hi all, during 2005, after a messy divorce, my good credit was destroyed in a matter of months. i have found that many here have experienced the same circumstances, and it was reassuring to see that my case was not special - misery loves company, i suppose. but, what was most reassuring is how many people here were able to help themselves, despite the path on how they arrived! it gives me hope that i can pull myself out of the fire, just as many of you did and continue to do so. so, after lurking in the forums for the last couple of weeks and finally registering, i feel ready to participate! i am excited for the future and hopeful for what it might bring, and quite honestly, for the first time in a long time. i have scoured the forums, read what to do and more importantly what not to do. i have my credit reports in hand and my letters ready to go! but, i have a couple of questions, if some of you will indulge me. 1) would my removal results be better, if i have the 5 other addresses that have been reported on my credit report? 2) in terms of the number of disputes per letter, i have seen anywhere from 1 - 4 all the way up to all negatives in one shot. i guess the question is, how were the results? does it matter? thanks in advance, guys. i salute everyone's efforts, here!
It's a matter of preference. I've seen people who say all 'former' addresses should be removed, to others who say that leaving them is fine. Number of disputes likewise is a matter of preference, the thing to keep in mind that the disputes should be detailed on to a certain specific feature or features, to give you some of the best leverages. I'll give a caselaw example. Johnson v. MBNA, the former spouse of a debtor was an AU on her husband's account, the husband declared BK, MBNA 'allegedly' removed him from the account, and 'promoted' the ex-wife as the debtor of the account. Ms. Johnson disputed the account as not mine, ex-husband's account, I was only an AUTHORIZED USER. MBNA gets the dispute from the CRA, and only goes in to their computerized records to verify that her name, and address was in their records, not that it was actually her account. They didn't have her SSN or birthdate, now how many times does the bank issue a credit card without having the SSN & birthdate in their records. The court ruled that MBNA did not actually verify the account, to investigate whether she was only an AU, and should have in light of the dispute that she sent. If she would have stopped at "NOT MINE", she wouldn't have been able to argue that a more conclusive investigation needed to be performed.
Welcome to Creditnet! I hope you'll find the help and support you need here. I wouldn't worry too much about the old addresses, especially if they are all correct. In regards to number of disputes per letter, I agree with jam that it's a matter of preference. I think the important thing to remember is that you want to keep your letter simple and clear. If you've got 15 baddies you want to dispute and you lump them all in one letter, it can even get confusing for you to track. That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with disputing several things at one time.
