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GlamourRouge
08-21-2013, 04:04 PM
I just got approved for new cc and raised my limit on another. I'm due to order a credit report from all 3 bureaus as I do every year. How long should I wait to generate reports now that I recently added new credits? I heard that the inquiries hurt my report but for only about 30days. I would like to generate a report to reflect the actual fico scores on all 3 bureaus but am afraid it will not reflect the score with the new adjustments.

I have MyFico so it alerts me the day that new accounts start reporting. One of my new ones reported after about 35 days from when I received it, and another one of mine I've had for like 45 days already hasn't even reported yet. I would wait 60 days to be safe?

xxxGothBarbie
08-21-2013, 04:50 PM
Glamour I know this is a complete TJ but I wanted some info on Roaring 20's or Garden of Eden in SF. I tried to PM you but it says you don't accept them. I am planning on driving up there next week & was wondering what they were like. The info on here is a bit outdated, PM if you can :)

SarahTime
08-21-2013, 10:29 PM
Does it show the last delinquency date on the debt on the credit report? What kind of debt is it? Has it went to collections?

If it shows the last delinquency date on the credit report, keep a copy of that. Where alot of lenders get around the rules is by not listing the delinquency date. Without the date the credit reporting agencies systems dont drop off the debt. If it is resold it never shows the date either. In essence keeping the debt on there until the consumer does something to have it removed.

Different types of debt are collected differently. For example medical debt isnt as aggressive at collections then say a credit card, generally. If it is a large dollar amount over a couple thousand dollars, they will also be more aggressive with.

Is it from a collection agency? Is it a judgement?

I wouldnt assume that it will drop off. Nothing drops off your credit report without a dispute from my experience.

I checked my Transunion report today and every item on that report has a thing next to it that says "Estimated month and year that this item will be removed" with a date next to it. The original creditors dates of removal match up with the places who have bought the debts, so that's good I assume? These are the dates I'm going off of because I don't have any of my own documentation to back up when it should be coming off.... I used to not be so organized. ;)

It's all old credit cards and the places who have bought the debt. I have never had the money to pay them off until recently, but I'm afraid if I pay anything on them then it will "restart the clock" and I'm really needing them to finally come off.

There's also a repo from a car.

I had medical collections from my deliveries in the hospital, one of my twins was in the NICU for 10 days which racked up a $30k bill, my share with insurance being $10k. When I worked out payment arrangements they agreed to remove those, so they are all off my reports now.

No judgments or anything.

My mom had a lot of old debt that came off her reports on its own without her having to dispute anything to get it removed, and when it did her credit score soared! But that was a while ago, so I am not sure if they do things the same way now.

I'm not looking to get any more credit than I have. I have learned the hard way to only pay for things if I have the actual money to pay for it. I only have cards now to build credit and for emergencies. The only thing I want to do is be in a favorable position to buy a house in 3 years.

GlamourRouge
08-21-2013, 11:05 PM
I checked my Transunion report today and every item on that report has a thing next to it that says "Estimated month and year that this item will be removed" with a date next to it. The original creditors dates of removal match up with the places who have bought the debts, so that's good I assume? These are the dates I'm going off of because I don't have any of my own documentation to back up when it should be coming off.... I used to not be so organized. ;)

It's all old credit cards and the places who have bought the debt. I have never had the money to pay them off until recently, but I'm afraid if I pay anything on them then it will "restart the clock" and I'm really needing them to finally come off.

There's also a repo from a car.

I had medical collections from my deliveries in the hospital, one of my twins was in the NICU for 10 days which racked up a $30k bill, my share with insurance being $10k. When I worked out payment arrangements they agreed to remove those, so they are all off my reports now.

No judgments or anything.

My mom had a lot of old debt that came off her reports on its own without her having to dispute anything to get it removed, and when it did her credit score soared! But that was a while ago, so I am not sure if they do things the same way now.

I'm not looking to get any more credit than I have. I have learned the hard way to only pay for things if I have the actual money to pay for it. I only have cards now to build credit and for emergencies. The only thing I want to do is be in a favorable position to buy a house in 3 years.

If you pay them, it will restart the 7 year clock. Even if you make a partial payment. If you did want them deleted, send a "pay for delete" letter certified mail return receipt requested stating you are willing to pay the item in full in exchange for a deletion from all credit bureaus. They may say they don't have the power to do this, but they do. You can google for templates.

I'm not sure what to do about repos since I've never had that happen and the books I read didn't mention it (or maybe they did but I didn't pay attention).

Most of it will automatically fall off after the 7 year mark, but in case it doesn't, then dispute.

Vamp
08-23-2013, 09:36 AM
I checked my Transunion report today and every item on that report has a thing next to it that says "Estimated month and year that this item will be removed" with a date next to it. The original creditors dates of removal match up with the places who have bought the debts, so that's good I assume? These are the dates I'm going off of because I don't have any of my own documentation to back up when it should be coming off.... I used to not be so organized. ;)

It's all old credit cards and the places who have bought the debt. I have never had the money to pay them off until recently, but I'm afraid if I pay anything on them then it will "restart the clock" and I'm really needing them to finally come off.

There's also a repo from a car.

I had medical collections from my deliveries in the hospital, one of my twins was in the NICU for 10 days which racked up a $30k bill, my share with insurance being $10k. When I worked out payment arrangements they agreed to remove those, so they are all off my reports now.

No judgments or anything.

My mom had a lot of old debt that came off her reports on its own without her having to dispute anything to get it removed, and when it did her credit score soared! But that was a while ago, so I am not sure if they do things the same way now.

I'm not looking to get any more credit than I have. I have learned the hard way to only pay for things if I have the actual money to pay for it. I only have cards now to build credit and for emergencies. The only thing I want to do is be in a favorable position to buy a house in 3 years.

Keep copies of all the credit reports that show the dates the debt should expire.

How much is the credit card debt? How much is the repo from the car? IF they took back the car I wouldnt worry about that one too much. Usually the car satisfies them.
The dollar amount on the credit card debt could determine how aggressive they are in collections. If you dont want to talk about it here you can pm me.

Vamp
08-23-2013, 09:47 AM
Btw this is what the FCRA says directly ....http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf


Duty to Provide Notice of Delinquency of Accounts
(A)
In general
. A person or retailer who furnishes information to a consumer reporting
agency regarding a delinquent account being placed for collection, charged to
profit or loss, or subjected to any similar action shall, not later than 90 days
after furnishing the information, notify the agency of the date of delinquency
on the account, which shall be the month and year of the commencement of
the delinquency on the account that immediately preceded the action

§ 605. Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports
[15 U.S.C. §1681c]

(a)Information excluded from consumer reports. Except as authorized under subsection (b)
of this section, no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing
any of the following items of information:

4) Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report
by more than seven years.

