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Advice on Debt Collections and Credit Score - The Bills.com Blog
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Advice on Debt Collections and Credit Score
Friday, May 29, 2009
Question: If I have somethings in collection, if I start trying to pay it off will that help my credit score get better?
Answer: One of the primary functions of your credit score is to give lenders a way to judge the likelihood you will pay on the credit they extend to you for car loans, credit cards, mortgages, etc. So typically (but not in every case), paying off your debts - even debts that have already gone into collections - will usually improve your credit.(Think of it this way: If somebody asked to borrow money from you, and you knew that they didn't pay back the last person they borrowed from, how much "credit" would you give them?)
But there are two very important things to keep in mind:
1) For the most part, credit reports only contain the credit activity of the previous 7 years. So if these debts have been in collections for more than 7 years, you will actually hurt your credit by paying them off. This is because your new payment will now become the date of last activity on the account, causing something
that had fallen off your credit report to reappear as current. And bring old accounts with poor payment histories back onto your credit report will hurt your credit score.
2) Find out your state laws regarding the statute of limitations on debts. Statute of limitation laws set a limit on the amount of time a creditor has to sue you in court to force payment on a bad debt. And just like with credit reports, paying on these debts can re-set this clock. Every state has their own laws, but in some states, suits regarding bad credit cards debt must be filed within 3 years of last activity. So be sure to investigate this before you start re-paying on
2) Find out your state laws regarding the statute of limitations on debts. Statute of limitation laws set a limit on the amount of time a creditor has to sue you in court to force payment on a bad debt. And just like with credit reports, paying on these debts can re-set this clock. Every state has their own laws, but in some states, suits regarding bad credit cards debt must be filed within 3 years of last activity. So be sure to investigate this before you start re-paying on
these. You wouldn't want to give your creditors a second chance at suing you for these!
With that in mind, if these debts are still fairly young, paying them off should improve your credit.
If you are looking for ways to eliminate them, I suggest visiting http://www.bills.com/consolidate-bills/ where you will find a wealth of information regarding ways to become debt free. You can also apply for traditional forms of debt relief, for free at https://www.bills.com/debthelp/debt/.
Lastly, if you have little credit are interested in building credit, you can read more at http://www.bills.com/blog/how-to-build-credit/.
I wish you the best of luck. I hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
www.bills.com/blog/
With that in mind, if these debts are still fairly young, paying them off should improve your credit.
If you are looking for ways to eliminate them, I suggest visiting http://www.bills.com/consolidate-bills/ where you will find a wealth of information regarding ways to become debt free. You can also apply for traditional forms of debt relief, for free at https://www.bills.com/debthelp/debt/.
Lastly, if you have little credit are interested in building credit, you can read more at http://www.bills.com/blog/how-to-build-credit/.
I wish you the best of luck. I hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
www.bills.com/blog/
Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!
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