Credit and Credit Scores: A short lesson

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Wow seriously? Accounts were opened in 98 and all effed up by 99. Probably went to collections in 00. So all I have to do is get a copy of my credit report and have them remove the marks if they are 7 years old? Awesome.

Also are there companies that will handle all this for you? Any recommendations?

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They will be removed automatically after 7 years starting from the date they went to collections. So, figure sometime this year. Some of the credit reports tell you the date they will be removed from your report. I think Trans-Union is one that does this. That date will be the same for all 3 reports even if it's not listed on them. You don't have to do anything.

Get a copy from all 3 bureaus to see what is listed. All this can be done online and by yourself. No need to involve any 3rd party. In fact, you can dispute an item online at all 3 bureaus as well if needed.

Here is another tip. The creditor who put the mark there only has 30 days to verify a disputed item. Many can't verify and the bureau has to remove it. The older the debt the more likely this works. There are a lot of fly by night collection agencies out there. I would dispute any mark made by a collection agency and not the original creditor. The original creditor will almost always be able to verify it.

My credit is perfect now but when I was younger I messed it up bad. I have dealt with all the scenarios mentioned in this thread and all the credit reporting bureaus.

Also, here is a link for the S.O.L. for collecting debt in each state. Almost all are 3-4 years.

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Great info, thnx for the help.