Vamp
08-23-2013, 09:55 AM
I'm literally paraphrasing the books I listed in this thread, and basing all of this off my exact personal experience with these exact issues.

How is it date of last delinquency lmao? That would only be true if delinquency was the last activity on that particular credit item. Even a paid off account still stays on your credit report, even one with perfect payment history, for exactly 7 years from the date of last activity. Its the date of last activity, I even talked with my lawyer about this in depth. If you made a payment on an old credit item, for example, the 7 years starts all over again from the time you made a payment. Which is why, a lot of the time, people just let those items fall off their report instead.

The date of last delinquency or last activity is reported on your credit reports for each item. If it is incorrect, you can, again, send a certified letter return receipt requested, and the bureau has to verify this information with the creditor. If they cannot verify it within 30 days, it is required to be deleted. If they do verify it, and the item remains on your report, then its verified. So this is why a.) good record keeping is important, and b.) its good to challenge incorrect items on your report or you can sue & win if they do not correct it in 30 days from the dispute received.


Which is exactly my point the books are useless. Your lawyer needs to be schooled as well then.

Each retailer has 90 days from the last delinquency (charged off ) date to report it. Some retailers never do that so the debt stays on the credit report. The burden of proof then shifts to the customer to prove the last delinquency date.

If it was the last activity, which is any activity on the account, any payment could reset the clock. Which is against the FCRA.

If you dont believe me here is Experians explanation .... here they call it the orginal delinquency date. http://www.experian.com/ask-experian...ency-date.html
"The original delinquency date is the date the account first became delinquent and was not brought current. This date is used to determine when the late payment information is deleted from your credit report.

If you obtain a report directly from Experian, each account will list the “date the account is scheduled to remain on file until,” which is calculated using the original delinquency date as reported by the creditor. Simply subtract seven years from that date to determine the original delinquency date.
The original delinquency date applies to the first late payment in a series. So, if a payment is late today but next month the account is brought current, seven years from today that late payment would be deleted, but the account would continue to be reported with the more current payment history.
However, if an account were to become late today, the payments were never brought current, it was charged off as bad debt, closed and sent to collection, then the original delinquency date would be today’s date. Even if the bad debt was eventually paid, seven years from today’s date, the closed account and the subsequent collection account would be deleted."

GlamourRouge
08-23-2013, 02:28 PM
Like I said, YES it is from the date of last delinquency, HOWEVER, if you do make a payment AFTER you are delinquent, the mark changes and it turns into the date of last ACTIVITY.

As my lawyer explained, when you make a payment, the account is no longer considered delinquent for that month. They will report the status as "OK" to your credit bureaus for that month. Therefore, the next month it is re-reported as delinquent, thus starting over the date of last delinquency. And that is why people say it is 7 years from the date of last ACTIVITY. And I know this is true, because I had this EXACT situation happen to me on my credit report with an item. I paid like 2k on a credit item, but that did not fully pay it off. I thought it would help, but no. And the estimated month that item should be removed is 7 years from the NEW date (the month after I paid a payment, despite having been delinquent for over a year at that point), when everything else on my report has a date much earlier (because I paid a huge chunk on that credit item when I should have just left it alone honestly).

I really don't have time to sit around and argue with you over this. What I'm saying is all over google if anyone wants to look. I'm just going to start ignoring your annoying posts in MY thread. You seriously challenge every single thing I write, even though I am talking from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with this exact matter, and back it up with essentially cited information from books written by professionals on this subject matter. That's good enough for me.

Melonie
08-26-2013, 08:25 AM
check out this new tidbit from



(snip)"Choose your Facebook friends wisely; they could help you get approved -- or rejected -- for a loan.

A handful of tech startups are using social data to determine the risk of lending to people who have a difficult time accessing credit. Traditional lenders rely heavily on credit scores like FICO, which look at payments history. They typically steer clear of the millions of people who don't have credit scores.

But some financial lending companies have found that social connections can be a good indicator of a person's creditworthiness.

One such company, Lenddo, determines if you're friends on Facebook (FB) with someone who was late paying back a loan to Lenddo. If so, that's bad news for you. It's even worse news if the delinquent friend is someone you frequently interact with.

"It turns out humans are really good at knowing who is trustworthy and reliable in their community," said Jeff Stewart, a co-founder and CEO of Lenddo. "What's new is that we're now able to measure through massive computing power."(snip)

(snip)"But using "big data" to assess credit risk is on the verge of going mainstream. Kreditech has already began selling its technology to national online lenders in Russia and the Czech Republic. Golin said he hopes Kabbage will move into that space for lenders as well.

Some in the financial industry are skeptical about social data and online behavior being used as a kind of credit score. John Ulzheimer, a credit expert at CreditSesame.com, says social data aren't necessarily indicative of whether the borrower will pay back a loan on time. FICO only considers a handful of factors, but they are all "incredibly predictive of risk," Ulzheimer said.

There's also the potential to game the system. Consumers can easily control how many Facebook friends they have and tweets they write. The same cannot be said for what goes into their credit score.

"To me, using social media is a little bit dangerous," Ulzheimer said"(snip)

GlamourRouge
08-26-2013, 08:28 AM
Pretty sure most cam girls 1.) don't have a facebook, 2.) have the privacy settings so no one can find them if they do have one, or 3.) use a fake name and default pic.

michele11
08-26-2013, 10:26 AM
check out this new tidbit from



(snip)"Choose your Facebook friends wisely; they could help you get approved -- or rejected -- for a loan.

A handful of tech startups are using social data to determine the risk of lending to people who have a difficult time accessing credit. Traditional lenders rely heavily on credit scores like FICO, which look at payments history. They typically steer clear of the millions of people who don't have credit scores.

But some financial lending companies have found that social connections can be a good indicator of a person's creditworthiness.

One such company, Lenddo, determines if you're friends on Facebook (FB) with someone who was late paying back a loan to Lenddo. If so, that's bad news for you. It's even worse news if the delinquent friend is someone you frequently interact with.

