There are three options for getting late payments off your credit report.
There seem to be three
tried-and-true methods for removing late payments from your Credit
Report:
- Ask the original creditor for a "Goodwill
Adjustment."
The concept is
straightforward, and it works surprisingly well.
If your prior payment
history is generally excellent and you have created a solid connection with the
creditor, creditors are sometimes willing to offer "goodwill
adjustments."
This is arguably the
simplest and most reliable method of removing a late payment from your credit
record.
The procedure is to
draft a letter to the creditors explaining your position (why you were late)
and requesting that they "forgive" the late payment and correct your Credit Repair Facts.
Using this
goodwill/forgiveness letter format that I made is the simplest way to get
started. If you have a lot of late payments, this strategy might not work for
you.
2. Negotiate Removal by Offering to Sign Up for
Automatic Payments
I've never used this
strategy personally, but from what I've heard, creditors regularly offer to
delete late payment listings if you agree to set up automated payments in
exchange.
This technique benefits
both parties: the creditor can be certain that future payments are made on
time, and you don't have to think about forgetting to pay or being charged late
penalties if you miss the due date.
Direct debits, of
course, are only useful if you have sufficient funds in your bank account to
cover the transaction.
I'd love to hear from
anyone who has had success with this strategy!
Many readers have confirmed that this strategy
worked for them, so if a kindness letter doesn't help, try this next.
3. Reject the Late Payment as Incorrect.
I don't recommend lying
or stating that bad information is incorrect when you know you've made late payments.
However, if you discover
ANY errors in the late payment entry (dates, quantities, etc.), you can start
disputing the missed payment as incorrectly stated.
It's not uncommon for
collectors to have trouble validating the specific facts of your account
history.
As a result, if you send
a dispute letter to the creditor challenging the false late payment, and the
creditor is unable to verify it, the negative item can be deleted under the
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
- Your name
- creditor’s name
- Payment information
- Account
number
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