Maximizing my credit score

[TechieTechie]

Hi...

 

First time poster, thanks for all the great info on this site...hoping you can help.

 

Mid-aged single person, have finally gotten to a financially stable point in my life. Pulled my credit yesterday from Experian's $1 offer, and my scores are good, not great. 701 (Experian & TransUnion, Equifax: 698. I would like to get my credit above 780, but to be able to use my credit cards for as many purchases as possible so I can get points to travel (I do several international trips a year).

 

History

Had a terrible history with credit, dating back to college. Used them as free cash and got into real trouble. Finally 10-15 years ago, realized that I had a problem managing my credit. Really scaled back and cut back on cards (using only my ATM/Visa and 1 BOA) to get used to buying within my means. Opened up my first card (SPG Amex) almost 2 years ago, and have had good success managing that (pay in full every month), so I'm ready to build on it.

 

The current stats:

Good wage earner: $16k+ month. It's just me.

Own home: $320k in mortgage. All on time payments last 24 months, was 60 days behind in 2010/2011 (see below).

1 small car loan: $10k. All on time payments.

1 Corporate AMEX: (doesn't show on my credit reports)

1 SPG AMEX: Opened 12/13: $17k credit limit, high spend of $8k. Pay in full every month. 20 month clean payment history. Have been using it for everything possible for SPG points. But realizing I'm charging too much on it (the report said something about using more than 30% of my credit).

 

Oddly enough, I just found a writeoff due to an old utlity bill ($72 bucks!!!)...so I have to figure out how to get that off. The only 'deliquent' that shows active on my account.

 

Old accounts: Fixed

Owned a condo before the house. Tried to buy the house/sell the condo at the same time during the recession (2010/2011), had to carry 2 mortgages for a year. Ouch. Had some trouble manging both payments, as you'll see below:

 

DCU: HE load for condo renovation. Potentially negative close (but I Paid in Full before closeout).

15 months of okay payment

4 months 30 days late

1 month 60 days late

 

NHSA: Condo mortgage: Potentially negative close (but I Paid in Full before closeout).

18 months of okay payment

2 months 30 days late

1 month 60 days late

1 month of 90 days late

 

DCU: Car Loan. Potentially negative closed. Paid in full, all but 1 on time payments. 30 days late. Was traveling, forgot to send in payment (duh).

 

Old accounts: Credit

BOA Card 1: Opened 3/1/2004, High balance of $15k, potentially negative close. Closed the account after I closed on the house, as I used it to fund repairs to get the condo sold.

Past History: 2013: ND, 2014-2015: OK (odd, because I dont' think the card was open). Should I re-open this card? I had called last month (I ran across an old card), and they were happy to reopen it. Challenge is, I won't/will rarely use it (no points) but it's good credit aging.

 

BOA Card 2: Opened 11/2006, High balance of $5k, Current close.

Past History (2009-2010): All ND

 

Chase Cards (2): $15k and $6k credit limit. Looks to be closed in 2007, okay payment history for 2006-2007.

 

Store Cards: Macy's, Linens, Lowes,Talbots, Yale Electric : All closed, good payment history.

 

 

So the question is, how do I increase my credit score. I'm thinking I shoud:

 

1. Dispute this old National Electric charge

2. Reopen my BOA account

3. I'd like to open another account, for points. Either Chase Sapphire or Citi Premiere/Prestige.

 

Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!

 

 

 

[nateinva]

Welcome to CB and good start on a thread. Looks like you have some negatives to clean up and I'm of zero help on those but there is a lot of step by step advice here to deal with these things. Others will chime in with detailed advice but you should start by obtaining paper copies of your reports from all 3 CRAs. The online reports aren't going to show you everything.

 

As general advice......closing accounts that don't have an annual fee isn't a good thing. Those accounts all count towards your total available credit thus lowering overall utilization. Building a thick file of open cards aging together will benefit you in the long run when you selectively open new accounts in the future.

 

Interesting on BofA willing to reopen an old account. If the account is paid and current it could be a very good thing to have that older line reporting.

 

You have strong income, just focus on the negatives...it's going to take some effort but it will be worth it.

 

You can come back and post details from your paper reports (minus personal info / account numbers, etc) and we can help with those. Hopefully there are some easy obsolete disputes in there.

 

What other info did you get from your Experian pull? Did you get your total available credit, average age of accounts, total utilization, etc?