"It turns out humans are really good at knowing who is trustworthy and reliable in their community," said Jeff Stewart, a co-founder and CEO of Lenddo. "What's new is that we're now able to measure through massive computing power."(snip)

(snip)"But using "big data" to assess credit risk is on the verge of going mainstream. Kreditech has already began selling its technology to national online lenders in Russia and the Czech Republic. Golin said he hopes Kabbage will move into that space for lenders as well.

Some in the financial industry are skeptical about social data and online behavior being used as a kind of credit score. John Ulzheimer, a credit expert at CreditSesame.com, says social data aren't necessarily indicative of whether the borrower will pay back a loan on time. FICO only considers a handful of factors, but they are all "incredibly predictive of risk," Ulzheimer said.

There's also the potential to game the system. Consumers can easily control how many Facebook friends they have and tweets they write. The same cannot be said for what goes into their credit score.

"To me, using social media is a little bit dangerous," Ulzheimer said"(snip)

This is the most ridiculous thing I've hear. Some of my friends on facebook( which I hardly use) have shit credit. Some of my family does too but my score is high. So if I have a 750 rating and a family member has 600 there not going to extend credit to me. I highly doubt that. Also I thonk it would be a pia to assess every ones friends pon facebook since some have over 1000 and there's no way to know if they even know the person irl.

Melonie
08-26-2013, 01:45 PM
^^^ well, as the news blurb clearly stated, the primary 'target' for these new credit evaluations being based on 'big data' is to determine an initial credit rating for a person who is attempting to newly establish credit in the absence of previous personal bill paying history etc. Thus it is most applicable to dancers and camgirls who are coming out from under their parents' 'umbrella' , establishing their own residence, initially signing up for utility service in their own names, seeking to buy their first car etc.

GlamourRouge
08-26-2013, 02:30 PM
This is the most ridiculous thing I've hear. Some of my friends on facebook( which I hardly use) have shit credit. Some of my family does too but my score is high. So if I have a 750 rating and a family member has 600 there not going to extend credit to me. I highly doubt that. Also I thonk it would be a pia to assess every ones friends pon facebook since some have over 1000 and there's no way to know if they even know the person irl.

And how would they even be able to link someone's name with their credit file or SSN? lol. Plus, you have to get permission (written consent) to pull anyone's credit unless they are already your creditor.

Melonie
08-27-2013, 03:25 AM
^^^ hey I just linked to the CNN story, I didn't do the investigation for that story !!! But one of these companies KreditTech shows a flow chart on their website ...



Apparently KreditTech has two major lines of business, both based on their BIG DATA creditworthiness algorithm. The first is to directly offer 'micro-loans' to individual borrowers. The second is to offer their BIG DATA based internet creditworthiness search technology ( for a fee ) to banks, retailers etc. So to answer your question, I have to assume that it is those banks, retailers etc. who have the permission / authority you reference, and who engage KreditTech as a subcontractor.

LilyAnderson
08-27-2013, 05:02 AM
Thank you Glamour for your fantastic post. I'm sure this has helped many people.

Vamp
08-27-2013, 09:59 PM
^^^ hey I just linked to the CNN story, I didn't do the investigation for that story !!! But one of these companies KreditTech shows a flow chart on their website ...

http://www.kreditech.com/#kreditechnology

Apparently KreditTech has two major lines of business, both based on their BIG DATA creditworthiness algorithm. The first is to directly offer 'micro-loans' to individual borrowers. The second is to offer their BIG DATA based internet creditworthiness search technology ( for a fee ) to banks, retailers etc. So to answer your question, I have to assume that it is those banks, retailers etc. who have the permission / authority you reference, and who engage KreditTech as a subcontractor.

About ten years ago or so there was a rumor that if you lived with someone with bad credit it would effect your credit. Which is complete bullshit. The only scores I have EVER seen used at a financial institution is FICO scores and credit scores from the big three.

But the article you sited said these new "scores" were being created by new tech start ups. These start ups are trying to get legitimacy by saying that banks are using them. The only "banks" using them right now are not even in the USA. The FCRA not only covers credit reporting but also any consumer reporting. Search this § 606. Disclosure of investigative consumer reports here http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf

But to the collection agencies, pay day lenders, repossession agents, and debt buyers these tech start ups could be a god send. For example, I know a man in Atlanta that repossesses cars for banks and car rental companies. Normally he has to do all his leg work manually; searching name, addresses, neighbors, googling, calling, etc. He has become a private eye in order to find the cars to repo them. People do all kinds of insane things to hide from repos and collections. These tech start ups could be a god send to them though. They wouldnt have to spend hours trying to dig up dirt. They would just need this website and BOOM all the info is there. Using that information for purposes of collections would also avoid any bank credit regulations as well.

BANHammerGoddess
11-13-2013, 10:41 PM
I tried to open up a USAA secured credit card a year and a half ago and unfortunately, because I owed Wells Fargo $700 (which I had owed them $1300 because a rental car company didn't take my money out with each month I was renting the car but took it out when I returned the car so it was unexpected since I was just going by what was pending/taken out of my account. I was in the process of paying it down weekly and Wells Fargo decided to sell it pretty quickly.)

Anyway, since I have this thing to a bank on my record USAA said they can't give me a secured card until that's cleared. This, despite the amount being sold to a collector's agency (now sold twice.)

a few questions and I know that I need to walk into Wells Fargo to ask one of these:
1. Can I walk into a Wells Fargo and offer to pay what was owed so long as they agree in writing to take it off my record? Or do I have to go through the collection company now? I've asked TWICE via phone when they call, to send me something in writing about who they are, how much is owed, and that it would be deleted when I pay it but I've still gotten SQUAT in the mail-- and it's been over the last year. I've even updated my address with them and requested it again.)

2. why won't USAA give me a secured card since I'm putting up my money ahead of time?

3. Has anyone had something similar to this and if so, which card did you get? I'm going to write down some banks/credit unions in the area and try this this week since I have a large camming check coming to use part as a deposit.

and

4. I saw one criticism for the Citiplace card (not sure if it's true) of someone complaining that they weren't reporting to the credit agencies so it wasn't doing anything for their credit. That would really suck if I went through this only to find out they weren't reporting it to the credit agencies so I could build my credit. A friend of mine works for a cellphone company and he says other phone guys always lie and tell people that having a cell phone bill builds their credit, when the cell phone company never reports to agencies (unless it's bad) so I would hate to fall into that trap with a secured credit card arrangement.

