r/CRedit Jul 16 '25

MOD Megathread - r/CRedit FAQs

50 Upvotes

Hello r/CRedit,

I'm u/soonersoldier33, a long-time and frequent contributor to the sub and several other credit related subs, and recently, I've been given the opportunity to become a mod here at r/Credit. Many of you have probably seen my comments in various threads offering facts, opinions, and advice in the various threads posted on the sub. After destroying my own credit in 2019 (maxed credit cards, charge offs, collections, the works), I began my rebuild in 2021, and I had the great fortune to find this sub. Several of the frequent contributors here at that time provided me invaluable information and guidance to help me through my rebuild, and during that process, I discovered I was/am fascinated by all things 'credit', most specifically the 'secret' and so often misunderstood credit scoring system that is such a major factor in our financial lives. Since 2021, I have become a total FICO metrics junkie, and I have spent countless hours researching and learning about credit scoring, collaborating with others to compile data points and learn from their knowledge and experience, and just glean every morsel of knowledge and information out there in an effort to bring some transparency to the 'black box' that is the FICO scoring system, along with many other aspects of 'credit' separate from just FICO scoring.

I am creating this r/Credit FAQ - Megathread to serve as a central hub to link posts that will cover...well...the most frequently asked questions or most frequently posted topics from our sub. Eventually, I will migrate much of the information in these posts to update the sub's Wiki, but I want to be able to get these in a highly visible location first, where the relevant posts can quickly be referenced and linked as these topics appear in posts to the sub. A little different than the Credit Myth series that fellow contributor u/BrutalBodyShots created to attempt to dispel common, credit-related myths and misconceptions, this megathread will present detailed information that will attempt to simply answer FAQs and/or address our most frequently posted topics. My goal with these posts is to provide factual information about these topics, and anything I include in these posts that is merely opinion will clearly be denoted as such.

I'm going to tackle the most basic ones first...credit reports and scores, FICO scoring, a breakdown of utilization scoring, charge offs and collections, medical collections, etc., but if you have suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered, please list them in the comments to give me ideas. I look forward to providing some content that will be useful to both our sub 'regulars' and to those first discovering our sub. It's going to take a little time to effectively grow this thread to cover many of the 'FAQs', so bear with me, and both positive feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome. I hope this thread grows into a helpful addition to our sub. Til next time...

~ Sooner

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." ~ Mark Twain (maybe)

Credit Basics

  1. Welcome to r/CRedit! - Start Here and Read This! (No, really...Read This!)
  2. Credit Reports and Credit Scores
  3. Fill out our template in your post!

FICO Scoring

  1. FICO Scoring - Basics
  2. FICO Scoring - Payment History
  3. FICO Scoring - Amount of Debt (Amounts Owed)
  4. FICO Scoring - Length of Credit History
  5. FICO Scoring - New Credit
  6. FICO Scoring - Credit Mix

FAQs

  1. Utilization
  2. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Loans
  3. Credit Cards 101
  4. Early Exclusion - Step By Step Guide

Other Useful Information


r/CRedit Jun 18 '25

General Credit Myth mega-thread

75 Upvotes

Like many other sub regulars, I've found u/BrutalBodyShots' Credit Myth series informative and also helpful in explaining these myths to others. A while ago I started compiling them in order to make it a lot easier to link to them in my comments.

I figure I might as well share the list I made, because more than once I've told people to search through his post history if they want to read them all. Also notice at the end I included several other threads of his that I've found useful, especially the one that contains that utilization flow chart. I can't tell you how much typing that's saved me since he made it.

I'll try to keep this list updated as more Credit Myth threads come out, but even if I fall behind this is a great place to start. And if anyone finds any mistakes or messed-up links, please let me know.

u/BrutalBodyShots on the Credit Myth series:

"I started the Credit Myth series in 2024 after continuously running into the same credit-related misconceptions on these subs. Having fallen prey to almost all of them myself, I completely understand how most believe what are in fact credit myths. It took me years to overcome many of them, so hopefully through the Credit Myth series that process can be significantly shortened for others.