 

 

Do you only have the Amex SPG as an open CC right now? If so, you need at least 3 cards open/reporting for maximum FICO benefit...ideally 5+ (again that BofA card might be nice to have open if it's paid/current)

 

OK other CB'ers, chime in and do you what you're good at!

[TechieTechie]

Hi Nate, thank you for the welcome. I have a 30+ page report from CreditCheckTotal, not sure exactly what you want....but here's a start:

 

Ratio of your revolving balances to your credit limits:46%. I just have the SPG AMEX, and I use it very heavily (bought a bunch of wine lately), but I pay in full every month.

Number of your accounts currently being paid as agreed: 3 accounts (home loan, car loan, AMEX)

Number of your accounts that were ever 60 days late or worse or have a derogatory indicator:4 accounts (the facts on these accounts are correct)

Oldest Account:16.1 year(s)

Average Account Age:8.8 year(s)

Accounts Ever Late: 6

Accounts In Collections:1 (stupid utilities, see below....I have to do some digging here)

Collections

NATIONAL GRID
Account Type Other Collection Agencies
Balance $76.00
Past Due $76.00
Date Opened 10/1/2012
Account Status
Mo. Payment $0.00
Payment Status Seriously past due date / assigned to attorney, collection agency, or credit grantor's internal collection department
High Balance $0.00
Limit $0.00
Terms 1 Month

Time Since Negative:2.8 year(s)

Inquires: 1 (AMEX SPG)

Yes, I only have 1 open CC.

Real Estate: Current Account(s): Count 3 0 3, Balance $327,026.00 $0.00 $327,026.00, Current 3 0 1, Delinquent 0 0 0, Other 0 0 0
Revolving: Current Account(s): Count 10 10 10, Balance $7,995.00 $7,995.00 $7,995.00, Current 10 10 10, Delinquent 0 0 0, Other 0 0 0
Installments: Current Account(s), Count 3 3 3, Balance $12,030.00 $12,030.00 $12,407.00, Current 3 3 3, Delinquent 0 0 0,

Other 0 0 0, Other Count 0 3 0, Balance $0.00 $327,026.00 $0.00, Current 0 2 0, Delinquent 0 0 0, Other 0 0 0
Collections: Current Account(s), Count 1 1 1, Balance $76.00 $76.00 $76.00, Current 0 0 0, Delinquent 1 1 0, Other 0 0 0
All Accounts: Current Account(s), Count 17 17 17, Balance $347,127.00 $347,127.00 $347,504.00, Current 16 15 14, Delinquent 1 1 0, Other 0 0 0

 

Revolving Debt:$7,995.00,$7,995.00,$7,995.00

Revolving Credit Limit:$17,400.00,$17,400.00,$17,400.00

Revolving Credit Usage: 46%,46%,46%

Real Estate Debt:$327,026.00,$327,026.00,$327,026.00

Installment Debt:$12,030.00,$12,407.00,$12,030.00

Total Debt $347,127.00,$347,504.00,$347,127.00

The things that are actually wrong on the reports are:

1. An old car loan from Major Bank is showing up as not closed on Equifax.

2. My current home loan is under 'other' on Equifax instead of real estate.

a. My old home and AMEX loan show up under 2 different vendors. does that matter?

 

[hyschmied]

If you currently pay the SPG off after the statement cuts, you can boost your utilization by paying in full BEFORE the statement thus not showing a balance and yours scores will come up a bit. Just pointing out a low hanging fruit.

[TechieTechie]

Hyschmied; Thanks for the advice. How much will the score come up? 5 points? 15 points? Can I pre-pay and have a credit balance? Reason I ask is that I travel every week for work and rely on the notification 'your statement is ready' for payment. (I barely remember to buy milk or do laundry). Usually my email comes out around the 7th, but this month, looks like the cutoff is the 14th.

 

Would it also be beneficial to call AMEX and call for a credit limit increase?

 

Thanks so much

[nateinva]

Call Amex (or do it online) and ask for 3x your current limit on the SPG.

[TechieTechie]

So, here's a (maybe) dumb question. I want to apply for a Citi Premier card...and from what I've read, I need to get past that 780 threshold . Am I better off upping my SPG card and re-activating my BOA before apply for the Citi Card? Will reactivating my BOA card result in a credit score pull (I would assume yes).

 

3x on AMEX?? Wouldn't that result in another credit pull too? I don't want to get rejected from Citi for too many pull. Oh, and that amount of credit availability scares me. I just don't want to have too much credit line as compared to my income.

