My Experian score is 672 mainly b/c of this tax lien that was paid off a week after I received notice at my correct address. What sucks is that they reported it on 9/11 - the day I paid it off!! How can I get that off assuming I dispute and the courthouse verifies? Also, this is weird. ..my Experian report shows 2 First USA accounts as open when only one is really open. I transferred from one to another with bonus rewards and so I got a new account number but was told by First USA that the other account is technicall closed. Do I just dispute this with the credit bureau. I'm just worried that the 12K balance on that one is hurting my score since it shows up as open.
State tax liens are TOUGH to get rid of. If it was actually filed the day you paid it off, I would contact the department that filed it, explain that it was already paid when it was filed and ask them to remove it. Be sure to specify you'd like for them to delete it rather than just update the file to note paid and released. (Because paid and released will hurt your scores as much as unpaid will.) Lien disputes tend to be hit and miss (mostly miss). Sometimes they fall through the cracks if you dispute enough times, but there are no hard and fast rules. You have a unique situation that seems to lend itself to a direct contact as a first approach. If that doesn't work, the idea is to get it into dispute status over and over using a different reason each time with the hope that eventually it will slip through. (No lien filed on this date, no lien filed for this amount, not mine, etc.) DemPooches
Thanks! I will try that. I had perfect credit until law school when I moved back and forth during the summers to work that all of this mail got lost and hence the tax lien and late payment on my capital one from 3 years ago....grrrr.. So annoying.
We had a State Tax lien that came off TU the first time I disputed it as not mine. After disputing it with EQ around 10 times, it came off there. EX seemed to be a hopeless case till the first time I disputed it as incorrect filing date. Came off the first time with that reason. Just keep trying! Anna
Ok, what do you do if the lien was paid immediately 12 yrs ago, but still appears on the CR? Even though it was paid, it still shows no release date.
I would first dispute as "released, please remove." If somehow they do "verify", contact the courthouse and have them mail you a copy of the release documents. The lien should not be on your report over 7 years after it is paid. This would be one case in which I would send the documents to the CRA. (Actually, I think I'd explain the problem to the clerk and ask the courthouse to mail them to the CRA for me.) If they continue to report a paid and released lien over 7 years after it was paid and released, they are in violation of the FCRA and you can sue. (I can't imagine it coming to that though.) DemPooches
