Profile:
Unpaid doctor bills appearing in credit report
Dear Experian,
I am seeing that each time I go to the doctor and I do not pay those bills on time, the bill ends up on my credit report. This has resulted in 10 or more delinquencies, some of which are less than $50 each. How do I consolidate all these bills into one?
- JDY
Ensuring charges sent to collection in error are not in credit report
Dear Experian,
I disputed a charge off on my credit report and have a letter from the company stating the “charges were sent to collections in error,” how can I get this letter to you?
- KLB
Impact of balance transfers on credit scores
Dear Experian,
I have a question about balance transfers. I have a credit card with a balance that I am paying interest on. My husband has an existing credit card balance transfer offer at 0% for 12 months. That card is under his name and it has no balance. If I transfer my balance to his offer, how will that affect our credit score? Also, do any balance transfers affect your credit scores as long as you do not utilize any of the accounts after the transaction?
- STN
Owner-financed mortgage not reported on credit report
Dear Experian,
I purchased a home in November 2011. The owner is carrying the note. I would like to get my payment history reported to you. What does he have to do in order to report my payments so they reflect on my credit report?
- TML
Unrecognized inquiries could be sign of fraud, but most often are not
Dear Experian,
What do I do if I see a request for credit information from a company I am unfamiliar with?
- LCF
Individual payments to collection agency not always reported
Dear Experian,
I am currently making payments on accounts that are on my credit report. Do the credit bureaus recognize my payments that I’m paying to the collection agency?
- AYR
Loan modification denied because borrower can still make payments
Dear Experian,
I recently applied for a loan modification on my mortgage, but they did not qualify my application saying that based on the information I provided they felt that I can still pay my mortgage. I never stopped my payment and am still paying but wonder if just applying for the loan modification will hurt my credit?
- SLV
Listed as authorized user on mother’s delinquent credit card
Dear Experian,
I was an authorized user under my mom’s credit card. I never used the card. I only “piggybacked” so I could start a credit history. She was unable to pay her card, and I found out today that her debt was charged off in February 2011. I found out about it because I saw it in my credit report. How badly does this affect me? I want to ask to get that debt off of my report. If I do that, will that affect my mother’s report too?
- HNA
Removing “accounts included in bankruptcy” status from closed accounts
Dear Experian,
My bankruptcy was removed from my credit report late last year. Is there any way to update closed accounts to remove the wording “included in bankruptcy”? I had a car loan at the time of the bankruptcy that I reaffirmed and paid in full in 2006. Do I have to wait until 2016 when the account will be removed from my credit report? It feels like I’m being punished a lot longer than the 10 years for a bankruptcy.
- WCK
Protecting yourself from identity theft after a burglary
Dear Experian,
I returned from two weeks away from my house to find it had been burglarized. Among the missing items are some credit cards, and I have notified the card issuers. However, my Social Security number appears on an ID (with no other identifying information but my name and address) that appears to have been taken. What steps should I take to protect my credit? A neighbor advised me to ask you to request an alert.
- ARZ
Deleting evictions, judgments and bankruptcy from your credit report
Dear Experian,
Is there a way to get an eviction removed? A judgment was filed against me. If a judgment is discharged in your Chapter 7 bankruptcy, can it be removed from your report?
- JLB
New credit card not appearing in your credit report
Dear Experian,
I have had a new credit card since December. They state that they are reporting to the credit bureau but I see no record of it. How can I get this card on my credit report to help my scores?
- ATK
Credit histories not stored for specific dates in the past
Dear Experian,
How can I get my credit history for 1986 and previous years?
- STV
How to determine an account’s original delinquency date
Dear Experian,
How do you find out the original delinquency date of an account?
- KYN
Updating report to show bankruptcy is discharged
Dear Experian,
My bankruptcy was discharged one to two months following when it was filed. This would have been around September 2005. It still shows the bankruptcy is not discharged on my records, but it has been. How do I get this information updated to correctly reflect my discharge date?
- LND
Inquiries can have small impact on credit scores
Dear Experian,
I haven’t had negative activity on my credit report for over two years, and my score was recently 674. I applied for a credit card, and they did three hard inquiries but did approve me. Then right after I got the card my credit score went down eight points to 666. I called the creditor and they said they would put in a dispute for me. Can three hard inquiries cause your credit score to go down eight points, even though I was approved?
- TCL
Paid collection account not deleted immediately
Dear Experian,
How do I get something I have paid removed from my credit report? I’m trying to get approved for an apartment and I need it taken off ASAP. I have the letter from the collection agency showing the debt has been paid in full.
- RRB
How long “past due” record remains in credit report
Dear Experian,
How long does a negative payment status of “Paid, Past due 30 days” remain on my credit report? The item in question occurred in March 2006, while I was out of the country. I would really like to get this one potentially negative item off of my credit report.
- DHB
Tax liens not discharged through bankruptcy
Dear Experian,
I filed bankruptcy in 2002 because of divorce. It was discharged with zero assets and zero liabilities. A 1996 Michigan state tax lien still remains on my credit report after 16 years. I understood it was included in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002.
- SLV
Time is necessary before credit score can be calculated
Dear Experian,
My husband and I recently purchased a used car. He makes an annual income of $63,000 and I am a full-time, unemployed student. Because he had zero credit and I had student loans on creating a small credit score, we were only able to sign jointly for the car. He was told being the co-signer would be a great way to start earning credit. He’s tried to get a credit card but continues to be denied for lack of credit. We’ve had the car now for four months and all payments have been on-time. We just ran his credit looking at refinancing the car to a lower interest rate and the account is there, but he still does not have a credit score. Our bank suggested contacting you to see how long it takes before he will begin earning a credit score.
- CJF
Bankruptcy should not appear in joint account holder’s credit report
Dear Experian,
If there are two people on a loan and one of them files a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, would it report on the other person’s credit that the account is in bankruptcy status since the trustee will be making payments?
- CHS
Impact on credit scores of missed payments, mortgage modification
Dear Experian,
I’m considering entering into a six month reduced payment plan with my mortgage lender. I understand this will have a negative impact on my credit. Will this have a worse impact than being 30 days late on my mortgage payment?
- STS
Late payments not deleted immediately after account is paid off
Dear Experian,
I have paid off an account that previously had a late payment mark on my record. Is there any possible way to remove the negative mark on my credit scores, now that the account has been paid off?
- ALT
“Compromise sale” of home will hurt credit
Dear Experian,
I am active duty military and anticipating a permanent change of station this year. I am considering doing a VA compromise sale on my home in Tucson, as it is underwater. I am current on the payments and am wondering how much a VA comp sale will hurt my credit?
- DRL
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.