With over 60 of these threads to date, most of the 'big ones' have been debunked at this point. The series isn't yet complete however, and perhaps never will be since over time additional myths seem to surface. If anyone has any ideas for future topics that aren't already covered, always feel free to reach out and let me know.

Special thanks to u/Funklemire for creating this thread and offering to maintain the master list, as well as to u/soonersoldier33 for seeing value in it enough to keep it front and center on r/CRedit."

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Credit Myth #1 - You only have one credit score.

Credit Myth #2 - Some credit scores are fake or inaccurate.

Credit Myth #3 - Paying down debt slowly over time builds credit.

Credit Myth #4 - Credit scores can change for no reason.

Credit Myth #5 - Credit monitoring services can tell you why your score changed.

Credit Myth #6 - Making multiple payments per month builds credit.

Credit Myth #7 - Number or percentage of on-time payments impacts your score.

Credit Myth #8 - When you close an account you lose its credit history.

Credit Myth #9 - Average Age of Accounts (AAoA) only considers open accounts.

Credit Myth #10 - Closing a credit card hurts your credit.

.

Credit Myth #11 - Closing a loan will tank your credit.

Credit Myth #12 - You are approved or denied credit because of your credit score.

Credit Myth #13 - Any credit score above 750 is just bragging rights.

Credit Myth #14 - You shouldn't use more than 30% of your credit limit(s).

Credit Myth #15 - Credit limits are a Fico scoring factor.

Credit Myth #16 - Hard inquiries "age" and become less impactful slowly over time.

Credit Myth #17 - "Credit builder" products are superior for building credit compared to non "Credit builder" products.

Credit Myth #18 - Revolving Utilization makes up 30% of your Fico score.

Credit Myth #19 - Goodwill requests don't work.

Credit Myth #20 - Checking your own credit can hurt your score.

.

Credit Myth #21 - Remarks/comments on your credit report can impact a credit score.

Credit Myth #22 - You can have a credit score of 0.

Credit Myth #23 - The best approach to credit repair is "dispute everything!"

Credit Myth #24 - Credit bureaus only provide factual information.

Credit Myth #25 - Fico scores and credit knowledge are directly related.

Credit Myth #26 - Those in the [credit] business only give good advice.

Credit Myth #27 - The amount you spend is a Fico scoring factor.

Credit Myth #28 - Credit scoring simulators are always accurate.

Credit Myth #29 - Approval odds for credit cards online are accurate.

Credit Myth #30 - Income and/or DTI are Fico scoring factors.

.

Credit Myth #31 - Credit Repair Companies can do things you can't do yourself.

Credit Myth #32 - Higher utilization always means higher risk.

Credit Myth #33 - A creditor must tell you the reason they denied you credit.

Credit Myth #34 - Removing a negative item from your reports will result in a score gain.

Credit Myth #35 - Your Fico score will drop if you pay off a credit card.

Credit Myth #36 - The more accounts you have, the better your Credit Mix.

Credit Myth #37 - Low utilization improves CLI chances.

Credit Myth #38 - Paying off loans or cards faster builds credit.

Credit Myth #39 - Credit cycling will get you shut down.

Credit Myth #40 - If you open a new card, your score will recover in 3-6 months.

.

Credit Myth #41 - If you pay off a collection your score will increase.

Credit Myth #42 - When you apply for credit, the potential lender will only see the bureau report that they hard pull.

Credit Myth #43 - Credit scores are a debt score!

Credit Myth #44 - Personal loans or in-store financing will help / can't hurt your credit.

Credit Myth #45 - There are certain times during the month you shouldn't use your credit card.

Credit Myth #46 - Lenders "see" more with a hard inquiry (HP) than a soft inquiry (SP).

Credit Myth #47 - A hard inquiry is worth a few points.

Credit Myth #48 - Experian, TransUnion and Equifax are credit scores.

Credit Myth #49 - The best way to rebuild credit is to open new accounts.

Credit Myth #50 - "Experian Boost" can help improve your credit.

.

