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Talked to a loan officer in Phoenix who told me something wild about credit checks
I was trying to get pre-approved for a house and the guy at the bank said my score was fine, but the automated system flagged me for a $120 medical bill I forgot about from two years back. He told me to call the hospital billing directly and ask for a 'goodwill adjustment' instead of just paying it, and it actually worked to get it removed. Has anyone else had a lender give them a specific tip like that which actually fixed a report?
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phoenixk641mo ago
Wait, so did the loan officer explain why a goodwill request works better than just paying it off? From what I've heard, paying a old collection can sometimes just update the date on your report and keep it there longer (which is terrible). But a goodwill deletion actually gets it removed, like it never happened. It's crazy that a simple phone call can fix something that could tank a mortgage deal. You gotta wonder how many people pay the bill and accidentally make their credit worse right before buying a house.
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oliver8551mo ago
Man it's WILD how backwards that is. The whole credit system feels like a trap where doing the "right thing" and paying can actually screw you. And you're right, how would anyone know unless they spend hours online digging? It makes you wonder if the rules are confusing on purpose so people mess up and stay in debt longer. Honestly it should be illegal to re-age a debt just because someone tried to pay it off.
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patel.shane1mo ago
Yeah that's a scary thought, @phoenixk64. Makes you wonder if some collection agencies count on people not knowing the difference. Like, someone gets a call about an old medical bill, they panic and pay it, and that "paid" status just resets the clock for another seven years. Meanwhile, a polite letter to the original doctor's office might get it deleted entirely. How are regular people supposed to know this stuff unless they dig through forums like this? The system feels backwards.
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