Disputing Items to Improve Credit Report
Disputing the remark seems unlikely to move your score, since it is just that -- a remark.  It's hard to say whether the scoring models can/do read the remarks and incorporate them (somehow) into the scoring metric itself. Disputing the revolving account that should be reported as closed is a different matter.  The question there would be what the status of that account is/was.  In other words, is it showing as an open collection or some other status which would indicate the creditor still has a pending claim?  If so, disputing it might have some effect, although nobody would be able to tell you for certain or even how much your score might be affected. If, as you say, that account should have been part of the bankruptcy package then getting that corrected could be important enough to achieve what you're looking for.  You can try it and see, but even if the effect is minor, you still want your credit report to be a true reflection of the facts. I hope this helps. Good luck! "A few points: The reason your lender is asking you to be above 580 is because that is the magic number for an FHA loan where your down payment would be only 3.5% (the US Government effectively subsidizes the rest of your down pmt). If you had a score lower than that (but still above 500), you will need to put 10% down which is still less than the typical 20% down pmt that many of us make. It's not that you can't get a loan with a score < 580. It's that you don't qualify for the ""maximum financing"" thru FHA. You should do some research and decide if you even want an FHA loan. And keep in mind, you will throw away some money every month towards PMI (mortgage insurance) if you do FHA. Many insist on 20% down pmt to avoid that. How exactly these two items will effect your score is another question. It's possible that having accounts added back as revolving accounts could negatively / not positively effect it. It will likely effect it in some way and I'm not 100% which way or if it would be very significant. You may want to dispute both of those items regardless if you can't afford anything but an FHA loan. If that's the case, then you may have nothing to lose. You might also want to shop around for mortgage lenders. And look for a ""portfolio lender."" These type of lenders general have more flexibility in who they can lend to and the type of loans."
"Whether or not PayPal itself reports to the credit bureaus, the collector **will**.  That said, you can demand the collector ""validate"" the debt, which if you were scammed could make for an interesting scenario - PayPal *doesn't* normally play the role of a creditor, so the very fact that you ""owe"" them money is an unusual situation in and of itself.  I'm not entirely sure how they would go about validating that debt - They haven't provided you any goods or services, you don't have any form of loan outstanding with them... The legitimacy of the ""debt"" consists **entirely** of them siding with the other party in a he-said-she-said dispute.  I'd be interested to hear what the collector replies with when you demand validation of the debt!" "Credit reports have line items that, if all is well, say ""paid as agreed."" A car loan almost certainly gets reported. In your case it probably says the happy ""paid as agreed.""  It will continue to say that if you pay it off in full. You can get the happy ""paid as agreed"" from a credit card too.  You can get it by paying the balance by the due date every month, or paying the mininum, or anything in between, on time. But you'll blow less money in interest if you pay each bill in full each month. You don't have to carry a balance. In the US you can get a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit bureaus. Here's the way to do that with minimal upsell/cross-sell hassles. https://www.annualcreditreport.com/  In your situation you'd probably be smart to ask for a credit report every four months (from each bureau in turn) so you can see how things are going.  They don't give you your FICO score for free, but you don't really care about that until you're going for a big loan, like for a condo. It might be good to take a look at one of those free credit reports real soon, as you prepare to close out your car loan. If you need other loans, consider working with a credit union. They sometimes offer better interest rates, and they often are diligent about making credit bureau reports for their good customers; they help you build credit. You mentioned wanting to cut back on insurance coverage. It's a worthy goal, but it's generally called ""self-insuring"" in the business.  If you cancel your collision coverage and then wreck your car, you absorb the cost of replacing it. So think about your personal ability to handle that kind of risk." You have no grounds for a refund. The flight took off on time, and you chose not to be on board. The fact that the airline could not guarantee ahead of time that the flight would leave on time is not relevant. You can certainly try to dispute the charge with the airline, and it sounds like you have done so. The airline correctly indicates that your dispute is unfounded. You can call up your credit card company and explain the situation, and they may accept your dispute. However, I am not aware of any credit card that would reimburse you (that is, issue a chargeback) in this situation. I'm not trying to be unsympathetic. It sucks that you felt you could not rely on the airline, and are now out some money. Fundamentally, though, this was your choice. The airline would be obligated to reimburse you the cost of your flight, or book you on another flight, if the flight was cancelled due to bad weather or other issues, but they owe you nothing if the flight took off on schedule. "Home Improvements that improve the home's Energy Efficiency are currently eligible for federal tax credits. This includes renewable energy equipment (solar panels, etc.) and Nonbusiness Energy Property Tax Credit. The credit is 30% of the cost. From Intuit Turbo Tax: Energy Tax Credit: Equipment and materials can qualify for the Nonbusiness Energy   Property Credit only if they meet technical efficiency standards set   by the Department of Energy. The manufacturer can tell you whether a   particular item meets those standards. For this credit, the IRS   distinguishes between two kinds of upgrades. The first is ""qualified energy efficiency improvements,"" and it   includes the following:   •Home insulation   •Exterior doors   •Exterior windows and skylights   •Certain roofing materials The second category is ""residential energy property costs."" It   includes:   •Electric heat pumps   •Electric heat pump water heaters   •Central air conditioning systems   •Natural gas, propane or oil waterheaters   •Stoves that use biomass fuel   •Natural gas, propane or oil furnaces   •Natural gas, propane or oil hot water boilers   •Advanced circulating fans for natural gas, propane or oil furnaces" "Every legitimate claim I've filed regarding fraudulent charges on my card includes signing a legal document. If your ""friend"" completes such a document and you can verify that it is untrue, he's in deeper trouble than you. Unfortunately, if he's successful in filing a claim that is later proven to be fraudulent, it puts your account in a poor status until it's fully cleared. Even then, corporate inertia may result in longer duration inaccurate information.  Once you've cleared the fraudulent claim, you'll want to contact your credit agency to ensure they are provided with correct and proper documentation." Well, you're business/accounting acumen is nothing to brag about and your character is still out for judgment, though your insistence on trying to make this point despite being wrong is sort of working against you. Other than that, I don't know anything else about you to make that kind of assessment.  Though you are tenacious, I'll give you that. You keep arguing with me despite saying you were done with this. So that could possibly be a positive character trait. An inquiry to your credit report is a slight ding and lasts 2 years. I'd suggest that if you are playing the bonus game you watch your score closely, and if it drops below the level you'd like to maintain, hold off a while. Credit Karma offers a good simulation to show the impact of inquiries, utilization, new accounts, etc. If you are not banking with a credit union, open an account.  Speak with a person there an explain you are wanting to build your credit history.  They will likely have a product designed for the purpose. Also, to agree with duffbeer703, why is your score so low at this point? Make sure your three credit reports do not have anything incorrect on them and challenge wrong items. If everything is fine on the report, you just to have more credit and use it for a longer period of time. I presume you are building credit for a large purchase such as a house.  Please be very careful with borrowing money and do your best to avoid carrying balances.