Credit Myth #51 - A Credit Lock is better than a Credit Freeze.

Credit Myth #52 - "Pay in full" means to pay your current balance to $0.

Credit Myth #53 - You shouldn't open any accounts in the 12 months leading up to a mortgage.

Credit Myth #54 - Carrying a small balance builds credit.

Credit Myth #55 - A credit account can be closed for no reason.

Credit Myth #56 - VantageScore is a good predictor of a FICO score.

Credit Myth #57 - It's illegal for lender to change a negative reporting.

Credit Myth #58 - Outside lenders have no idea how much you pay toward your accounts monthly.

Credit Myth #59 - You should never close your oldest credit card.

Credit Myth #60 - FICO scores drawn upon identical data from different bureaus will be exactly the same.

.

Credit Myth #61 - Age of accounts metrics go by number of calendar days.

Credit Myth #62 - There are days during the month that you shouldn't use a credit card.

Credit Myth #63 - A product change means a new account.

Credit Myth #64 - Credit scores are a scam!

Credit Myth #65 - If your score drops following a loan closure, it'll bounce back quickly.

Credit Myth #66 - FICO scoring is a "black box" and no one really knows how it works.

Credit Myth #67 - There's never any downside to keeping an old unused credit card open.

Credit Myth #68 - The best place to get your credit reports are from the credit bureau's websites.

Credit Myth #69 - Credit "ratings" provided by a CMS matter.

Credit Myth #70 - Authorized user accounts are a great way to build credit.

.

Credit Myth #71 - The dollar amount associated with a late payment impacts FICO scoring.

Credit Myth #72 - Keeping utilization low is good advice for budgeting purposes.

Credit Myth #73 - ChatGPT/AI only gives good credit advice.

Credit Myth #74 - Closing young accounts improves Average Age of Accounts (AAoA).

Credit Myth #75 - You need to satisfy diversity of Credit Mix first in order to obtain real loans.

Credit Myth #76 - A purchase or payment made can immediately impact a credit score.

Credit Myth #77 - FICO negative reason codes and lender denial reasons are the same thing.

Credit Myth #78 - An elevated "highest balance" on a credit card is always a bad look.

Credit Myth #79 - You should only freeze your credit if you encounter an issue with your reports.

Credit Myth #80 - DTI and revolving utilization are the same thing.

.

Credit Myth #81 - Inferior/predatory issuer products are a necessary step for weaker credit profiles.

Credit Myth #82 - Unsecured credit cards build credit better/faster than secured cards.

Credit Myth #83 - The best place to get your credit scores are from the credit bureau's web sites.

Credit Myth #84 - Credit cards are for emergencies.

Credit Myth #85 - Whether an account is closed by consumer or credit grantor matters.

Credit Myth #86 - Being denied credit hurts your score.

Credit Myth #87 - Your due date comes before the statement closes.

Credit Myth #88 - All credit scores with a "max" of 850 can be achieved.

Credit Myth #89 - You can only get your credit reports from annualcreditreport.com once per year.

Credit Myth #90 - With auto pay, you can "set it and forget it."

.

Credit Myth #91 - FICO scores are for consumers.

Credit Myth #92 - The utilization myth no longer applies because trended data is now used.

Credit Myth #93 - You need to watch out for the "All Zero" penalty.

Credit Myth #94 - You need a lot of accounts in order to achieve perfect credit.

Credit Myth #95 - "Credit builder" apps are a great way to build credit.

Credit Myth #96 - As an authorized user, the score of the person you "borrow" the account from impacts yours.

Credit Myth #97 - FICO scores are always lower than VantageScores.

Credit Myth #98 - As a co-signer, you have less responsibility than the person you co-signed for.

Credit Myth #99 - It costs money to monitor your credit.

Credit Myth #100 - For an account to remain "paid as agreed" you need to make payments.

.

Credit Myth #101 - Different FICO scores are always similar.

Credit Myth #102 - Higher interest rate credit cards are worse than lower interest rate cards.

Credit Myth #103 - You need all "exceptional" ratings to achieve a perfect 850.

