Can Credit Repair Companies Remove Accurate Collections?

Unfortunately, none of those promises are true.

Credit repair

companies offer to “fix your credit” by removing negative elements from your credit report. They promise to file negative item disputes on your behalf with credit bureaus and have them removed. But this approach is based on exploiting a loophole in the credit system.

When precise items are removed, it's only temporary for a few months, at best. A professional credit repair company like Lexington Law could help you restore your credit, usually within three or four months. But they won't take any action you can't take yourself. Because credit repair is all they do, it will work faster and more efficiently.

Creating and maintaining a good credit rating keeps your opportunities open. As tempting as it is to pay someone to undo the damage, you are your best resource. In short, no one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report, and everything a credit repair clinic can legally do for you, you can do it for yourself at low cost or at no cost. If a late payment was reported correctly to one of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax), that late payment will not be removed. This can happen when creditors report misinformation to the credit bureau or if an identity thief requests credit in the consumer's name. The first is that if the information the credit repair service is disputing is correct, they will report it again the next time they send data to the offices.

If your collection account is not removed from your credit report after seven years, you can file a dispute with each credit bureau that includes it in your report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows even paid collection accounts to remain on consumer credit reports for seven years from the date of default for this reason. If your credit report shows a history of debt problems or contains errors, you may consider using a repair service to “clean up” it. While legitimate credit repair companies can do what they promise, the field is rife with scammers. Once the collection account reaches the seven-year mark, credit reporting companies should automatically remove it from their credit reports. If the information is accurate, there is little anyone, even a professional credit repair company, can do to change it.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows paid collection accounts to remain on consumer credit reports for seven years from the date of default. Therefore, as mentioned, collection agencies sign agreements with credit bureaus to add those delinquent accounts to consumer credit reports. Once you have the EIN, you will be prompted to apply for a new credit with it, so you can create a completely new credit history. In some new credit rating models, paid collections are not given as much weight when calculating credit ratings. Collection agencies sign agreements with credit bureaus to obtain the right to report collection information they want to include in consumer credit reports. There is usually only one way to remove a collection account from your credit reports in advance, before the date when credit bureaus are required by law to purge the account of your reports. With a positive title like “credit repair”, it's no wonder people fall prey to fraudulent practices by these companies. And if the late payments are correct, the credit repair company or anyone else will not be able to eliminate them.