Vamp
11-14-2013, 12:05 PM
I tried to open up a USAA secured credit card a year and a half ago and unfortunately, because I owed Wells Fargo $700 (which I had owed them $1300 because a rental car company didn't take my money out with each month I was renting the car but took it out when I returned the car so it was unexpected since I was just going by what was pending/taken out of my account. I was in the process of paying it down weekly and Wells Fargo decided to sell it pretty quickly.)

Anyway, since I have this thing to a bank on my record USAA said they can't give me a secured card until that's cleared. This, despite the amount being sold to a collector's agency (now sold twice.)

a few questions and I know that I need to walk into Wells Fargo to ask one of these:
1. Can I walk into a Wells Fargo and offer to pay what was owed so long as they agree in writing to take it off my record? Or do I have to go through the collection company now? I've asked TWICE via phone when they call, to send me something in writing about who they are, how much is owed, and that it would be deleted when I pay it but I've still gotten SQUAT in the mail-- and it's been over the last year. I've even updated my address with them and requested it again.)

2. why won't USAA give me a secured card since I'm putting up my money ahead of time?

3. Has anyone had something similar to this and if so, which card did you get? I'm going to write down some banks/credit unions in the area and try this this week since I have a large camming check coming to use part as a deposit.

and

4. I saw one criticism for the Citiplace card (not sure if it's true) of someone complaining that they weren't reporting to the credit agencies so it wasn't doing anything for their credit. That would really suck if I went through this only to find out they weren't reporting it to the credit agencies so I could build my credit. A friend of mine works for a cellphone company and he says other phone guys always lie and tell people that having a cell phone bill builds their credit, when the cell phone company never reports to agencies (unless it's bad) so I would hate to fall into that trap with a secured credit card arrangement.



Some of this may be repeating what you have done but im going to go over all the steps to be sure

1. First things first, I would go to www.annualcreditreport.com and pull your report. It is a government sponsered free website. It wont give you the credit score for free but it will give you the report. That way you can see exactly what was on your report. They probably just said "there is a $700 collection outstanding". You need to verify it was from Wells Fargo and if it went to a collection company. It is also a good to try to clean up anything else on your credit report.

If it did go to a collection company Wells Fargo will NOT accept your money. By selling the debt to the collection company Wells Fargo made that agreement with them.
If you want to pay off the amount owed I would call the collection company. Tell them you want a pay off agreement in writing stating that when it is paid off the collection will be removed from your credit report. That you wont make a payment until you get that agreement in writing. All payments you make should be done with a check so that you have a paper trail.
(You said you have done this but they wont respond) See if you can get it faxed, emailed from a company account (which is also legally binding), etc. If they are refusing to do this, I would call or visit Wells Fargo to complain. I know this may seem silly, but banks do care how the collection companies are operating. They may be able to talk to the collection company.

You can try to dispute the collection off your credit report as well. Usually a dispute on collections wont work unless it has been paid. In this case I would include in the dispute form that the collection company refuses to verify anything in writing.
When a collection is paid off the easiest and fastest way to get it removed from your credit report is to dispute it with the credit reporting agency.

2/3/4. USAA has their own policies and procedures. Every financial institution is different. There are alot of banks who approve all secured credit cards. The one I usually recommend is USBank for secure credit cards. Their card has a 28 day grace period meaning if you pay off the card each month, you wont pay interest. Their cards also report to the credit agency. Please keep in mind, a secure card is for establishing positive credit. It will not eliminate any negative history on your credit report. To increase your credit score you have to eliminate the negative and credit the positive.

The ONLY thing that is calculated in your credit score/report is the payment history of loans and lines of credit. Cell phones, rent, etc do NOT effect your credit score UNLESS you dont pay them AND they go to collections. This is the simple answer, If you have further questions about this let me know.

Not all banks or accounts report to credit reporting agencies. It is rare but does happen. For example, if in the banks computer the secure credit card account is named as a CD account (all secure credit cards have a savings account attached to them) then their system wont report it to the credit reporting agency. The only banks I have seen operate this way are small regional banks with old systems of operation.
Do not get secure credit cards off the internet. There are so many of them with horrible terms and some that are all out scams. Get a secure credit card at a local branch. When you open the account you will have everything in writing.

Hope this helps.

GlamourRouge
11-14-2013, 12:08 PM
I tried to open up a USAA secured credit card a year and a half ago and unfortunately, because I owed Wells Fargo $700 (which I had owed them $1300 because a rental car company didn't take my money out with each month I was renting the car but took it out when I returned the car so it was unexpected since I was just going by what was pending/taken out of my account. I was in the process of paying it down weekly and Wells Fargo decided to sell it pretty quickly.)

Anyway, since I have this thing to a bank on my record USAA said they can't give me a secured card until that's cleared. This, despite the amount being sold to a collector's agency (now sold twice.)

a few questions and I know that I need to walk into Wells Fargo to ask one of these:
1. Can I walk into a Wells Fargo and offer to pay what was owed so long as they agree in writing to take it off my record? Or do I have to go through the collection company now? I've asked TWICE via phone when they call, to send me something in writing about who they are, how much is owed, and that it would be deleted when I pay it but I've still gotten SQUAT in the mail-- and it's been over the last year. I've even updated my address with them and requested it again.)

2. why won't USAA give me a secured card since I'm putting up my money ahead of time?

3. Has anyone had something similar to this and if so, which card did you get? I'm going to write down some banks/credit unions in the area and try this this week since I have a large camming check coming to use part as a deposit.

and

4. I saw one criticism for the Citiplace card (not sure if it's true) of someone complaining that they weren't reporting to the credit agencies so it wasn't doing anything for their credit. That would really suck if I went through this only to find out they weren't reporting it to the credit agencies so I could build my credit. A friend of mine works for a cellphone company and he says other phone guys always lie and tell people that having a cell phone bill builds their credit, when the cell phone company never reports to agencies (unless it's bad) so I would hate to fall into that trap with a secured credit card arrangement.

The advice above^^^ is very incorrect. I went through this, I can tell you how it goes:

If you owe a bank money, you are in Chexsystem and will not get approve for any card. Annualcreditreport.com will NOT pull this information up. You have to pull your Chexsystem report, which is free. This is the link for it: - Make sure you definitely do "STEP 1: Ordering Reports" listed here:

You will have to pay it off in full, and then send proof of the payment to Chexsystem so they get rid of it off your report. The money did NOT go to Collections. You still 100% owe it to Wells Fargo. The address listed on the Chexsystem report for the $700 is where you should send it, though I would call the # they list beforehand to verify everything (the phone # & address will be listed on the report for each item you have in Chexsystem). Then once the Chexsystem report updates, you will be approved for all secured cards :). I recommend Capital One's.

