Dear Experian,

Recently we were told my husband’s credit report with Experian was not reporting and that his credit score is not available. We received a message that says “Factor 9002, Risk Score not available due to model exclusion criteria.” What do we need to do to correct this?

- RCH

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Dear Experian,

Do items on my credit report in which I am listed as an “authorized user” contribute to my score?

- DRH

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Dear Experian,

Is it true that if more than one mortgage lender requests my credit report within 30 days, it will show up as only one hard inquiry on my credit report?

- BSL

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Dear Experian,

I paid a credit repair specialist $1,800, and seven months later my score has only improved a little. I need help to improve my score. Can you guide me?

- DSG

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Dear Experian,

Will a period of unemployment hurt my credit scores?

- JNO

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Dear Experian,

I just reviewed my credit report and found that a significant credit purchase was not listed. All my payments were made on time. Can this be reflected in my credit report?

- BLR

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Dear Experian,

Is there any way I can check my credit score without it hurting my score? How much does it hurt me to order my credit score?

- KWS

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Dear Experian,

On my credit report in the section “Requests for your credit history summary,” there is a “Requests viewed only by you” section. One creditor has about 62 requests in the past two years, and I don’t have an account with them. Does this affect my credit score every time they check my credit? Or, is this just for their records to send me offers and does not affect me? I did not apply for a credit card from them ever.

- JYG

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Dear Experian,

How can I get my credit file updated? I have paid off two loans and made every payment on time. However, when I tried to get preapproved for a home loan I was told my credit report was inactive because there has been no change to my report in six months.

- PAT

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Dear Experian,

I was looking at my credit report and it stated, “You do not have a mortgage account in good standing.” What does this mean? I do not own a house.

- JKL

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Dear Experian,

If I have a two year contract with a cell phone company, and if I pay my cell phone bill on time in full every month until the contract is up, does that build my credit score?

- CMR

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Dear Experian,

My student loans were consolidated into a new loan. My old student loans now state “closed/paid collection” and, “Claim filed with government for insured portion of balance on loan.” Does this negatively impact my credit scores? I see “potential negative account” on all of the old loans. Can I get these old student loans removed to improve my credit scores?

- JNN

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Dear Experian,

Can inquiries be removed from your credit report?

-VNT

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Dear Experian,

It appears all three credit reporting agencies had listed my employer incorrectly. What impact does my correct employment and earnings have on my credit rating?

-RCH

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Dear Experian,

Does paying off a closed or charged off account raise your credit scores?

-TYC

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Dear Experian,

I have heard that requesting lower credit limits can hurt your credit scores. Is this true?

-MMB

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