Poor credit score even after paying off all debts
July 29th, 2010 by Guest
Over a year ago I paid off all of my accounts that went to collections and all my credit cards. I recently purchased a new car with a co-signer and I pay more than the payment amount every month. However, my credit score is still in the 400′s! What else can I do to improve my credit score?
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More time.
It used to be that you could piggyback on another persons’ credit but that is no longer possible. Some people were paid $1500 or so to be added to a user on an account but without the card just to bring up scores.
Now it takes years to have your score raised by paying bills on time.
You will need to allow more time for your scores to increase. Make sure the debts on your report show PAID IN FULL or DEBT PAID. That usually helps. Rebuilding your credit wont happen overnight, it will take years. Great job paying your debts though. You are on your way.
You need to pull your credit report to see what’s on them. If you haven’t pulled them in over a year, you can request them for free at annualcreditreport.com. Once you’ve seen the negatives and positive items on them, then it is important to dispute the negative items and try to build some positive items. You may be very surprised on what may be on your credit reports! You can try to do credit repair on your own, but it can be very time consuming, frustrating, and stressful. It may be worth it to find a reputable credit repair company to work with you to help rebuild your credit. I was fortunate enough to work with a company called Debtbusters911. They gave me personalized service and explained everything to me step by step. They use consumer rights and laws that most people don’t even know they have to improve credit. Your credit score is the most important number in your life. You see first hand that even if you pay everything off, you need to have good credit and a good credit score to get ahead and get good interest and financing rates, etc. There are still good companies that can help you out there.
Paying your bills on time for a long time. Although you paid off collections they will remain on your report for 7-1/2 years.
Collections (well, the original bad debt) will stay on your credit for 7-10 years. So, even if you’re currently in the clear, your recent past still weighs significantly, especially the negatives. You may want to use a credit card, and pay it off, just to keep up a history of paying your debts. Just having zero debt doesn’t give you any major benefit. The reporting companies would rather see you using credit responsibly. And as v.b. said, it’ll take more time.
Try disputing the collections still being listed as paid on your credit report. Many agencies will not respond to credit disputes on accounts that have been paid and if they don’t respond within 30 days then the account is removed.
@ v b, absolutely right
Really don’t have idea about credit reports. It’s nosebleed man! But thanks anyway, I’m trailing the discussion above and it’s really so technical and all that. Thanks for the idea people.
Amazing post. I agree with you. I just say that pay your bill on time. Thanks for sharing.