Other helpful threads:

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Goodwill Saturation Technique (GST)

Goodwill Letters - Using the "CART" approach.

Credit Karma 101: The good and the bad.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #1: On-time payments.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #2: Confirm your cards.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #3: Closed account.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #4: Approval odds.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #5: Come back!

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #6: You paid off your balance.

Credit Karma targeted email manipulation #7: Metal cards.

Ideal Utilization [chart] - Step aside, 30% Myth...

Credit Scoring Primer: A great Fico scoring resource.


r/CRedit 13h ago

Success Finally my first “big” limit

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83 Upvotes

So, basically you guys helped me get my family into our first home. From 480-500 all the way to 740 in just under 3 years. The day we closed and got the keys, we just HAD to apply for a card and utilize the score LOL.

Thanks for all the tips. You guys rock


r/CRedit 4h ago

General I emailed Capital One’s CEO asking them to take ~$100k of debt from their competitors. Here’s what happened:

9 Upvotes

Figured some of you might find this interesting.

I am a long standing card holder with Discover, which is now Capital One.
Discover was my first credit card. Got it at 17 with a whopping $500 limit and I’ve had the account ever since — 13+ years now. Last year I had a major medical situation that completely screwed up my finances. I burned through my savings trying to keep everything paid and basically do what you’re told you’re supposed to do. Eventually I realized I needed help, so I called Discover myself and asked about hardship options. They actually helped!!Capital One continued it after buying Discover and my rate is currently 5.99%. Meanwhile I have around $100k in revolving debt with other banks at much higher rates.

So I had a thought:

The debt already exists. Capital One is currently earning nothing from it. Why not ask them to take it? My credit score is not great because of utilizations, but I have never missed a payment or been late. I figured let’s just try.

I found Richard Fairbank’s corporate email and sent him a letter.

The gist of my request was this: expand my existing Discover line enough to transfer some/all of the other debt, give me the same 5.99%, and I’ll move the balances over and focus on paying the whole thing down.
I wasn’t asking for $100k to go shopping. I even said I’d be fine with them locking down new spending, transferring the money directly to the other creditors, doing it in stages, asking for documentation, whatever.
I also told them pretty plainly that if they helped me do this, they’d have me as a customer across their products for a very long time. Didn’t really expect anything to happen.

But somebody from Capital One actually called me.
And told me…

My account currently has no balance transfer offers.
Lol. 😂 ☠️

I explained that I understood that. That was kind of the entire reason I emailed the CEO instead of clicking the balance transfer button.

So, hmph. I knew asking them to take on anywhere near $100k at 5.99% was a huge long shot. I’m not offended that they didn’t do it. But the whole thing did leave me wondering about something: When things went sideways, I burned through my own money first. I called my creditors before simply stopping payments. I told them exactly what was happening. I’ve tried to find ways to restructure the debt that still involve me paying what I owe. And yet sometimes it feels like doing all of that leaves you with fewer options than waiting until everything is completely on fire. Maybe that’s just how credit risk works. Maybe I’m missing something obvious.

But it does beg the question:
Does doing the honest/proactive thing with creditors actually help you?

Would especially be interested to hear from anyone who’s worked on the banking/underwriting side.

Can’t say I didn’t try lol.

TLDR; I emailed the CEO of Capital One a proposal to help me restructure debt, they responded by calling me and telling me I had no eligible offers or options to increase my credit line.


r/CRedit 4h ago

General Credit Karma is showing two cars in my profile that I have never owned. Am I at risk?

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5 Upvotes

I noticed today that my Credit Karma app is showing these vehicles which I have never owned as suggestions for getting car insurance rates. When I go to remove them and update the list, it says I need to add a car. Which I don’t want to do. Is this some kind of glitch or is this indicative that someone is using my information? My credit is currently frozen with all three bureaus and has been for years. Thanks in advance


r/CRedit 3h ago

Rebuild Rebuilding from my early adult-hood stupidity and lack of financial awareness.

