How do you get rid of a duplicate (but true) negative item on a credit report?
147822
Hey, I've been following your line of questioning.  You seem to be in a tight situation.  I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you but there are many great books out there to help you in your situation.  You might try Suze Orman, she is a guru on personal finance and getting some tips from her books will save you $loot$!  \nI was in your same situation, I went to school and got lots of debt trying to get my M.S. as well.  I even filed for bankruptcy.  Even when you do that it is not over.  I learned a big lesson on personal finance that way.  I now have a 728 credit score, I own 3 houses, one credit card with a $13000 limit (i never carry a balance over), I lease a $38000 car with no downpayment, and can get financed anywhere I want, if I had to.  Plus, that bankruptcy is still visible on my Credit report (it was almost 5 yrs ago).  Hopefully you will never have to do that. \nAll I'm saying is, stick with it.  Don't let other people tell you it's really bad where you are.  It is going to get better, it is just going to take some time.  If I were you, I would keep renting, especially if you have some debt you need to take care of. UNLESS you are going to get into income property, such as a duplex, that pays for itself b/c of the tenant's rent pymnt.  You are doing the right thing and getting the facts about how to overcome your current status.  \nYou really should call the company about your above question.  When lenders get the sheet on you, they look at the money you owe.  If you owe twice as much as you really owe it is going to look horrible.  One of my reports said I owed the Dept. of Education twice the amount of my school loan!  Can you imagine?  Over $80K!  That looked real bad.  It really doesn't matter if it is a duplicate, lenders only care about the amt. you owe against the amt. you earn.  \n\nGood luck friend!  If you ever have any questions or advice about personal finance I am willing to share with you what I did or read to do it, I really like to help people with finances.  I'm not a guru just a real person with a similar background.\nqumungis@yahoo.com
157750
Get a credit report....If it is not on it , it was probably paid off
215063
If you will still have those two negative items on your credit report, even if they are paid in full, contact all 3 credit bureaus immediately about those 2 negative accounts.  Tell them that those are the specific accounts that you are disputing and tell them that those accounts are wrong, that they are now paid in full.  \n\nMake sure to include information on the accounts such as the account numbers and the name of the company.  The three credit bureaus will have to investigate and they will find that you did in fact pay the accounts and they will change that on your credit report to showing that they are now paid in full.\n\nWhatever you do, do NOT bother contacting the accounts that you paid in full and asking them to report to the credit bureaus that you paid them.  They will just jerk you around and say "oh well, it says in our records that we did report it" when in fact they don't.  They got your money and they don't give a crap about the rest to take the time to report to the credit bureaus that you paid them.  So you will have to contact the credit bureaus yourself and let them know that it is incorrect.\n\nIf you don't know, the three credit bureaus are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.  The phone number to TransUnion is 800-916-8800, Experian is 888-397-3742, and Equifax is 800-270-3435.  It probably won't be enough to call them to dispute the information, but you can call and ask for their mailing address.  Then you will need to type up a letter to each credit bureau to tell them you are disputing the errors on your credit report.\n\nTo save you some time getting screwed around by the credit bureaus, I recommend you include with your dispute letter a copy of your driver's license, a copy of your social security card, and proof of your current residency such as a copy of your current utility bills with your name on it.\n\nSorry if it sounded like I ever repeated myself, but I am just trying to save you some hastle in the long run.  Because if you don't include all of those things along with the dispute letter right away, the credit bureaus will just screw you around and keep sending you letters requesting more information and it will just take a longer process and you keep having to repeat the information you already sent to them.\n\nIf you haven't guessed, I have gone through this already.  lol  But the upside of this is, the sooner you get this done, the better, and if you have any credit cards or other accounts, just keep them up and try to keep as low of a balance as you can and keep paying.  Your credit score will improve sometimes within 6 months or so.
911719
Roderick,\n\nLet me break this down for you.\n\nOnce you are in a situation where you can even pay a portion of the debt, you need to send the collection agency a pay-for-deletion letter.\n\nJust remind them that you have other creditors to pay, and "in the spirit of compromise" you would like to settle the account for $XXX dollars as payment in full IF and ONLY IF the collection agency will remove the negative item from you credit report at ALL THREE credit bureaus.\n\nThe collection agencies will try to give you the okie-doke by saying that they can not do this (because it's extra work for them).  However, they have the ability and authority to do it.\n\nIf the collection agency declines your offier, just inform them in writing that your payment went to another collector who agreed to the aforementioned terms.\n\nPlease be aware that you are NOT TO TALK to the collection agencies over the phone or through e-mail.  All correspondence must be sent via CERTIFIED MAIL.  In addition, you must maintain copies of the receipts as proof of mailing.\n\nSee hyperlink below.\n\nGood luck.
