getting started...Am I on the right track?

[txsquirrel]

Hi all. I'm new to this part of the forum and am slowly weeding my way through all the information in the posts. I am, as everyone else, going to attempt to repair my CR. I've read the "Good Credit is Sexy" book and found it informative and have also read the flow chart for repair on this website so here I go.

Yesterday I pulled my credit report before I knew about the FAKO/FICO difference and find that I'm not a bad off as I thought. Not in great shape, but I think I can salvage my credit with patience. I'm currently paying down two major credit cards and just paid off my student loan, so I hoping that will help my numbers go up even a little bit.

Okay, to the point. Basically my reports have only one collection agency on each (Midland), I have no idea for whom they were collecting for. The amounts are different on all three and on some the account is listed as "account in dispute". From what I've read, I should DV midland as well as write a dispute letter to each agency and wait.

I also have three charge offs which I am assuming that I should tackle the same way. Do I also send a letter to the original creditor? One of the accounts is my husbands that he got before we even knew each other and somehow it ended up on my report.

Also, I read that I should remove any old addresses and correct name variations. I this correct. The reason I ask is that my last name consists of two words. Two of the reports have it listed as one. Is this something I should be concerned with?

Thanks for any help and I hope that I'm not repeating too much of what has already been asked.

Scores now

FAKO...yeah I still need to pull FICO

EX: 647

EQ: 591

TU: 652

[admin]

1. Dispute everything with the bureaus.

2. Write DV letters to the collection agencies, combined with a possible pay for delete/settlement offer if you can afford it. Whole DV procedure link above.

3. Anything that comes back "verified" contact the OC (link above).

4. Rinse and repeat.