Cleaning up a credit report can be time consuming. Of course you never find out about things on there until you are ready to get approved on financing for something. Of course it could not come at a worse time for you as you are probably ready to buy. Worst of all is that it could be a little bit embarrassing too. Most companies will pull a merged credit report from the three major companies and each account in question will say where its being reported. When you look at it you will be able to contact each bureau and start asking about each account.
The first place you should head to is the credit reporting companies themselves. Equifax is the biggest and most popular. You can bet that your creditor contacted them. To be able to work with them you will have to purchase a credit report from them. On the report it will tell you what accounts are putting a negative mark on it. Your discrepancy might only be showing up with Equifax and it might be the only place you go.
The company that started the whole credit scoring system was My Fico. They work with all three credit bureaus. There will be a fee involved to work with them as they are going to handle all of your accounts for you. My Fico will get all the info needed for you to call your creditors and start closing out accounts. After you pay the bill, My Fico will forward the info to Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union on your behalf.
If paying your outstanding bills in full is not going to work and you want them lowered then Lexington Law should be your next phone call. This is a law firm who specializes in helping people clean up their credit reports and also negotiate lower balances for their clients. The fees involved with working with them are higher than your other options but you might pay less in the long run with your debts. After the balances are cleared they will inform the credit bureaus of the closed accounts and your credit report will reflect the changes.
If you need to repair your credit then start with the three sources above. They are all very good at what they do. The further down the list you go the more expensive it might be. In the long run it will be worth it to repair your credit because you will not have to pay higher rates on things you buy and now can get approved.
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