 

If I do those two things (and hopefully get this stupid National Grid off my report) how long will it take for my credit score to go up? And will they go up enough???

 

Hyscmeid...your increases are quite laudable. Congrats!

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie

[MickeyChick]

Hyschmied; Thanks for the advice. How much will the score come up? 5 points? 15 points? Can I pre-pay and have a credit balance? Reason I ask is that I travel every week for work and rely on the notification 'your statement is ready' for payment. (I barely remember to buy milk or do laundry). Usually my email comes out around the 7th, but this month, looks like the cutoff is the 14th.

 

Would it also be beneficial to call AMEX and call for a credit limit increase?

 

Thanks so much

Many smartphones and computers have a reminder function. You can find out what day your statement cuts and then set a reminder for the day before to pay before the statement cuts.

[nateinva]

So, here's a (maybe) dumb question. I want to apply for a Citi Premier card...and from what I've read, I need to get past that 780 threshold . Am I better off upping my SPG card and re-activating my BOA before apply for the Citi Card? Will reactivating my BOA card result in a credit score pull (I would assume yes).

 

3x on AMEX?? Wouldn't that result in another credit pull too? I don't want to get rejected from Citi for too many pull. Oh, and that amount of credit availability scares me. I just don't want to have too much credit line as compared to my income.

 

If I do those two things (and hopefully get this stupid National Grid off my report) how long will it take for my credit score to go up? And will they go up enough???

 

Hyscmeid...your increases are quite laudable. Congrats!

 

The more details you've provided the more it allows to give better/accurate advice. I need to head out for a while but you'll get some very good replies at this point. Stick around!

 

On Amex......I see what your limit currently is. Call and ask for $25k....should be an easy approval. It's a soft inquiry, no hard pull, ZERO harm to call and ask them. As far as accounts/inquiries go, you should be an easy approval for that and it's instant.

 

You could honestly ask for the full 3x increase and probably be approved with your solid history with them and excellent income. Don't go for more than you are comfortable with but you'll see that many of us have a lot of available credit. Having it is a great thing as it boosts your total available credit.

 

You are reporting at nearly 50% utilization and only have one open card. These are a big hit on your scores. Definitely time to open a few new cards. Citi Premier is a great card and definitely does not require 780+.

 

Want to add more but gotta run!

Edited October 4, 2015 by nateinva

[TechieTechie]

Thanks Nate! Is this the type of info that would be helpful?

 

Experian:

Account Type Mortgage Companies
Balance $0.00
Past Due $0.00
Date Opened 2/1/2005
Account Status Closed
Mo. Payment $0.00
Payment Status Paid, was past due 90 days
High Balance $0.00
Limit $0.00
Terms 360 Months
Comments
2008 2009 2010
Month MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR
Experian OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK 30 30 30 60 90

 

Equifax

Potentially Negative
Account Type Mortgage Cos.
Balance $0.00
Past Due $0.00
Date Opened 2/1/2005
Account Status Open
Mo. Payment $1,559.00
Payment Status not more than four payments past due
High Balance $225,000.00
Limit $0.00
Terms M 30Y
Comments FIXED RATE
2008 2009 2010
Month MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR
Equifax OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK 30 30 30 60 OK

 

TransUnion
Potentially Negative Closed
Account Type Finance, personal
Balance $0.00
Past Due $0.00
Date Opened 2/1/2005
Account Status Closed
Mo. Payment $1,559.00
Payment Status 90 days past due
High Balance $225,000.00
Limit $0.00
Terms 360 Months
Comments
2008 2009 2010
Month APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR
Transunion OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK 30 30 30

[tobettercredit]

As Nate said order your paper reports by phone/mail. By law you're supposed to get one free every year.

 

You need to reduce your utilization on your Amex card to as close to zero as possible.

 

Try to reopen your BOA card. If that doesn't work, then

 

check how many inquiries you have on each report, check credit pull on this site and see what you can get with your scores.

 

Look lenders known for good travel reward cards/hotel points such as Chase, Citi, Amex, Barclays.

 

Do not overlook Cap1 for generous, and combining, limits.

[TechieTechie]

Thanks all....

 

I've got full paper reports starting from 2011 and going backwards to 2005. What's the benefit if I have the detail this most recent, as well as from other years? Not trying to be obstinate, just trying to understand the benefit. Actually, in doing more reading, it looks like it's a soft pull, so I will do that

 

Only have 1 hard pull in the last two years...from AMEX.

