It is our goal to help our clients get the best possible interest rates and terms when applying for a loan. Credit scores have the largest impact on the type of loan you will qualify for and the interest rate you pay. Often, we can help guide you to what will help improve your credit rating. However, it is never a guarantee, these are only suggestions based on a credit analyzer. 

When paying of collection or charge offs that you want removed: 

• Try contacting the original creditor to get the account removed.
• Never pay by credit card or over the phone as there is no record of your conversation.
• Pay by check, money order or cashier’s check so there is a record of your agreement.
• In the memo section of the check, ALWAYS write “PAID IN FULL”, the account number of the original creditor if you can find it and the account number for the collection agency.
• In the memo section of the check ALWAYS write “in agreement for removing from all 3 credit bureaus”

When paying down or pay off debt:

• Always follow the exact directions of the credit analyzer, don’t pay off more ore less, keep in mind that the faster you resolve this, the faster your credit will improve.
• Never let the creditor convince you to go on any payment plans, this only prolongs the derogatory credit.

When removing disputes:

• Contact the Credit Bureaus.
• Once you’ve made a list of the disputes you need to close, it’s time to contact the credit bureaus to request the dispute be removed.
• The exact method use to contact the bureau may depend on which bureau is still showing the dispute.

If the dispute(s) are showing up on your TransUnion report, for example, it may be a simple matter of calling the customer service line (or writing a letter) and requesting to speak to the Special Handling Department to have the dispute removed.

• • TransUnion Dispute Removal:
    800-916-8800
    555 W Adams St
    Chicago, IL 60661

You may not have the option to call for disputes that show up on your Equifax report, as some sources say you’ll need to write a letter requesting the dispute be removed. If you’d still like to give customer service a try, some reports suggest asking for the Executive Consumer Service department may be successful.

• • Equifax Dispute Removal:
    404-885-8300
    1550 Peachtree St, NW
    Atlanta, GA 30309

Removing disputes from your Experian credit report may prove to be the most challenging, according to some reports. You can try calling the customer service line and requesting the National Consumer Assistance Center or Executive Customer Service Team (sources are mixed on which will work best), or writing a letter to request removal.

• • Experian Dispute Removal:
    714-830-7000
    475 Anton Blvd.
    Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Be sure to request dispute removals well before you really need them to be removed. While TransUnion disputes are reportedly removed right away (during the phone call, in most cases), Equifax and Experian disputes can take up to 72 hours to be removed from your reports. Additionally, some disputes may need to be ended by the creditor, rather than by request of the consumer, so you may need to factor in time for some back-and-forth to get this accomplished.

You May Be Able to Re-File Your Dispute in the Future

In some cases, you may feel your dispute should have resulted in the removal of the item in question, despite the need to end the dispute before it could be resolved. You may be able to refile a credit report dispute after you’ve obtained your mortgage loan, giving you another shot at having the disputed item removed from your report. If you do choose to refile your dispute, you may want to consider hiring a reputable credit repair company to do the work on your behalf. An experienced company may have a better chance of successfully disputing any questionable items, and can often save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. Our top-rated credit repair companies have decades of experience helping consumers successfully remove disputed items from their credit reports. 

Closing or opening an account

• We typically do not recommend closing accounts, only paying them down or off.
• Closing account can often do more damage than good, follow the analyzer exactly as recommended We typically recommend opening a new credit card only to boost scores, but it is not quick fix, it can take several months.
• Consult with your loan officer before have your credit repull to open a new account

Getting added as authorized user on an existing account:

• From time to time we will recommend that you get added as an authorized user on someone else’s existing credit card account.
• Consult with your loan officer before having your credit pulled.