Dear Experian,

I am trying to buy a house, and my credit score just needs to go up by one point. The only credit I have is a credit card with a $900 balance and $1,500 limit. If I pay it down to $500 would this raise my score?

- NDR

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Dear Experian,

We filed chapter 7, and it was discharged on Jan. 31, 2002. Because we were under the old law, the bankruptcy should be off our credit, right?

- EPE

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Dear Experian,

Does a Chap 7 bankruptcy drop off the report 10 years after filing date or the discharge date?

- DGM

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Dear Experian,

Who gave permission to collect information at consumer reporting companies, and when did it start?

- SPL

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Dear Experian,

I am thinking about cancelling a few credit cards that have a zero balance that I don’t use but have a great payment history with. How will this decision on my part affect my credit scores?

- ABF

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Dear Experian,

I’m asking my bank to do a loan modification on my mortgage. They said that I need to be 30 days late on my payment in order to do the modification. Is this going to damage my credit?

- RBL

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Dear Experian,

I am thinking about cosigning an apartment lease for my girlfriend. I would not live there. I know that if she makes a late payment or doesn’t pay that I will be responsible for the lease payments and that it will show on my credit report. But, will the simple fact that I am a cosigner show up on my credit report if I want to apply for a loan or mortgage for myself? Assuming she pays as agreed will cosigning affect my credit score?

- LYB

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Dear Experian,

I am a graduate student with no income. I have a car payment that hasn’t been paid in two months, and now they want to repossess it. I am doing all I can to get the money but am considering letting them take it. I have no help at all. What should I do? How long does it take a repossession to be removed from a credit report, and how long will it be held against me?

- ANS

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Dear Experian,

I had a credit report and score run. My score is 687. The report said my risk grade is “D” (Non-Prime).What does the risk grade mean? Is “D” good or bad.

- OVE

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Dear Experian,

Which credit card bill should I pay first? I had a credit card closed by the company because the bank is going bankrupt. On my credit report they list that the account was closed by the consumer, that I have $0 credit available with a balance of $2,568 and an APR of 35.5%. I also have an open credit card with a credit limit of $3,500 and only $80 available (it’s maxed out). The APR is 10.99%.

- TAS

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Dear Experian,

I want to know if your landlord put you in court for unpaid rent and you got evicted but he did not do a credit check when you moved in would it be on your credit report?

- URR

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Dear Experian,

Is it true that my credit is going to be trashed once I join in a debt management program?

- NLI

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Dear Experian,

When a spouse dies what happens to their credit information? Can it be purged or removed with a copy of the death certificate?

- MRB

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Dear Experian,

Since October 2008 I have been unemployed and would like to know how applying a credit freeze on my reports affects my search for employment.

- SWE

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Dear Experian,

My credit report is clean except for past due medical bills. I would like to know if having medical bills past due is going to prevent me from having a good credit score and good credit. I have always been told not to worry about paying any medical issues on my credit report. Is that true?

- YGR

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Dear Experian,

When I moved, I misplaced the PIN for lifting my credit freeze. Can I get another PIN, and can I request it by email?

- VAG

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Dear Experian,

My credit is spectacular! One card has decided to lower my credit limit. I have never been late for any cards and all have been paid off. Will this hurt my score?

- DRU

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Dear Experian,

Do balances on my business credit cards affect my personal credit scores?

- SCO

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Dear Experian,

After I pay off the negative items on my credit are lenders able to see that I once had negative items?

- IDE

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Dear Experian,

I’m a little concerned that someone may have used my son’s Social Security number to obtain credit. How can I find out for sure?

- EAC

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Dear Experian,

I have a credit card that is no longer open – per a phone conversation – but it states that it has an “open” status on my credit report. How can I get that “closed” on my credit report?

- CEP

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Dear Experian,

My husband and I were gifted my Dad’s home. It is paid in full. We had to do a short sale on our previous home, and it messed up our credit pretty good. About how long until our credit will be where it needs to be to get a HELOC loan approved?

- MTA

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Dear Experian,

We received a “change in terms” notice from one of our credit card companies, increasing our interest from 7.90 percent to 17.90 percent, and from fixed to variable. Which decision will be best for our credit ratings, closing the account or paying it off and keeping it open at the higher rate, but not using it?

- KML

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Dear Experian,

How do I get a fraud alert removed from my credit report?

- DIB

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Dear Experian,

If two single people co-sign on a home mortgage and one of them files for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, will the credit report of the other co-signer for the home mortgage be affected, even when the mortgage payments are kept current?

- LMS

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