 

If I re-open BOA, they will do a hard pull, right?

 

Grr, are you saying reduce the AMEX spend until I have more credit? For how long? I really hate to give up the points, but if it's only for a few months, I can survive.

 

I am looking at getting either Chase Sapphire or Citi ThankYou Premiere. No Capital1 or Barclays (bad points) or AMEX (2 is enough). Thank you, ToBetter, for the reminder about CreditPull....it looks like folks have been approved for both Sapphire and Citi Premiere with my credit score.

 

Is there any benefit in spacing out the BOA and Chase/Citi requests?

 

I also need to be careful not to have too many hard pulls in the next 12 months, as I'll be applying for a good sized construction loan on the house.

 

Thanks so much...great info.

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie

[MickeyChick]

Thanks all....

 

I've got full paper reports starting from 2011 and going backwards to 2005. What's the benefit if I have the detail this most recent, as well as from other years? Not trying to be obstinate, just trying to understand the benefit.

 

Only have 1 pull in the last two years...from AMEX.

 

If I re-open BOA, they will do a hard pull, right?

 

Grr, are you saying reduce the AMEX spend until I have more credit? For how long? I really hate to give up the points, but if it's only for a few months, I can survive.

 

I am looking at getting either Chase Sapphire or Citi ThankYou Premiere. No Capital1 or Barclays (bad points) or AMEX (2 is enough). Thank you, ToBetter, for the reminder about CreditPull....it looks like folks have been approved for both Sapphire and Citi Premiere with my credit score.

 

Is there any benefit in spacing out the BOA and Chase/Citi requests?

 

I also need to be careful not to have too many hard pulls in the next 12 months, as I'll be applying for a good sized construction loan on the house.

 

Thanks so much...great info.

If I am reading correctly, Techie, you are paying AMEX in full every month, but you are paying after the statement cuts. A simple adjustment in payment date will change your reported utilization from 30% to 0% (since it's your only card, let $2 report to maximize FICO)

 

The benefit to having a recent report is that you can compare the accounts and make sure that creditors aren't making wonky changes to them - which would cause them to be considered negative.

[hyschmied]

Things change on reports all the time. Get updated ones.

 

Don't worry that much about hard pulls. I always have 10+ on each. 😀

 

You don't have to reduce spending in the Amex. I pay mine a couple times throughout the month making sure to pay again right before the statement closes so it reports zero.

 

Most would recommend applying for Chase first, then the others. I think you'll be fine for all of them.

 

Lastly I see you mention a mortgage of some type so that changes my first point. If you have a year then do your apps now and then limit any more inquiries until you apply for the loan.

[TechieTechie]

Hi Mickey and Hyschmied,

 

Yes, I pay my AMEX in full every month, but after the statement is issued. Ahhh....so you are saying...I could continue to use my AMEX, but just pay for it before the statement is issued. Therefore getting both my points AND the credit score benefit. That seems like the best of both worlds, thank you!!!! But how long will it take my 46% usage (or whatever) to become less relevant?

 

I can 'print' from my computer...are the screen displayed reports from www.annualcreditreport.com any different than the printed and mailed copies?

 

Odd that you suggest Chase (or Citi) first. BOA should be instant approval, and I figured any additional credit is gravy for my score when I apply for Chase/Citi (it will only be 1 of the 2)..plus BOA to help increase my credit history. Or am I overthinking this? I have a habit of analysis paralysis

 

Thanks again everyone!

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie

[nateinva]

Thanks all....

 

I've got full paper reports starting from 2011 and going backwards to 2005. What's the benefit if I have the detail this most recent, as well as from other years? Not trying to be obstinate, just trying to understand the benefit.

 

Only have 1 pull in the last two years...from AMEX.

 

If I re-open BOA, they will do a hard pull, right?

 

Grr, are you saying reduce the AMEX spend until I have more credit? For how long? I really hate to give up the points, but if it's only for a few months, I can survive.

 

I am looking at getting either Chase Sapphire or Citi ThankYou Premiere. No Capital1 or Barclays (bad points) or AMEX (2 is enough). Thank you, ToBetter, for the reminder about CreditPull....it looks like folks have been approved for both Sapphire and Citi Premiere with my credit score.

