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Credit card paid in full but does not show zero balance
Dear Experian,
I pay my credit cards off in full before the payment is due, yet my report shows a 60 percent utilization ratio. Why is this happening and how can I prevent this besides getting more available credit or not using my cards?
- RBR
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Alarm company can turn past due account over to collections
Dear Experian,
I have a dispute with a security alarm company. They have implied a contract extension on a policy that I did not approve. I have not made a payment on the policy since November 2012 and am concerned that they may eventually turn the balance over to collections, thus negatively affecting my credit, though they have not threatened such action yet.
Is there an arrangement I can make with the credit reporting companies that can prevent harm to my credit in the event that issues with this company escalate? That is, can I prevent them from damaging my credit history by reporting this unpaid balance? Or is my only option to pay them?
- JSS
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Name change after marriage won’t hurt credit scores
Dear Experian,
I am married for a second time. Can having my maiden name and two married names negatively affect my credit score? My “middle” score is 780 but I am trying to improve to 800 plus.
- TEV
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Getting removed as joint credit card account holder
Dear Experian,
I am a cosigner and the secondary user on a credit card. I am not the primary user. I want my name removed from the account. I called the credit card company, and they will not remove me. Is there a way to remove my name? The primary user tried also, and they still won’t do it.
- WKN
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Intentional late payments for debt settlement will damage credit scores
Dear Experian,
I am considering signing up with a debt settlement company. They told me that in order for them to negotiate the best deal with my creditors I must refrain from paying my bills for more than 90 days. Won’t this negatively affect my scores?
- TND
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Joint accounts with husband can help wife qualify for credit
Dear Experian,
I have been married for many years and have always had credit with my husband. If I ever need to apply for credit on my own, will I be able to get approved based on the good credit I have had with him?
- EDD
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Collection account and charged off account for same debt in credit report
Dear Experian,
If an account is “charged off” and sold to collection agency, how can both accounts be used against you? My credit report shows two negative accounts. I owed $1,900, but now one account shows the original amount owed and a separate account shows $2,300 owed to a collection agency. Will both accounts stay on my report for seven years? The original account was four years ago, but the collection is only three months old.
- VNW
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Credit denied due to bankruptcy public record
Dear Experian,
My husband and I had our bankruptcy discharged in March 2012. We are still getting refusals for any type of credit we have tried to apply for, no matter how small. We have one credit card we have never been late on. It has a limit of only $1,500.00, and we have always paid it off so have not been charged any interest. Our denials all state “due to public record.”
- BDJ
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Creditors not required to notify you before reporting delinquency
Dear Experian,
Do creditors have any obligation to notify you directly of an impending report of a late payment other than a monthly statement?
- BNF
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Company suing after account deleted from credit report
Dear Experian,
Last year, I disputed an account with you and the other CRAs. About a month after the dispute, you and the other CRAs deleted that item off my credit reports. Now the company that placed that erroneous account is attempting to sue me. Can I request a document from you and the other CRAs validating that the account was deleted?
- AFG
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Deleting accounts because of permanent disability
Dear Experian,
I was put on permanent disability between 2009 and 2010. I remember reading on some of my credit contracts that they would be dissolved in case of permanent disability. How can I go about having them removed from my report?
- KEB
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Why there isn’t just one credit score
Dear Experian,
Why isn’t there one credit score across the board? Could you please explain why lenders receive different credit scores than what I receive? Why are the credit scores different from each lender, such as for car loans, mortgages and other loan companies?
- ICH
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Multiple auto loan inquiries count as only one
Dear Experian,
I was shopping for a car recently and multiple lenders checked my credit. I have checked my credit report and all inquiries are showing up. I thought when shopping for a car the inquiries count as one?
- SLA
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Business credit cards on your personal credit report
Dear Experian,
I am the sole proprietor of an LLC. Will credit cards in my name and the name of the business show up on my personal credit report?
- AHK
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Disputing address, student loans that may belong to daughter
Dear Experian,
My wife got her credit report and an address that is not ours showed up. We need it removed along with two school loans that are not ours but may be from our daughter.
- LSH
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Settled or charged off accounts in your credit report are “potentially negative”
Dear Experian,
If an account is paid off/closed, settled, or charged off, why would it still be showing as potentially negative? Is there any way to get these removed so they no longer affect me negatively?
- JNG
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Paying off account will not restart the seven year time frame
Dear Experian,
If a charged off credit card is about to drop off and I pay it off, can the creditor restart the seven year time frame on my report?
Thank you.
- PYR
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Account reported as potentially negative after bankruptcy discharged
Dear Experian,
I went through Chapter 13 bankruptcy. I paid all that I owed, and my Chapter 13 was discharged in March 2012. I requested an item be deleted since the seven years was up, and my request was denied. They said it was because the account was brought current. How can that be?
- GLD
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Getting a free credit report when your application is declined
Dear Experian,
I was denied credit based on a credit report from Experian. Can I order a free credit report online from Experian if I have already used my free annual credit report within the last 12 months?
- SJA
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Cosigning for apartment could hurt but might help credit scores
Dear Experian,
My grandson wants us to cosign for an apartment. Does this affect our credit score in any way or just if he doesn’t pay rent?
- MTP
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Contacting collection agency won’t add negative entry
Dear Experian,
I have an unpaid charge-off that I want to pay off. I’ve contacted the creditor showing on my current credit report but they advised me that they sold the account in 2011. The “sold to” company has never contacted me for re-payment. How can I go about paying off this debt and stopping the monthly reporting to the credit agencies? I’m afraid if I contact the “sold to” company there will be another negative entry on my report, in addition to the original creditor.
Thank you.
- BLD
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Fraud alert should not cause an increase in apartment fees
Dear Experian,
My apartment complex raised my fees because you reported, “APPLICANT: High Probability SSN Belongs to Another. There is an excellent chance that the Social Security number on the application belongs to someone else. This is highly indicative of fraudulent activity. Carefully verify the identity of the applicant before proceeding.” Does Experian make such claims?
- ATR
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Student loan debt listed as “government claim”
Dear Experian,
On one of my student loan accounts this was posted: “Government Claim/Insurance Claim.” What does that mean?
- RSC
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Allowing late mortgage payments for short sale
Dear Experian,
If I’m planning to do a short sale but have not yet gone behind on monthly payments, is there any advantage to not going behind on payments? In other words, does your credit get damaged exponentially in that scenario? If it doesn’t really matter, then wouldn’t it be wiser to just stop payments now and save the money?
- MTS
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Make medical payments to the collection company not to the hospital
Dear Experian,
I have been making monthly payments for a hospital bill. The hospital has stopped all correspondence and continues to cash my checks. They have also reported on my credit report with no reduction in debt updated. The report states collection even though they are accepting payment.
- DLR
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About Ask Experian
Welcome to Ask Experian, hosted by Maxine Sweet, Experian's Vice President of Public Education. The blog responses draw on the knowledge of Experian's experts in credit reporting, credit scoring, direct marketing, automotive history, identity theft and other areas from across the company to answer readers' questions about these and other important topics.