LONG-Newbie help with credit repair

I've been reading this board for quite a few weeks, and I feel that I might have a grasp on what needs to be done to fix my CR, but since everyone here seems so helpful, I figured I'd get your input first.

I've got a FICO in the 680's range (EX 637, TU 578), and have 10 or so negs on each of my CRs (1 judgment, 2 collections, 2 listed as charge offs/written off debt, 5 late pays) but right now, almost all outstanding debt is gone ($1200 left to be gone in the next few months). I mistakenly thought that paying all of my bills would fix my problems, but, alas, my score hasn't really improved. I have 1 credit card I keep open, but I pay 99% of the balance before the closing date every month so there is positive activity on the CR, but no debt associated with it.

The first thing I've done is attempt to get all previous address off of the reports. Seems like a good place to start.

With respect to the judgment, it was paid in full this past March, and it still listed on my report as outstanding. The main problems I have with this judgment (which is from a credit union's cc), is that I was never served (I got a letter from the court telling me the court date was 2 weeks before I had even received the letter) and the complaint was filed in the county where the credit union is located, not where I live (about 3 counties away). So, by the time I had learned of the court action, the judgment had already been entered. I contacted the credit union, and just continued the payment plan we had agreed upon before the court action had started. I know I should have got a lawyer involved, but I had no money (otherwise I would have been able to avoid the situation by paying the card), and the credit union had me afraid of jail time if I didnâ??t comply with their payment plan.

One of the collection accounts is for a medical bill, and the other is for a cable bill. Both were paid as soon as the collection notice arrived (got a collection notice but no bill for both items). The charge off items are credit cards which were both paid in full to collection agencies (the CA isnâ??t listed on the report). There is also is a card with a status of 120+ days past due, but under the history, it shows the card as paid / zero balance and closed. Itâ??s a card that I was listed as an AU, but the report shows it as a joint account.

So, my plan of action was to first remove the old address off of the CR, send nutcase letters to the 2 collection agencies, dispute the judgment to the CRA as a â??not mineâ? (after the addresses are removed), and dispute the charge off items with the CRA once the judgment was taken care of. If Iâ??m not sick of CRAs by then, I figure Iâ??d dispute the late pays.

So I guess my questions are:
Is this the best way to go about removing the judgment? Obtaining the court records wonâ??t be easy since I live so far away. If I canâ??t get it removed as â??not mineâ?, should I contact the credit union and ask them to at least report it as satisfied?

Are nutcase letters the best approach to the collection agencies? Is there any risk of them reaging the account at that time?

Can the credit cards report items as charge offâ??s or written off debt if they were paid in full to collection agencies? What is the best way to get rid of this notation?

What do I do about the card that is listed as joint, but was set up as an AU? And HOW can it be 120+ days late and paid in full at the same time?

I now know that there were better ways to deal with this while I was paying off the debt, but in my naivety, I believed that if you do the right thing by paying the debt owed, the score would improve. I should have negotiated better at the time, but I guess itâ??s live and learn.

So, I know itâ??s a LONG post, but does anybody have any suggestions or comments about my plan of action?

 

Anybody??? Help, pleaseâ?¦

Anyhow, I have one more question â?? how long should I wait between the address removal requests before I dispute the judgment and how long between that and the other charge offs?

 

If I dispute the 3 charge offs and the judgment at the same time, should I just use one of the sample validation letters with the account information, and no further info (like why Iâ??m disputing it), or should I write just a simple "these accounts aren't mine" letter.

Originally, I was planning on fighting the judgment and the joint account card (which isn't mine) with a simple "not mine" letter. At a later time for the other 2 charge offs, I was going to use the "This letter is a formal complaint that you are reporting inaccurate and incomplete credit information" letter which would include the accounts, but no specific explanation as to why they are erroneous.

I guess Iâ??m a bit confused as to how to best approach this. Should I do the simple and sweet letter, or the lengthy legal mumbo jumbo? Or should I send 2 letters, one of each? Or should I say they all aren't mine? So many options!