A credit repair company may promise to remove a hard inquiry from your credit history for a fee, but inquiries can only be removed if theyre the result of fraud. Instead of paying a company to do it for you, you can dispute a fraudulent inquiry by yourself—for free.

Can credit repair companies remove closed accounts?

As long as they stay on your credit report, closed accounts can continue to impact your credit score. If youd like to remove a closed account from your credit report, you can contact the credit bureaus to remove inaccurate information, ask the creditor to remove it or just wait it out.

Can credit repair remove negative items?

Have a Credit Repair Professional Remove the Negative Items They know the Fair Credit Reporting Act inside and out. Credit repair companies like Lexington Law charge monthly subscription fees plus an upfront first-work fee. They can usually remove inaccurate information a lot faster than you could by yourself.

Does credit Repair completely remove collections?

Paid or unpaid collection accounts can legally stay on your credit reports for up to seven years after the original account first became delinquent. Once the collection account reaches the seven-year mark, the credit reporting companies should automatically delete it from your credit reports.

Why you should never pay a debt collector?

On the other hand, paying an outstanding loan to a debt collection agency can hurt your credit score. Any action on your credit report can negatively impact your credit score - even paying back loans. If you have an outstanding loan thats a year or two old, its better for your credit report to avoid paying it.