All secured cards will report as long as it isn't a prepaid card (those do not report obviously). If you are concerned that the exact card you want might not report, google the name of the company and the card + MyFico and I guarantee you will find someone who will have talked about it on the MyFico forums (GREAT resource!). You can even find out which credit bureaus that company will pull in advance (it varies by the state you live in and by the company) at WhoGaveMeCredit.com

Vamp
11-14-2013, 12:21 PM
If you owe a bank money, you are in Chexsystem and will not get approve for any card. Annualcreditreport.com will NOT pull this information up. You have to pull your Chexsystem report, which is free. This is the link for it: https://www.consumerdebit.com/consumerinfo/us/en/chexsystems/report/index.htm - Make sure you definitely do "STEP 1: Ordering Reports" listed here: https://www.stripperweb.com/forum/showthread.php?185297-GR-s-Guide-To-Changing-Bad-Credit-Into-Amazing-Credit-In-Less-Than-6-Months&p=2507878&viewfull=1#post2507878

You will have to pay it off in full, and then send proof of the payment to Chexsystem so they get rid of it off your report. The money did NOT go to Collections. You still 100% owe it to Wells Fargo. The address listed on the Chexsystem report for the $700 is where you should send it, though I would call the # they list beforehand to verify everything (the phone # & address will be listed on the report for each item you have in Chexsystem). Then once the Chexsystem report updates, you will be approved for all secured cards :). I recommend Capital One's.

All secured cards will report as long as it isn't a prepaid card (those do not report obviously). If you are concerned that the exact card you want might not report, google the name of the company and the card + MyFico and I guarantee you will find someone who will have talked about it on the MyFico forums (GREAT resource!). You can even find out which credit bureaus that company will pull in advance (it varies by the state you live in and by the company) at WhoGaveMeCredit.com


If the account with Wells Fargo was a Checking account the amount owed would be listed with Chexsystems and the credit report. This type of checking account debt is also sold to collection companies. Once it is paid it needs to be removed from both Chexsystems and the credit report.

If the account from Wells Fargo was a credit card account it would only appear on the credit report.

GlamourRouge
11-14-2013, 12:24 PM
If the account with Wells Fargo was a Checking account the amount owed would be listed with Chexsystems and the credit report. This type of checking account debt is also sold to collection companies. Once it is paid it needs to be removed from both Chexsystems and the credit report.

If the account from Wells Fargo was a credit card account it would only appear on the credit report.

I owed money to 2 banks and didn't even realize it. One was Wells Fargo. It was never in collections and never once hit my credit report. But it was on Chexsystem of course. The OP implied hers was also a checking account, because she said "taking money out" of her account.

MellyMay
11-15-2013, 07:45 PM
Ok, so.....I owed B of A for quite awhile and dealt with the whole Chexsystem headache and all.

I made an appt with someone whom I could sit down with, discuss EVERYTHING, and find out my options.

*****THIS WAS 2 YEARS AGO, SO THINGS MAY HAVE CHANGED******

Ultimately, there's not really anything your branch can do about the amount owed. I paid/negotiated via the contacts on the paperwork, on phone and ESPECIALLY in writing. They actually settled for about half my balance owed by waiving all overdraft fees and penalties that came from just putting it off for so long.

The lady I met with, though, was able to provide me with the option to have a prepaid credit card throught the BANK, not a loadable card at any other places. The card actually a) gets you a credit card without outstanding APR/crazy fees stemming from bad credit b) helps improve your credit

Wells Fargo could be totally different. And yeah, as mentioned, this was a few years ago, right when banks were losing people left and right.

GlamourRouge
11-15-2013, 09:15 PM
Ok, so.....I owed B of A for quite awhile and dealt with the whole Chexsystem headache and all.

I made an appt with someone whom I could sit down with, discuss EVERYTHING, and find out my options.

*****THIS WAS 2 YEARS AGO, SO THINGS MAY HAVE CHANGED******

Ultimately, there's not really anything your branch can do about the amount owed. I paid/negotiated via the contacts on the paperwork, on phone and ESPECIALLY in writing. They actually settled for about half my balance owed by waiving all overdraft fees and penalties that came from just putting it off for so long.

The lady I met with, though, was able to provide me with the option to have a prepaid credit card throught the BANK, not a loadable card at any other places. The card actually a) gets you a credit card without outstanding APR/crazy fees stemming from bad credit b) helps improve your credit

Wells Fargo could be totally different. And yeah, as mentioned, this was a few years ago, right when banks were losing people left and right.

I had to contact the address they listed on the Chexsystem report. There was a phone # too. It wasn't an in-person branch, but rather like a corporate office or something. Then, once it was paid and I had a letter on hand from them with their letterhead, I sent it to Chexsystem. The other 1 of the accounts, they actually did what they were supposed to and alerted Chexsystem and it was already deleted. I sent Chexsystem the other one, and they sent a letter back saying it was deleted, so I pulled my Chexsystem report again and then it was free and clear. And I've been able to get any bankruptcy-friendly credit I want and any checking account.

BANHammerGoddess
11-15-2013, 09:21 PM
excellent-- thanks guys. I have my check from camming coming in tomorrow and my goal is to at least tackle this problem or at least get a secured card (if I can) so I can start building up some slight positive credit before I start paying of/disputing charges which I don't think I'll have to do unless someone's stolen my number (I think last time I checked was 4-6 years ago.)

I'll let you guys know what worked/didn't work.

GlamourRouge
11-17-2013, 06:14 PM
I keep meaning to update everyone. My BR is not even 2 years old and...

My best score right now is now 730.

GlamourRouge
11-17-2013, 10:25 PM
Also, about the Capital One secured credit card I always recommend... The reason I like it is, the amount of money you deposit is the credit limit you receive. So being a sexworker, you can literally get the card and deposit 3k (thats the max) and that becomes your credit limit. Then, in a couple months, apply for an unsecured Capital One credit card and they will match the limit. Then apply for Barclays or whatever other card you want (I say Barclays because they are BR-friendly and known to give high limits) a few months later, and then close the secured Capital One card and get your 3k back. If you had 2 Capital Ones with 3k limits, Baclays would probably give you 8k or more of a limit from what I've read on the credit forum boards.

Contrary to misinformed popular belief, closing a credit card isn't really a bad thing. Its only bad if you don't have many cards, or its years older than any other card you have, or if it has one of the biggest limits out of all of your cards.