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3 Upvotes

My goal is by this time next year to have a 700 score I have a long way and yes I have a credit card with navy federal mixed with kik off and opensky credit card I literally couldn't get approved for credit one, capital one or discover. I get anxiety if I see a balance due on my credit cards now. Any tips and things that might make it quicker to boost my score to at least 660 before a year? My score was way low a few months ago I'm talking sub 400’s.


r/CRedit 1h ago

Collections & Charge Offs Need Help

Upvotes

Hi. I have 3 credit cards totalling around $9,000 in debt. I am trying to do the snowball method with them, but it's just not working. I have one through DCU, one through CFNA (highest amount, interest and late fee accruing every month), and one small balance through Wells Fargo. My credit is bad because I lost my job earlier in the year and had to stop paying the creditors. I have no idea what to do, but I have to do something, because I got an email from CFNA the other day saying I have 2 weeks to pay the minimum (do not have the minimum to pay) or they will use more serious action to get payment. Can you guys point me in the right direction to get help? I want to pay off the debt, and rebuild my credit. I am 33. I make $33,000 gross and $27,000 take home. I use credit karma to track my credit score. Thank you in advance!

ETA: I can not move in with my parents or inlaws. My fiance works and helps where and when he can.


r/CRedit 6h ago

No Credit Credit suddenly Unscorable

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4 Upvotes

I have a score of 728, and about 4 years of credit history. Suddenly my score has disappeared and showed up as “unscorable”. It is damn near impossible to reach a human being at Experian and it’s driving me nuts. Like what does this company do other than try to sell you credit cards you don’t want.

Anyways, any tips on why my score is suddenly “unscorable” despite no recent changes to my credit?


r/CRedit 3h ago

Collections & Charge Offs Anyone dealt with people gas collections?

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2 Upvotes

I called to see if I could pay to delete but the rep denied. They said they don't do pay to delete. They gave me the option to pay in full or make a payment plan. They did mention I could go online and speak with the AI rep and get in writing that once the account was fully paid they would do a "courtesy removal".

I also asked if I could pay less and they also denied.

But then this happened.... the rep accidentally sent an email while we were on the phone, in their words "oops, I accidentally pressed the incorrect option. Ill send another email regarding your balance" .

Any advice on how to go about this. Ive been stuck in the 610-620 range and want to bring it up.


r/CRedit 1h ago

General Equifax won't give me my credit report

Upvotes

Hi guys, so I was trying to request a credit report from Equifax on annualcreditreport.com but they kept saying something went wrong and then I switched from safari to Google Chrome and it told me the same thing except in Chrome they asked me a few security questions (I guess?) before showing me the same page that says something went wrong? I did call whatever number they provided me and they ( it was a robot the entire call btw ) said they would mail the credit report to me but I'm not at the address right now and I just want an electronic copy of the report saved on my mac so it's easier to access. Does anyone know what I should do ? ( Experian and TransUnion did not give me these troubles )

( the same thing happened to me a few months ago btw )

Thanks!


r/CRedit 12h ago

General Lost my SSN

4 Upvotes

hi i’m 18 and i just got my id and social like 2-3 months ago and i unfortunately lost them today on public transport and i was just wondered how much at risk i am of credit fraud? i haven’t opened up a bank account yet or anything, just get a job and i wanna know how scared i should be and also what i should do about it besides get replacements


r/CRedit 3h ago

General Will credit card payments made one business day before a card's closing date be reflected on my VantageScore / FICO's?

0 Upvotes

I am in debt repayment mode, and had a few ACH's come in today, and made a pretty large debt payment toward a particular card (Discover / now Capital One). I noticed that the closing date for that card is tomorrow. I'm guessing that the "posting date" (i.e. when the funds technically leave my checking account) will technically be tomorrow, so I'm wondering if the payment will make it in time to reflect on the various credit scoring models?

