm just worried the utilization would be bad for his report since he has nothing else. 
 
Any suggestions?

I have read a lot of horror stories about Convergent (not so much related to my post, but seemed worth mentioning).  I received a call from them yesterday saying that I owed a debt with PayPal and an immediate push to pay.  I had an account with PayPal for many years (since they started) until three years ago when a customer filed a claim on work that had been done for him (custom project), and they sided with him, putting my account about $1000 in negative.  There was absolutely no valid reason for them to have sided with him, and I said all that in the dispute (and also tried to discuss with them directly).  Anyway, that was three years ago that I stopped using PayPal due to this dispute.  This is not something that's on my credit report.  Obviously, I don't want it to be on my credit report, but it seems like a long time from the issue without it being on my report to come up now (maybe I am mistaken).  I have settled other accounts when called about legitimate debts.  It's not that I want to avoid paying a debt.  It's that I do not want to pay this as I very much disagree with it...and went to great trouble to use an alternative for payments because of it. 

What do you think?  With the time that has past, do you think it will end up on my reports if I don't pay this one?

Thanks much in advance for input.

So, to start this off I was a member back in the mid to late 2000's, and learned a lot about how credit worked. Growing up I watched my parents struggle with debt, and lack of control for their spending habits. When I graduated college in 2008, I was working 2 jobs, and making a decent amount of money. I wanted to pay off the roughly 16k worth of debt I had from school, in less than 2 years. I was actually able to accomplish this. During this time I was also dumb, and acquired a crap ton of credit card debt. Roughly 40 grand worth. Clearly not learning anything from here the first time, I just kept chugging along making my payments, until the inevitable happened. I was laid off from my job, and had a non-compete. Thinking "those don't hold up in court", I took a job with a competitor, and promptly got sued by my prior employer. Trying to fight this, I spend nearly 14,000.00 in lawyer's fees and costs, to eventually run out of money to fight it. I lost everything. My house, car, thank god I wasn't married yet. But at that point I was over 100,000.00 in debt with Credit cards, defaulted auto loan, and the balance due on my foreclosed home. 
 
In March of 2015 I would up filing for Bankruptcy. Not seeing a way out of the hole I had put myself in (which I blame no one but myself), I bit the bullet. Came out of my Chapter 7 the end of 2015, thinking "ok I got this". Cue forward 4 years. I was an idiot again. Now 40 grand in debt again, primarily all credit card debt (some very small medical collections), I have had enough. I don't like to reference Dave Ramsey that much, but I am sick and tired, of being sick and tired. So here's a quick run down of what I have accomplished so far, and what I still need to get cleaned up. 
 
Current Scores (FICO 8) 
Transunion - 513
Equifax - 497
Experian - 585
 
Equifax 
Originally 22 Collections accounts, now 7. (14 were old included in BK accounts, not updated). 1 I did a PFD and got it removed. 
3 CA's with Portfolio Recovery. All 3 are on payment plans now, and will be paid off in 3 months. - Totaling 12k
Specialized Collection Service - 768.00 (Medical Collection....from a company I have never heard of). Requested a DV from them back on 4/10, waiting on results. 
Midwest Recovery Systems - 436.00 (Total Visa card from 2016). Haven't started on this one yet. 
Credit Acceptance - 19,865.00 (Repossessed vehicle from my ex-wife). Yeah...this one is going to be fun. 
 
Open Lines -
USAA Amex - Balance - 4,3002.00 
USAA Visa - Balance - 496.00 
 
Steve
 
Going to take this one bureau at a time. Sadly I don't have a ton of time to work on all 3 at once, but will tackle these as I can. I know I screwed up royally, and now have to work my way out of this. The largest one being the Credit Acceptance Repo, which I have a feeling I maybe screwed on. 
 

Of course right before I get approved for a new home loan here comes Midland putting a collection on my report.  Its like they have spidey sense....
Anyway, MCM is collecting $3938.25 on a $5307.99 Orig. Balance.  I was paying Atlantic Credit bi-weekly until I had fraud on my debit card and needed to cancel it and re-issue a new card number.  I kept forgetting to contact them back.... I  know I screwed that up.  So now I owe $3.9k and wanted to do a PFD with them.  Im in Michigan and from what I can tell on my reports last payment was 6/2015.  They havent sued yet, so I'm trying to avoid that.  
Anyone had any success with MCM in PFD?  If so, what percentage?

I am about to start the HIPAA process and have a couple questions.  So far I have only opted out. 
 
Can I use reports from MyFico? I've already requested reports from annualcreditreport.com in the last 12 months and I don't have them anymore, but I do have reports from MyFico.
 
Also, I disputed these collections about 2 years ago before I knew about this process and the dispute comments are still showing, do I need to have those comments deleted first?
 
Thanks for any help

My mother was called on Friday and was told she owed money for a hospital visit from October 2003. Of course they threatened they were taking her to court and freeze her assets and such. My mother lives on social security so she has very little money to her name anyways.
 
I contacted them to try and get information so I could send a letter telling them not to contact her again (technically she would be sending thebletter). I mentioned the SOL in Washington State is 6byears and this is well beyond that. The guy laughed and told me to stay off Google and it didn't apply because there was a telling agreement (or something along those lines) that was signed. 
 