 

Is there any benefit in spacing out the BOA and Chase/Citi requests?

 

I also need to be careful not to have too many hard pulls in the next 12 months, as I'll be applying for a good sized construction loan on the house.

 

Thanks so much...great info.

 

If you are focused on cleaning up the negatives you'd want your most recent paper reports to work off of.

 

Inquiries in general are highly overrated but the comment about the construction loan is important. Definitely don't want to have any new accounts/inquiries within 6 months minimum of applying. If you are currently 12 months out, you are at a very good point to add to your portfolio.

 

You don't need to reduce the utilization of your SPG card. What is happening is you are letting the full balance report each month instead of paying the balance before the statement cuts. Since you only have the one card this instantly kills your utilization, even though you are paying it in full every month. Make sense? If you tweaked your schedule slightly, you'd never report that balance to begin with and have 0% utilization as far as the reporting is concerned.

 

You'll learn here too that having one card report a small balance will maximize FICO as well...but worry about that after you have a few cards and more available credit reporting.

 

No need to space anything out and actually better to do it all now to let them age together.

 

Clearly you don't 'need' credit as you have very strong income and you've kind of ignored the credit accounts/due dates and so on because it wasn't important. Not criticizing...if I had that kind of cash I probably wouldn't be worried about it either. :-)

 

What is of benefit to you though is to take the tools here to maximize your profile. Many of the regulars here would love to have your current profile as a starting point to build from. I'm sure from mainstream things you see/read about credit, the advice here may be a little unorthodox but trust me....you are much better off to learn and interact with the people here and your credit profile will be much better for it. If you are willing to listen to a different way of looking at some things you will benefit greatly....that I promise.

Edited October 4, 2015 by nateinva

[MickeyChick]

Hi Mickey,

 

Yes, I pay my AMEX in full every month, but after the statement is issed. Ahhh....so you are saying...I could continue to use my AMEX, but just pay for it before the statement is issued. Therefore getting both my points AND the credit score benefit. That seems like the best of both worlds, thank you!!!! But how long will it take my 46% usage (or whatever) to become less relevant?

As soon as the monthly statement reports a $0 balance, your utilization is 0%

[TechieTechie]

Oh, Nate...trust me...my credit was horrendous for a very, very long time after college. Did the whole non-profit credit counseling thing, had student loans thiiiiiiiiiis close to default, had a horrendous time getting a used car loan...it was bad. Luckily I had time on my side and a very good job the last 10 years. So, you could say, the score I have now has been 20 years in the making . I certainly appreciate all the advice here.

 

So from what I am hearing I should (in this order):

 

1. Pay down my AMEX today to zero

2. Increase my AMEX to $25k

3. Apply for either Chase/Citi this week

4. Re-open my BOA this week.

 

Then, keep my balances below 30% of max on each card (that should not be a problem) and ideally pay them (save maybe a small token amount) before the statements are due. And get the paper credit reports, and try to fix any inaccuracies.

 

Then, in terms of applying for credit, don't do another pull until my construction loan.

 

The only problem is, when does the '30 days' on the printed reports start? When they print the report or when I file a dispute (I am going to be flying to the UK for two weeks on Saturday (and another 2 week trip a week after that)..don't want them to show up next Monday and lose 15 of the 30 days to report inaccuracies.

 

TIA!!!!!

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie

[MickeyChick]

Oh, Nate...trust me...my credit was horrendous for a very, very long time after college. Did the whole non-profit credit counseling thing, had student loans thiiiiiiiiiis close to default, had a horrendous time getting a used car loan...it was bad. Luckily I had time on my side and a very good job the last 10 years. So, you could say, the score I have now has been 20 years in the making . I certainly appreciate all the advice here.

 

So from what I am hearing I should (in this order):

 

1. Pay down my AMEX today to zero

2. Increase my AMEX to $25k

3. Apply for either Chase/Citi this week

4. Re-open my BOA this week.

 

Then, keep my balances below 30% of max on each card (that should not be a problem) and ideally pay them (save maybe a small token amount) before the statements are due. And get the paper credit reports, and try to fix any inaccuracies.

 

Then, in terms of applying for credit, don't do another pull until my construction loan.

 

The only problem is, when does the '30 days' on the printed reports start? When they print the report or when I file a dispute (I am going to be flying to the UK for two weeks on Saturday (and another 2 week trip a week after that)..don't want them to show up next Monday and lose 15 of the 30 days to report inaccuracies.

