Does USAA assist with cleaning up credit reports? If not, any advice on what we should do?

[Mrs. TB]

My husband and I need to clean up our credit reports. There are things on there that have been paid off for about two years that are still negatively affecting our credit scores. Does USAA assist with cleaning up credit reports if not any advice on what we should do? Thank you,

[Mikel Van Cleve USAA]

Hi Mrs. TB,

Thank you for your question. While USAA does not provide credit "clean up" or repair services, we can provide some general advice and resources to help. Before speaking with any type of credit repair company, please note that the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advise that you use caution before engaging with any company that promises to remove legitimate items from your credit report.

Assuming the items on your report that were paid off two years ago are legitimate, then they will remain on your credit report for a period of seven years from the last date of activity. In certain bankruptcy situations, items can remain for 10 years. The good news is, the impact to your credit will lessen over that time period and eventually drop off completely.

Without knowing all the specifics, here are few steps you can take:

• Instead of a credit repair company, contact a non-profit credit counseling agency that is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. A credit counselor can do a credit report review with you and provide advice on actions you can take to improve your credit, within the context of your overall financial situation.
• Monitor your credit reports and scores on an ongoing basis. USAA provides free and paid credit monitoring services through Experian. 
• Limit your use of credit credit cards to an amount you can afford to pay in full each billing cycle. If you have cards with existing balances, put together a plan to pay down the debt as quickly and efficiently as possible. Here is a free tool to help you with a pay-down strategy. 
• Automate payments to help avoid being late. USAA provides a free Bill Pay service to help in this area as well. 

Payment history and the amount you owe are the two largest factors in a credit score, so these resources can help you stay on track and rebuild your credit. Thanks again for reaching out and please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Mikel

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