1014611
All you need is your reports and an internet connection, sometimes a phone.  \nGet your reports annualcredit report.com\nFind innaccuracies/outdated information\ndispute online\nif your report contains accurate negative information, it can still be removed if it is unverifiable.  if you dispute and the company doesnt respond in the alotted time frame the information must be removed.  \nIts just so easy.  theres lots of information on the net.  Id give you my email to help further but im not sure if we can do that or not ;)
87129
It depends how old the eviction is... most "negative" info on a credit report expires after a few years, but you can also petition the credit reporting agencies to delete these items, or include your good faith explanation.  There are several web sites devoted to tenant rights and there is always Nolo Press for affordable and reliable legal resources.
1147624
creditor and it's report stays on your report for a minimum of 7 years.....However, if your current credit is positive and stays clean for at least 24 months....you will mitigate most of the damage the bad debt does to your FICO score.....\n\nMost the time, it will take you written requests, follow up to actually get it removed directly to each of the reporting agencies - obviously you need to wait 7 years to even begin to try.\n\nBut, again, it's your recent activity of demonstrating credit worthiness that will count the most.
349172
You are finding out what I've been trying to warn people about for weeks now.  \n\nNever, ever, pay off an bill that is in collections unless you get IN WRITING that they will remove the negative entry from your record before you pay them a DIME!\n\nNow that they have your money, you no longer have any leverage over them.  Good luck getting them to fix your report.  Remember this....credit reporting agencies only report what the creditor tells them.  They can NOT remove it or change it.  \n\nWhat you will need to do is this.\n\n1) Send a letter to the CRA protesting the report, and tell them exactly what is wrong with it.  If it's paid off try to supply any evidence of it.\n\nThe CRA will contact the creditor to "verify" that the report is legitimate.  Remember they are not investigating anything, they are just verifing with the creditor that the information they have is correct.  \n\nIf the creditor does not change the record, and you have documented evidence that it is wrong, then move on to part 2.\n\n2) Send a "demand for validation" letter to the creditor.  They must supply you with copies of all contracts, bills, receipts, and everything used to calculate what they claim you owe. If they do not produce it, send a copy of this letter with another protest to the CRA to remove the listing.  If they don't do it, you have grounds to sue both the CRA and the creditor.\n\nIf the creditor can not supply proper evidence to prove the listing is accurate, and still will not remove it, you can sue the creditor for violations of the FCRA, and defamation of character.  \n\nRead the links below, contact me if you need more help.
939898
call any of the credit reporting companies.  they will put it on your file at no cost.
205963
I'm in the same boat as you. Each time you payoff or remove a negative debt from your credit report your score increases. it may however take a while before you notice the difference. Every on time, early, late, or non-payment makes a difference. Shoot for the first two since they have the best outcome. Good luck!
1115849
If you've not acutally paid the debt or had it discharged through a bankruptcy order, then it might be possible for it to continue to reappear if the account has been sold.  To get the final answer on the matter, contact the credit bureau (Trans America, Experian or Equifax) that's showing the debt and dispute it.   When you dispute something on your credit report, the bureau showing the charge must contact the company that reported it and obtain supporting information.  The credit bureau will then give you information based on the applicable law to indicate whether the charge continues to be valid or if it should be removed.  If it should be removed, then they will do so.  If not, you'll have to actually clear it before it drops off.  The websites for the credit bureaus are www.experian.com, www.equifax.com and www.transamerica.com.
301867
doing this myself. you wait about a week. depending how far you mail the affidavit. call the collections agency. ussually they send you a letter in the mail conforming and notifying you that they wil be taking it off your credit report. but you can still call and they should have in there records the staus of your affidavit. sometimes they need more information like a police report. need more help ask me. i am dealing with it my self. real big headache huh
26973
If the reports that are in your credit report are factual then nothing you can do.  You can only wait for 7 -10 years when they will be erased off your record.\n\nHowever, if it happenned through no fault of your own, speak with the creditors and ask them to remove the negative entry from your file.\n\nSometimes you can call the reporting agency and claim you have no knowledge of a certain entry or you dispute it and they'll request more information from the creditor.  If the creditor does not reply they will remove it.\n\nEither way at least dispute it so it will say "disputed by consumer" on file, so other potential creditors will at least know you are fighting it.
77144
yes. you need yo contact a credit help agency like crusader or careonecreditcounseling.com they will put you on the right track. items can be removed in as little as 3days but will report in 31days.
852120
The only thing that can repair your credit is time and current payments. If there is misinformation on your reports you can dispute it and see if the reporting agency will remove it.
434783
You need to study the file very carefully.  It may say paid, but if it also says "Charge-off," "Repossession," "late notations", or "Collection", (just to name a few), it's still a negative item on your report, and will effect your credit score.\n\nItems on your report will stay for 7 years from the date of first default.  \n\nThe bad part is that once the creditor has your money, they generally won't give you the time of day.  That's why it's recommended you get an agreement that they remove any negative information, in writing, before you pay off the debt.  \n\nNow that you have lost all leverage to do that, all you can do is politely ask them to remove the listing.  Not likely im most cases I have counseled.
377620
If the negative items are an error dispute them with each credit bureau (and send a seperate dispute letter to the creditor direct).  If it's not an error it will not be removed until 7 years from the last activity date assuming the account is closed or was charged off.  Time will be your friend.  As negative items age they become less important to what makes up your credit score.