 

TIA!!!!!

You can charge 100% of your limit on your cards every month and as long as you pay in full before the statement cuts, it will always report as 0%.

If you can: Pay in full, up your limit, then wait until a few days after your statement showing $0 balance and higher limit reports, before applying for new cards.

[TechieTechie]

Thanks Mickey, will do!

[Konrad2012]

Your utilization on the single card, having only one open revolving trade and the CO are what's killing you.

 

You need three to five open revolvers. I'd work on the CO, then apply for more cards.

 

You're also not going to be able to re-open your BofA. So find products that the benefits/awards appeal to you.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Konrad2012

[TechieTechie]

Thanks Konrad...one question, though. When I spoke to a BOA rep last month, they said they could re-open the card under the same account number. Was the rep just pulling my leg? I hadn't used it in years, not surprised that they cancelled it. Personally, I'd rather steer clear of BOA, but didn't know how much that would help my credit history (I have a lot of history, all the accounts are closed, though)

 

I'm hearing conflicting reports...work on the CO first, or open the new cards first. I do need to be careful about the timing with my construction loan.

 

Any additional feedback is helpful.

[tobettercredit]

"Then, keep my balances below 30% of max on each card"

With all due respect to the many mainstream "experts" who pontificate about the 30%, CB experts do not advocate having multiple cards report balances particularly not at 30%. Here the gospel we sing for maximizing credit score is maintaining zero balances on all cards expect one reporting $2.

 

I'm hearing conflicting reports...work on the CO first, or open the new cards first. I do need to be careful about the timing with my construction loan.

 

They are not conflicting. Only the many ways to skin a cat. If you are fixated on 780 then you will not get there fast enough to meet your goal with only one card, high UTZ and a CO/CA. For construction loan I think 740 will be sufficient for best rate and you're not that far away from getting there. See if you can negotiate a PFD with National Grid WHILE you are adding new accounts NOW or at least 6 months before your construction loan.

[TechieTechie]

Thanks ToBetter, for clearing this up. Already paid my AMEX for this month (and put a reminder in my calendar to pay before statement issuance) and will call them tomorrow on the credit increase

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie

[TechieTechie]

Also, maybe its a dumb question, but I'm on a roll, so why not.

 

I have this stupid $76.00 collection on my CR, as noted below. All with the same account number (48xxx)....but the Odd thing is, the account number on the CR doesn't match my current account at National Grid (my current one starts with 49xxx) and the date opened date doesn't match when I bought the house or sold the condo (it's off my 2 years). Of course, I used to keep every single invoice that notated payment, going back 7 years (well, I did work in corporate finance). But I did a major purge this summer and threw out bags and bags of old invoices thinking why would I need them (duh!)...and my current bank account (going back 2 years) shows nothing in this amount (and a round figure seems an odd amount for a utility bill).

 

So, it's such a small amount I honestly don't care if it's valid or not, I just want it off my CR. Or, said another way, I'm happy to pay if it will go away.

 

Do I dispute, goodwill or PFD? (although I've read on myFICO that National Grid credit doesn't often do PFDs) Do I call National Grid credit to get info on the account (will this raise any red flags)?

 

Help and thanks

 

 

TransUnion: No Company name collection. Telephone number is NCO.

Account Name COLLECTION

Name unknown

PO BOX 17205
WILMINGTON, DE 19850
Account Type Collection services
Balance $76.00
Past Due $0.00
Date Opened 10/5/2012
Account Status
Mo. Payment $0.00
Payment Status
High Balance $0.00
Limit $0.00

 

Equifax:

TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS I
8772733495
PO BOX 17205
WILMINGTON, DE 19850
Unknown
Account Name TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS I
Account Type Other
Balance $76.00
Past Due $0.00
Date Opened 10/5/2012
Account Status
Mo. Payment $0.00
Payment Status Unpaid
High Balance $0.00
Limit $0.00
Terms
Comments

 

Experian:

NATIONAL GRID
Unknown
Account Name NATIONAL GRID
Account Type Other Collection Agencies
Balance $76.00
Past Due $76.00
Date Opened 10/1/2012
Account Status
Mo. Payment $0.00
Payment Status Seriously past due date / assigned to attorney, collection agency, or credit grantor's internal collection department
High Balance $0.00
Limit $0.00
Terms 1 Month
Comments

Edited October 4, 2015 by TechieTechie