GlamourRouge
12-25-2013, 12:20 PM
I wanted to update this and say the following!

Care Credit is a great way to get a high limit. I had it before BR, but BR closed it (as BR closes all of your accounts even if they have a $0 balance). I applied and got it again. They just rose my credit limit 7k when I called right after I applied and requested a CLI.

Contrary to popular belief and contrary to comments made on this thread already, there ARE rewards cards for people after bankruptcy. Capital One has a great one called Quicksilver, which I applied for and got approved for. Its cash rewards, and its very easy to see how much you're at. Its 1% or 2% I believe, which is better than nothing because you're literally not doing anything for it. Barclays also has a few rewards card options as well. They have airline ones, cruise ones, general travel ones, and I believe they have a cash rewards one as well. I'm not going to apply for anything in 2014 so all my inquiries fall off (I just got the quicksilver & care credit ones), but I do have my eye on one of Barclays rewards cards for early 2015.

Whoever said that your credit and/or life is destroyed after bankruptcy totally lied. I'm not even 2 years post BR and my credit file and score is already back in the excellent range. You just have to know what to do to get around loopholes and slight hurdles.

Melonie
12-26-2013, 04:50 AM
Whoever said that your credit and/or life is destroyed after bankruptcy totally lied

This is absolutely correct. In many ways, a person with high debt ratio will find themselves far better off 3 years after filing bankruptcy than if they continue struggling thus an ongoing history of late payments. Granted that lenders will continue to classify a bankruptcy filer as being 'high risk' for many more than 3 years.

However, if the bankruptcy filer is self-employed, is working in a 'cash' business, is working in the 'adult' industry, etc., it's ironic that they may also be classified as 'high risk' under new lender regulations even if their financial history is impeccable. In this new lending environment, exotic dancers and camgirls may have very little future downside risk ( beyond 3 years ) if they file for bankruptcy ... but can potentially 'dispose' of tens of thousands of dollars of debt.

BANHammerGoddess
12-30-2013, 12:22 PM
I just wanted to chime in with some personal experience-- I've been using this thread as inspiration and also to think through what my next steps need to be. I'm still in the beginning stages but here's what's happened:

A little over a month ago I applied for a secured card in the amount of $250 (I will be adding to this-- I've already bumped it up to $300.) The first part of the month I didn't use it hardly, and then I needed to use it due to some
holiday stuff and my boyfriend needing it when he was out of town. So I did get close to spending all of it. However I paid it off before they were planning on reporting it, so depending on how long it took to process, it may or may
not have worked against me that I went way over that 20%.

Also, I was able to get my boyfriend (basically my husband/partner but neither one of us wants to get married) a card in his name that's pulling from the same account. So while this past month will not be the norm, the cool thing is
that however this card works to improve my credit, it will also be reported to his credit report as well. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who wasn't in a committed-for-lifetime relationship because so many significant others will
screw over someone's credit score, but this isn't an issue in my case both because of his character, because of our relationship, and also I'll be holding onto his card as well as mine except when he's going out of town and doesn't have
just-in-case money.

At some point during the last month, though it could be when I was approved and processed, my credit score jumped 25 points-- ONLY because I'd opened a secured credit card. I'm currently paying $6/mo so I can monitor my credit
report while I'm doing a bunch of stuff (and then will cancel that $6/mo monitoring service.)

Also, I went to a credit union the other day to open up a small savings account-- one that I wouldn't have any access to except if I were to walk in for an in-person transaction. Basically a rainy-day with extra hoops to prevent me from spending it.
The bank person went through my ChexSystem report and pulled up two accounts that I knew about, but ALSO pulled up a third account that had been paid over three years ago! Taking those three together, that's about $1000 against me on my chexsystem/credit record.

So I worked really hard this weekend (it helps that I had great work opportunities and I'd paid my bills before the holidays so now I can work forward instead of just keeping current) and am able to pay off the other two so my chex system will then be cleared. According to a couple different people, at some point during the next month, the banks will report to Chex System, and then Chex System themselves should take one month or less to have it reflected (and hopefully fully deleted so there's no trace on there) on my report. So far, I have two accounts taken care of and have the receipts and people to follow up with if I don't see progress in one month-- and then I have to have the third fax me paperwork and pay them over the phone--But to essentially clear one entire agency/system in one day feels pretty good!

I've got a few other goals to tackle before moving forward so I'm just going to stick with going through my credit report and denying the heck out of everything and then a few months from now wait to see how the dust has settled, but the first post did give me an idea. I owe my last university a pretty hefty chunk of unpaid tuition, so I think I'll do that loan idea and instead of saving up and paying it all off at once, instead giving that money to a bank and then asking for a loan and then having the money paid to the school through that.

I don't want to drag that on very long though. Does the loan have to take several months to pay off in order to look good on one's record, or can it be repaid after a month or two-- just long enough to have it reported to the credit agencies?


Update: So now all three of the banks that had remarked negative points against me in the ChexSystem have been taken care of and I need to check back in a month to see if ChexSystem has been notified, processed them, and taken the items off my record.

I couldn't access my free credit reports (might be a difference in addresses) so instead I just upped my $6/mo for one credit report monitoring to the $13/mo for all three credit report monitoring service. I was then able to look at everything on my report. Surprisingly, there's less than I though there was--there's two off the top of my head that I think could have charged me, but one I definitely wasn't going to pay because it was a gym contract that they said they would let me out of and then didn't. Two different charges are from the same company (I think it's the cable company...which is weird because I remember paying that...if it is the same thing...)

so I just have four accounts to deny/address/pay and that makes me happy.

BANHammerGoddess
12-31-2013, 06:16 PM
Another question regarding this bit right here: "- THREE MAJOR BUREAUS: Dispute EVERYTHING negative using the online system for the 3 major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, & Transunion). Just dispute it as "not mine" because it might not be yours anyway. Make sure to also delete all other names, addresses, phone numbers, and employers on file except for your current ones. Dispute everything as "not mine" first."

I was unable to access Experian online to dispute online. Should I call all three bureaus first? Or go the certified mail with receipt route?

Now, I'm pretty sure the four items are all mine (well, there's one I Have to double check but it's likely mine)--but I should still say "Not mine" first correct, even though I don't have any documentation to support this? Because the thinking is, they then have to go to whoever is saying I owe this amount and have THEM prove it with paperwork that I do in fact owe it? So if they don't have that paperwork anymore or just don't get back to the credit bureau in time then it comes off my record?