Overall, I know one month doesn't matter, and that the most important thing is that I'm paying down this interest-bearing debt, but it would still be nice to see the progress.


r/CRedit 10h ago

General Credit freeze inquiry

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

How can I protect my children from credit or identity fraud? Is freezing their credit even though they are like 4 a good idea? Making accounts for them on credit bureaus? ​


r/CRedit 4h ago

Collections & Charge Offs Sunrise Credit Services

1 Upvotes

I have a collections reporting with sunrise credit services on behalf of AT&T/Uverse. AT&T is not reporting its own account. I tried to negotiate a pay for delete and got denied at what I believe is the lowest level. What would happen if I just pay the account in full? End goal is I want it off my credit report


r/CRedit 6h ago

General TransUnion app

1 Upvotes

Tried logging in on the app for TransUnion and i always use the pin code , for some reason today i was fully logged out and wasnt given the choice to put in the pin code on the app. Tried to log in and just kept getting errors . Anyone else experiencing this?


r/CRedit 1d ago

Success I got approved for Chase Sapphire Preferred | $5k CL and Amex Gold in 2 days

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84 Upvotes

I am not sure if this is hard to get or not

Score was 690 at three credit bureaus

But I have 3 Secured Credit cards all three combined total credit lines is $1200

I lowered my utility and my score jumped 690
I decided to apply for Amex Gold got approved
I waited for amex to be added to my record and applied for chase and got approved with $5k.

Super happy, I guess I have two good cards wouldn’t ask for more.


r/CRedit 7h ago

Car Loan Should I keep a small car loan open to build installment credit?

0 Upvotes

I’ve never had installment credit before and currently only have 4 credit cards. I’m hoping to buy a house in 1–2 years and have heard that having installment credit can help your credit history/score.

I recently got a small car loan only because it allowed me to get a $2,500 rebate. The rebate isn’t directly tied to keeping the loan open, so I won’t lose it if I pay the loan off early.

There’s a $75 prepayment penalty if I pay it off before 6 months.

Would it make sense to keep the loan open for 6+ months to establish installment credit before paying it off? Or would it be better to just pay it off as soon as possible?


r/CRedit 7h ago

Rebuild Will a car lease help rebuild my credit faster?

1 Upvotes

I had been discharged for BK July of last year and I'm rebuilding my credit and I am at 674 on FICO 8 Experian. I know my auto scores are usually lower, so I would not get the best deal right now. My question is if it is worth leasing a car right now and have a mixed credit being reported to the credit agencies. Will it make my credit rebuilt any faster? Or should I wait until my credit gets better with only my credit cards being reported and try to get a better deal at a later time? I am finally trying to be well educated and more responsible when it comes to my finances. TIA!


r/CRedit 8h ago

General Soft Inquiry Equifax ACIS - ???

1 Upvotes

I checked my Equifax credit report and there is a soft inquiry from Equifax Information Svs and the description is ACIS Automated Consumer Interview System. I’m freaked out because I did not check my report on this date and I haven’t applied for any credit and my report is already frozen. When I google it says ACIS is used for reports, freezes, and disputes. I haven’t done any of these things. Has anyone else seen this on their reports?


r/CRedit 9h ago

Collections & Charge Offs Identity IQ?

1 Upvotes

This process is painful. I finally almost got to the 700s but an old collection was reinserted from National-grid. It’s $1600 so I would hope I can get it removed based on reinsertion law. If not of course I’ll settle. I paid someone $1000 to help me and I’m tired of begging them to do their job. Everyone says use free annual credit report but it’s very tedious . I’m getting errors from Equifax that I need to call. I’m thinking about re enrolling in identify IQ unless someone can recommend a buffet platform with a similar layout but cheaper? (I want all 3 burueas in the same place so I can easily see derogatory items. Thanks if you respond 🙏


r/CRedit 10h ago

Not USA Credit score drop - Canada

1 Upvotes

Hello!! So my credit score dropped 30 points last month and im really confused as to why. I am very new to credit cards and stuff so im a bit dumb in this. I never went over the spending limit, missed s payment or maxed out my card(confirmed by my bank) and my credit score still dropped. I looked at my credit report and ngl i feel too stupid to understand. I read smthn abt credit utilization and that it resets. Can someone confirm if this is normal idek im scared


r/CRedit 11h ago

General Should I ask my dad to add me as AU on his cards again?

