Monday, September 14th, 2009

Best way to fix/improve credit history?

fix credit history
Hakuna Matata asked:


My girlfriend had to file for bankruptcy 5 years ago (thanks to her ex). Her credit history got screwed up because of that. She has no credit cards. I ran her credit report and will call all lenders who have outstanding problems with her. What other steps can I take to help her improve her credit history?

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7 Responses to “Best way to fix/improve credit history?”

NICK A Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 5:19 am

pay all your debts.

Nikkibunny Says:
September 17th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

I used to work for a credit reporting agency….The best thing you can do is pay things off and pay them off on time. Other than that you have to wait the time for it all to come off your credit report, which I think is 7 years. But that is from the last time you paid a payment. So sometimes it is best to just leave it, that’s if she hasn’t done anything with the account for 5 years. She should just wait another 2 years. Even if you pay it off it still shows on your credit report as bad credit.
If some of these are not hers then she can dispute them with the agency. But 90% of them time the report comes back unchanged.
She might also want to try and get a credit card. Charge something on it once a month and pay it off when the statement comes in. That will give her some good credit on her report. Make sure to pay it off on time though. That is the major thing people have to do to get good credit. Good luck, hope I helped a little bit.

Digging for answers Says:
September 18th, 2009 at 9:12 pm

Lenders, at least the ones in my state – your laws may differ, do not look at BKs that have been discharged and are over 4 years old. SO that shouldn’t be a significant issue for her any longer. However, it will stay on her report for 10 years. Get copies of her reports from each of teh three bureaus. You can do this online (I prefer to go through each bureau individually as opposed to that 3in1 marketing crap). Check each report carefully for inaccurate information. I have cleaned up many things that did not belong to me using the online dispute function on each bureaus website. It is very easy, convenient and inexpensive. Costs ~1-14 dollars each one, but you also get one free every year.

Verify Names, Addresses, Employers, and SSN data for accuracy. Check all of the accounts reported as delinquent etc. and make sure they belong to you not someone else and are reported accurately. Pay off the ones that you owe. When you do be sure to ask the creditor for a written copy of the account showing that it is paid in full. Also make sure that they agree to update the bureaus with the information that the account is paid. Sometimes they do not.

The online disputes take a couple of weeks to be processed and the bureau will notify you at the email address you provide. The rest is a matter of maintaining on time payments, paying off debts, and having some credit is good. If she doesn’t have a credit card get one. Even a secured card is great. Especially since you will have an initail limit of 300 – 500 dollars. Just use it a time or two and pay it off. If you don’t carry a balance they don’t cost you anything in interest. Yet you establish a good credit history and show that you can manage your money.

Always read the disclosure statements and privacy statements when applying for credit. Do not apply for anything that is unacceptable to you. Such as, high membership fees, yearly fees, high one time enrollment fees….all bunk. Watch out for high interest rates after teh initial “Introductory rate” some cards adjust to crazy rates after luring you in with a great tease.

This is a good company that I have referred otehrs too and have used myself.

Michael K Says:
September 21st, 2009 at 3:09 am

The best thing to do is to pay off the debt ASAP and get her to build a credit history again. If she can get a credit card (even with a low limit) have her pay for things that she normally pays with cash. For example if she can have the cell phone bill paid through her credit card then she is building up her credit rating by showing that she is capable of paying her bills. Good luck with everything.

IG64 Says:
September 21st, 2009 at 5:46 am

Only time and consistent payment of all her current debt will change it. The fact that she filed for BK will show up and not vanish for 7 years when they pull her credit report. No reason to do anything with the debt she filed BK against 5 years ago. That is history and trying to make any payment on it will just insure that it continues to show up on her credit report. In 2 more years it wont matter about the BK, she should however try and get a credit card right now even if it is one that requires her to maintain a savings account that the card is attached too so that she will have some credit history after the BK and bad debt vanish.

Nikki S Says:
September 24th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

first, your girlfriend needs to find out if her bankruptcy has been discharged as paid, that answer should be on her credit report to the side of creditors, the bankruptcy will stay on her credit report for another 5 years-this is how creditors know you could be a potential risk if extended credit. second, most of the lenders probably will not talk to you because you are not married, third, there is nothing you can do with these lenders because it is in bankruptcy. all she can do is start over, probably with a secured credit card for about 6 months, and go from there.

SandraD Says:
September 26th, 2009 at 2:21 am

Pay off all debits, start by getting one no more than two credit cards, use them gently and pay your bill on time. That’s one way you can build your credit.

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