GlamourRouge
01-01-2014, 09:53 AM
Another question regarding this bit right here: "- THREE MAJOR BUREAUS: Dispute EVERYTHING negative using the online system for the 3 major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, & Transunion). Just dispute it as "not mine" because it might not be yours anyway. Make sure to also delete all other names, addresses, phone numbers, and employers on file except for your current ones. Dispute everything as "not mine" first."

I was unable to access Experian online to dispute online. Should I call all three bureaus first? Or go the certified mail with receipt route?

Now, I'm pretty sure the four items are all mine (well, there's one I Have to double check but it's likely mine)--but I should still say "Not mine" first correct, even though I don't have any documentation to support this? Because the thinking is, they then have to go to whoever is saying I owe this amount and have THEM prove it with paperwork that I do in fact owe it? So if they don't have that paperwork anymore or just don't get back to the credit bureau in time then it comes off my record?

I would pay off any Chexsystem debt right away because most non-secured places will deny you until its paid off. Send Chex a letter with your receipt or payment screenshotted so they can delete it. You said its taken care of, but send them a certified letter return receipt requested with the proof anyway, and they only have 30 days to update it.

For loans, you need long payment history... so at least close to a year or more. I have heard of places denying you if you don't have a history of installment loans... which takes several months to build up.

I would dispute as "not mine" because all places have to verify the information, and if they don't it has to be deleted. Maybe just do it selectively, that is what I did. Especially if the name on the account does not match your legal name. If there's a better thing you can dispute with (like wrong credit limit, incorrect payment history, etc.) that you can prove with documentation instead, that is a better reason to dispute with. The "not mine" will only really work if its an older closed anyway.

Call Experian and ask if they can mail it. They may require you to send a copy of your drivers license, SS card, and utility bill though. You need your file # to do a dispute anyway.

BANHammerGoddess
01-01-2014, 05:43 PM
I've printed up requests from the Innovis website for my boyfriend and I. Do you think I can certified letter/return receipt them both in the same envelope since we share the same address, or do you think it's better to send them in two different envelopes?

GlamourRouge
01-01-2014, 07:25 PM
I've printed up requests from the Innovis website for my boyfriend and I. Do you think I can certified letter/return receipt them both in the same envelope since we share the same address, or do you think it's better to send them in two different envelopes?

Separate. And actually, on the back of my mailing receipts, I put who the dispute was to and everything I disputed (just as a small list). Because if they don't update or delete it within 30 days, you can threaten to sue and then actually do it if need be.

LAChloe
01-02-2014, 10:59 PM
- Call ANY company who lists ANY of your accounts on your credit report as EVER being late! If you were late on payments like 60 days or something, they will often remove those lates if you tell them why you were late. So call them on the phone and try to get the late marks removed. Also, mail them a letter right after you get off the phone with the same information you told them over the phone, and be sure to send it certified mail return receipt requested. If they agree to do anything over the phone, make sure you tell them to mail you a letter confirming the changes they are going to make (ex.: late marks from months XYZ removed!) on their company's letterhead to your address.


Glam, I have a credit card that has a 60 day late. What reason do you recommend I give them to have it removed?

One of my many NY resolutions is to get my credit report cleaned up.

GlamourRouge
01-03-2014, 12:35 AM
Glam, I have a credit card that has a 60 day late. What reason do you recommend I give them to have it removed?

One of my many NY resolutions is to get my credit report cleaned up.

I would contact the credit card company directly and see if they will remove it. You can tell them the truth and just be like BUT IM A GOOD CUSTOMER SEE, or if you forgot why it was late just be like I DIDNT GET THE STATEMENT or IT DIDNT GO THROUGH!!! Idk. If they won't fix it, or it doesn't update on your credit report, then dispute it afterwards with each bureau and say "never late" or something.

I actually have 4 months of late notices removed on something that wasn't supposed to show that, and I had to call the original company a million times and send them 3 certified letters, but they fixed it. For the last bureau, I think it was Experian who is stubborn as fuck, I literally demanded that the lady three-way call the company so I could have her delete the late notices and after arguing, she finally did it! One of the other bureaus, I forget which one, said they didn't have the 3way calling feature. And the other bureau updated on its own.

BANHammerGoddess
01-03-2014, 06:21 PM
I didn't realize that my credit monitoring system only updates once a month. Now, I know my credit rate isn't going to change all that often--maybe once a month anyway while I'm being a busy bee doing stuff to change it, but are there any credit monitoring services that aren't charging more than $15 to do daily or weekly updates? I'm a little bit peeved that I'm paying $13/mo to check my three reports once a month.

GlamourRouge
01-03-2014, 06:30 PM
I didn't realize that my credit monitoring system only updates once a month. Now, I know my credit rate isn't going to change all that often--maybe once a month anyway while I'm being a busy bee doing stuff to change it, but are there any credit monitoring services that aren't charging more than $15 to do daily or weekly updates? I'm a little bit peeved that I'm paying $13/mo to check my three reports once a month.

I would get MyFico.com - it only monitors Equifax though, but it will alert you the day it updates. However, credit card balances will only report on the date the statement closes and should show up like 2 days later. Inquiries will show up right away using MyFico. MyFico is like $15/month

BANHammerGoddess
01-03-2014, 07:25 PM
damn. now I'm kicking myself. I'm reading up on clearing ChexSystem and one website said I should follow the same dispute steps as with the credit bureaus-- so I could have potentially saved myself a bunch of money if I'd just not paid yet to clear and played the will-they-respond-within-30-days game :(
*sad face*


this has some great form letters and a step-by-step guide for disputing Chex System and any banks:
http://chexsystemsrelief.com/

GlamourRouge
01-03-2014, 07:37 PM
damn. now I'm kicking myself. I'm reading up on clearing ChexSystem and one website said I should follow the same dispute steps as with the credit bureaus-- so I could have potentially saved myself a bunch of money if I'd just not paid yet to clear and played the will-they-respond-within-30-days game :(
*sad face*


this has some great form letters and a step-by-step guide for disputing Chex System and any banks:


Oh I never even realized you could do that! That makes a lot of sense though.

BANHammerGoddess
01-03-2014, 07:53 PM
I'm actually going to follow it to clear my boyfriend's chexsystem record and he owe's a lot more than I do so I'll be trying this. still, what a bummer! However, if I had followed it, the process would still have taken three months so if anything I guess I get the satisfaction of knowing that I don't have to dispute and play the waiting game. But I do have to mail them my proof, and then bug the banks to delete and essentially play the harassing game :)

Want to update the first post in case this is actually useful and workable?