1 Upvotes

Hi guys, I have a question about being an authorized user under my dad's credit cards, I used to be an authorized user of my dad's credit cards until I got my first credit card and ever since then I was terminated as AU on his cards but does it benefit me in any way if I continue to be an authorized user under his cards even though I have my own credit cards now?

Thanks!


r/CRedit 5h ago

Rebuild Help! Capital One charged off my card at 89 days late.

0 Upvotes

I open the app today and see a surprise “ACCOUNT CHARGED OFF” status on my venture one card. The card isn’t 180 days late on the payment, and when I called they said it’s not in our policy to charge off a card less then 180 days late but couldn’t answer me as to why it was and said he couldn’t reopen it. I demanded to speak to a supervisor and he said he can put in a case for me instead, I am not letting these people ruin my credit.

EDIT: Upon further inspection, it was opened on June 3rd, first statement July 4th, and due date July 27th which I apparently missed. Only 39 days late.

Is this normal???


r/CRedit 1d ago

Collections & Charge Offs Credit just got blown up by student loan—any advice?

8 Upvotes

Hi All,

Wondering if someone’s been through this or has any advice on what we might be able to do.

This morning my spouse received a credit alert from her monitoring agency that her credit score had dropped 120 points. Come to find out, two of her federal loans have been in collections for 3 months.

How’d that happen? Well apparently in December her undergrad institution moved her loan from Heartland ECSI to regular ECSI. ECSI only notified her via physical mail at an address we lived at 6 years ago. This is despite, of course, her only communicating with Heartland ECSI via email and text, as she’d opted into digital alerts through them.

We’re happy to pay the two loans. They’re both very small in the grand scheme of student loans. She’d been on-time paying them for years before this and would have continued to if we knew they changed! We just want the hit on the credit score fixed. We just had our baby and would like to buy a house in the next 7 years, but that default on her credit score won’t exactly help.

We called the federal loan agency that handles collections. We couldnt enter rehabilitation because the loans are so small that we’d be paying them off before 9 months is up due to their income driven repayment requirements.

We called ECSI—no help. They only send physical mail, apparently, so it’s not their fault, even though they had her email and phone number. They’ll only act to remove the “trade line” on our credit score if her undergraduate institution made a mistake on the address.

We called the bursar at her undergrad institution—they don’t know why they sent them our 6 year old address. She graduated more than a decade ago and never updated her address with them. It doesn’t make any sense for them to have had that address. We lived there for a year.

At this point we’re not worried about the money—it’s the credit score. we’ve paid the loans so they no longer accrue $1.50 in interest every day. we’ve filed a CFPB report, and we’ve disputed these trade lines on her credit reports. Tomorrow I’m hopeful the bursar might give us some information about why in the world they provided this address, and maybe, just maybe, they might be willing to contact the dildos at ECSI to say, you know what, yeah, we gave you an incorrect wrong address.

Any advice is very much appreciated. At a total loss right now at the total criminality of this system, which I knew about, but this is a brand new low for these ghouls.

Update:

Just an update here in case anyone is interested:

The undergraduate university is stating they did not have that address on file. They provided an address for her mother, which would have been accurate and fine, as we then would’ve been notified of the transfer. They also stated ECSI should be updating their addresses every month based on USPS forwarding requests. Which also would’ve caught the issue.

I called ECSI with this information and they stated I need to get a letter from the university informing me of their “mistake” which they said I can then take to the credit bureau.

Essentially, ECSI refuses to accept responsibility again and again.


r/CRedit 1d ago

General Do you send every letter via Certified mail when disputing / building paper trail

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13 Upvotes

I am genuinely curious. For goodwill requests I usually do not…

For everything else I always use certified mail:

Disputes
Blocks
Inquiring
Credit reports
Consumer files

Every single thing I do with these bureaus is logged and tracked for my own follow ups, FCRA deadline enforcement and of course… financial hygiene.

Not a crazy question I am more just curious. Let me know what you guys do and if it changes anything. Im here to learn from you.