Question:
I have two collection accounts on my credit report and they are
wrecking my credit. Both are under $150 and both have been paid.
However, I understand i went about paying them the incorrect way. I
got no guarantee that they would remove the listings from the CR. So
here I have two aacounts paid but still staying with me for 7 years.
Anyone have any techniques for removing them? The original debts were
because of lost mail when I moved. Is it worht just writing to the
collection agencies and asking them to remove the marks? Or can they
do anything at all? Do I need to talk to the original creditor?
Answer:
Most collection agencies (I happen to work for one in CA) won't remove
derogatory information, but if the account is still listed as *unpaid* you
really need to dispute it with the 3 major credit bureaus. They are required
to contact the original creditor to verify the debt and if it is paid, to
mark it as such.
Once an account has gone to collections it's part of your credit file,
because that is a *history* of your credit performance, and the fact that
two accounts went to collections (for whatever reason) is part of that
history.
Most collection agencies (including ours) prefer payment in full within 30
days of the assignment date (when the account came into collections)
because at that time, the entire account is past due. Otherwise, you
wouldn't have been sent to collections.