Any suggestions would be great. I'm out of my element on this one. I have a feeling this is a trash debt buyer and just threatening to scare people into paying. But I don't know what a tolling agreement is and if it is even a real thing. Also, how legal would one be to be added into ER admission paperwork? 
 
The place is TE&A Litigation services. 

I have an account that first became delinquent in April 2012 and never was brought current and has displayed that date up until March 2019 when the DOFD was changed to August 2012 and then again in May 2019 it was changed to October 2012. Is this reaging as this account should have changed to a positive status as of April 2019. Am i wrong? 

My mother passed away nearly 2 years ago. She did not own anything in her name, and there was no money in savings (joint with my dad) at the time of her passing.... but they lived in Texas (a community property state) and the house is paid in full.
 
The house is solely in my dads name. That is the only property "they" owned.
 
Her medical bills were quite high and were were initially told they cannot do much as there wasn't an estate. Now tge bills are being addressed to my mothers estate via my dads name.
 
I know advice given here isn't legal.. But I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has been in this situation... Or advice that we should seek out an attorney.
 
Can they force a sale or attach to the house at all in a community property state such as Texas or is the house not touchable. 
 
TIA CB!
 

Hi everyone I’m new to this site! I have a question about an account I saw on my credit report - it’s an old car lease back in 2006 that’s been paid for years but upon reviewing my report it noticed that it still shows open! Should I contact Transunion and have them close it or should I just leave it - there are no late payments but it isn’t showing paid as agreed! 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/02/01/robocalls-next-washington-agenda/rAm70apnwKTbjZ48pk7kbO/story.html

I started to fill in a cc application online and it asked my employment status with the choices of 1. Employed 2. Unemployed 3. Retired 4. Self Employed.  I am on SSD so I have income for now.  Is this considered unemployed and will that hurt my chances of being accepted?  

fixed up to work with OO courtesy of taylortr.
CCCS2008.ods
CCCS2008.ods

http://uk.businessinsider.com/marriott-data-breach-500-million-guests-affected-2018-11?r=US&IR=T

For the first 10 years from when I got my credit cards I would ask for an increase every 6 months. They would ask for income and I would be quite liberal with what I was making. 15 years later my business has gone south and it looks like bankruptcy is the only way to protect the small amount I have. If a judge pours over my statements the discrepency between reported and actual income will be evident.
 
Is this going to be a big problem during my bankruptcy? I'm not sure how the process works; i imagine it would be quite detailed though.

I recently got an alert that a collection account was added to my credit report.  After pulling all 3 reports I now see that there are 3 items (with the same account number), each with a different amount, from a CA that was from an unpaid bill for my spouse's doctor's visits.  Should I still follow the HIPAA dispute process or is there a more simple way to request a validation since technically the validated information would not be mine? 

I have medical insurance and portions of a ER bill have been paid by my insurance. I went to the ER but was only triaged, never seen by a doctor, PA or NP etc.. While waiting in the ER the called me back for a CT Scan, but again never seen anyone other than triage. I had the CT SCAN and was sent back to the waiting area while after 4 plus hours in the waiting area a staff member from the ER advised that they had no rooms and that if I wanted to be seen I need to leave go another ER or I could wait till morning and see my own doctor. However, I was never given CT Scan results etc...
 
I received a hospital bill for just $2,000.00 dollars my portion after insurance. I immediately drafted a letter and requested an itemized bill which I received yesterday and all it shows is the CT Scan and the ER fee. I'm not sure how to go about disputing this. I'm pissed I was never by a doctor and still getting all these large bills. My insurance has also paid a ER physician bill but again I never saw anyone and they paid the radiologist who read my CT Scan.
 
I'm tempted to write a letter to hospital administration asking for a reduce bill because of X,Y,Z and I'm also thinking I should I appeal or file a complaint with my insurance company for the ER Physician bill as I never had any form of physical contact or  a doctor in my line of sight.
 
Anyone have any other suggestions or thoughts. Thanks.

I have some old accounts that are past the SOL, here Texas is 4 years. I know debt validation is used on collection agencies. However, is contacting the original creditor a bad idea? I'm serious about cleaning up my credit report. I also have another question but I am going to ask it after someone answers this one. Thank you in advance for any help.

I am starting this thread to thank CB at current and future milestones.
I joined CB way back in 2012, but lurked and delayed for life's reasons. I learned a worthy lesson of keeping reports derog-free then, due to a great friend who introduced me to CB.
 
However, I never got back on the boards until early June of 2017.
Started with a staggering 95% utilization on revolvers (CL ~$24K), I was buckled-up to begin my journey.
My scores were then 702 (EX), 685 (TU) and 692 (EQ) and . No prequalifiers ever knocked on my door.
 
Today, almost three months later, thanks to CB, scores are 703 (EX), 718 (TU) and 712 (EQ), utilization is ~33% (CL ~34K). Every other day I get some or the other prequal, with companies like Barclay's, :-) which I never thought would happen.
 
I got my first ever sign-up bonus (SUB) few days ago from 'AMEX Blue Everyday', same for DW too.
I was expecting $100, but they gave me $250 for some reason (DW got $100). We only did regular spend.
 
So, thank you CB!