Thread: why is my score so low???? HELP!!!

A collection is a significantly negative item on your credit report. So you already paid it off? If not, you could try to negotiate a "pay-for-delete" with the creditor. Otherwise, time is your best friend on this one.

The 39k worth of debt you have could also be a big negative, if it's a lot relative to your income. Credit scores are meant to give lenders an idea of how risky a borrower is, in terms of expectations on getting paid back the money that is leant. So if you have a lot of debt relative to your income, you are more risky than if you only have a little debt or no debt.

The best ways to improve scores are:

* Always pay all bills on time
* Don't go too deep into debt
* Don't carry big balances on credit cards
* Don't apply for credit often (each inquiry dings you a few points)
* Be patient. It takes time for scores to rise after you get things in order.

Hope this helps and good luck!

There are plenty of ways you can increase your credit score in 30 days. Below are some ways that would help in improving your credit score.

Pay down your credit cards
Don't use your whole credit line every month
Is your credit report correctly reporting your credit limits for your cards?
Don't use credit card issuers who don't report your credit limit
Ask a trusted friend or family member to add you to one of their old cards as an authorized user
Ask a creditor for forgiveness
Get student loan payments current
Dispute old negatives
Get a collection agency to agree to remove a debt from your report if you pay it
Dispute with original creditor