Recent content by jessica thomas

I filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last November, and while it gave me some relief from debt, the impact on my credit has been brutal. Before filing, my score was in the high 780s, but now Experian shows me at 567 (Credit Karma says 670, but I know FICO is what really matters). What’s confusing...

My finances have improved a lot recently, and I’m hoping to lease a car while rolling in about $6k of negative equity. I know that’s technically possible, but I’m struggling to get approved for the lease because of two late payments in my history and a poor credit score. A few weeks ago, we went...

I’m looking into Second Chance Credit Repair and wondering if anyone here has actually worked with them. My credit took a serious hit a couple of years back after a mix of late payments and an account that went into collections. I’ve managed to get back on track with my bills and keep everything...

I’ve always taken good care of my credit my scores across all bureaus range between 800–820, I maintain around 2% utilization, and I’ve never missed a payment. But recently, I ran into a frustrating situation. I used my Citi card to make a purchase and ended up getting scammed the item never...

So I’ve been working on getting my credit back to when I was a kid, I now 29M had a credit score of 760 when I was 19, but sadly I told my mother and she used it multiple times to open accounts under my name, Now I’m working back to get it to that 700 range seeing as I want to build a network of...

I’m in the process of rebuilding my score, which is currently in the low 600s. I’ve been keeping up with payments and slowly paying down debt, but I know I’m not in the “ideal” credit range yet. I’d rather lease than finance right now since I don’t want to be locked into a long-term loan, but...

I used Credit Saint. Pretty aggressive. They got 2 charge-offs removed in 6 months. Expensive but worth it if you don’t have time to DIY

Did it myself. Sent Goodwill letters to lenders, paid off old balances and disputed duplicates. +78 points in 30 days. No need to pay anyone

I used to go to this corner store where the card reader literally wobbled every time you used it, the keypad wasn’t even fully attached. I always felt like I was one tap away from getting my info stolen

Don’t count on any credit specialist to boost your credit score by 100 points overnight it just doesn’t work that way. Real improvement takes time, consistent effort, and realistic expectations

I haven’t personally tried Credit Dreamers, but their website definitely looks professional. Still, a sleek design doesn’t necessarily guarantee trustworthy or effective results

Opening a PayPal Savings account gives you FDIC insurance but since it’s not a credit product it doesn’t impact your credit report at all

I had my debit card stolen once too but thankfully it was a chip-and-pin card, so they couldn’t get my PIN. Still, the scammers tried to empty my account by purchasing online gift cards it was a pretty terrifying experience

As someone who handles VA loans I can tell you the VA doesn’t actually “repair” credit but a good loan officer will definitely connect you with trusted professionals who can help you get on the right track

I looked up Credit Score Hero and the site honestly looks like it was made back in 2003. Not exactly reassuring lol