LAChloe
01-07-2014, 03:48 PM
Glam, if you have something on your chexsystems record and you pay it, how soon does it come off?

BANHammerGoddess
01-07-2014, 10:10 PM
oh by the way, not sure if I mentioned this previously, but I had written all of the credit bureaus to get my official credit reports with the idea that I would then challenge after that.

but I had handwritten the letters. Thank goodness I did a bunch of reading on one of the credit forums. Evidently, you should NOT sign any letters to the credit bureaus because then sometimes your signature mysteriously jumps onto documents that they would otherwise not have had. For example, if you try to challenge a debt, they are supposed to go back to the original company owed and get documentation proving it, with your signature.

Since a lot of stuff gets lost, or thrown away, or stocked away in some warehouse never to be seen again, it's a good chance they cannot support these documents. But they can cheat and put your signature on some contract sent by the original debtor and there's no real way to fight that (unless you purposefully try to trap them by creating JUST for your credit bureau documents a signature wholly unlike your normal signature and you're able to back that up with a history of personal documents with your real signature on it.

sooooo yeah. glad I caught that.

charlotte.
01-11-2014, 08:32 PM
you can monitor your credit through several free sites. they take data from the main bureaus/fico and generate their own score so wgile your score may be off by a bit (630 vs 660) if you have collections, late payments, etc on yourr report that's you're waitint to have removed you can monitor that stuff for free.


I used creditkarma.com awhile ago and loved it, Ive also heard creditsesame.com and quizzle.com are great too. completely free, daily monitoring, and full reports.

charlotte.
01-11-2014, 08:36 PM
oh I think you'll have to pay for a subscription 2 any of the bureaus if you plan to dispute or freeze anything but if you're just monitoring yiur report you might as well sign up for all 3 sites and wait until something bad happens to pay for one of the main bureaus. creditkarma also emails you when your score changes so you can just sign up and go on autopilot.

GlamourRouge
01-11-2014, 10:24 PM
I have heard that creditkarma uses an old, outdated score model that inflates your FICO score much higher than it really is. I use MyFico and its accurate. However, different companies use different scoring models. Most use the most up to date one though, but some do not. MyFico is $15/month

GlamourRouge
01-11-2014, 10:25 PM
Glam, if you have something on your chexsystems record and you pay it, how soon does it come off?

I would assume 30 days from when you pay it, but I would send them a certified letter also because sometimes they just won't remove it.

charlotte.
01-12-2014, 12:58 AM
I have heard that creditkarma uses an old, outdated score model that inflates your FICO score much higher than it really is. I use MyFico and its accurate. However, different companies use different scoring models. Most use the most up to date one though, but some do not. MyFico is $15/month

its not really to check your score, since the 3 bureaus calculate them differently anyway. its to make sure something negative doesntnshow up without paying a monthly fee. it does give you a score which is a useful ballpark figure but when you get your report pulled for a new apartment or something they care much more about a negative mark than the overall score. lots of people have random fradulant or petty negative marks they have no idea about.

michele11
01-13-2014, 09:08 AM
^ Glamour , I don't have time right now to read through this whole thread but I had a macy's card I used 3 years ago and forgot about it and since I travel I forgot to pay a few months 3 separate times. I paid it in full the very last time it was late because they called. I tried to get it removed and the girl told me they can't remove true info. Since the patriot act there are guidelines they have to follow and, yes it will stay on my record 6years. I also have a dillards American express card that I pay on line every month. There have been 3 times it didn't go through and I had confirmation numbers for 2 of them and they also wouldn't remove it. Even though I had the freakin confirmation numbers . They told me the same thing the lady at macys did about the new law and guidelines. I'm like well the info is not correct I have confirmation numbers! I had a score of 740 last I checked now it's freaken 640!

GlamourRouge
01-13-2014, 10:32 AM
^ Glamour , I don't have time right now to read through this whole thread but I had a macy's card I used 3 years ago and forgot about it and since I travel I forgot to pay a few months 3 separate times. I paid it in full the very last time it was late because they called. I tried to get it removed and the girl told me they can't remove true info. Since the patriot act there are guidelines they have to follow and, yes it will stay on my record 6years. I also have a dillards American express card that I pay on line every month. There have been 3 times it didn't go through and I had confirmation numbers for 2 of them and they also wouldn't remove it. Even though I had the freakin confirmation numbers . They told me the same thing the lady at macys did about the new law and guidelines. I'm like well the info is not correct I have confirmation numbers! I had a score of 740 last I checked now it's freaken 640!

I would write them a certified letter return receipt requested and give them the confirmation numbers and tell them they need to remove it. Say its their fault because it told you it went through on your end and you have proof. I would also call and continually ask for a supervisor after the letter has already arrived and you have the tracking # showing delivery.

GlamourRouge
01-17-2014, 04:54 PM
So right now as far as cards go, these are my cards (and in order of opening):

Capital One (secured, but of course it doesn't say secured on your report)
Target
Care Credit GEMB
Capital One Quicksilver Rewards
Barclays Rewards

I have all the cards I want. And I have 2 rewards cards with a bankruptcy that is only 2 years old. Both cards are AWESOME and I recommend them both. Target is good too because you get 5% off all purchases (however you can still have that with the target debit card). Care Credit is good too because they will give you a massive limit compared to your other limits, and many health professionals offer 6/12/18 month 0 APR financing if you want to take advantage of that for pricey medical work. It doesn't go by the card opening date, but rather by the date each service is billed on your care credit card, which is cool because you can take advantage of these deals forever using that card.

My plan is to close the Capital One secured card when all my other cards are past the 1 year mark. I may also close Target eventually (and switch to their debit card which still gives you 5% off but doesn't report to your credit report) if they don't raise my limit to at least 2k (they are known for low limits) in 2015, which they probably will judging by my other card limits. I like to keep around 5-6 cards in my credit file ideally, so I will likely apply for 1-2 more cards (but not until mid-2015 so most of my inquiries fall off!). I'm thinking either Barneys or Saks (both are bankruptcy-friendly), and maybe Discover or Citi rewards (which are both bankruptcy-friendly once you get 3+ years out of bankruptcy). Overall, I'm really happy with the way things have turned out, and will just keep my reports frozen for awhile.

So don't listen to the ~*bankruptcy is bad*~ hype. You can still get rewards credit cards, auto loans with very low interest, and even a mortgage (even though I didn't apply for one) with good rates.