Is is possible to legally remove negative information from your credit report?

I know there are websites out there that are scams and say they can get you a new credit report which is illegal, but I have also read that you can get the creditors to remove the negative marks. Is this true? Also, are there any free websites out there with legitimate information about repairing credit? I came across the Credit Secrets Bible and thought about buying it, just not sure if you could get the same info for free somewhere else.

Is is possible to legally remove negative information from your credit report?
The only way to remove correct information is through a pay for delete agreement which simply states that in return for your payment the creditor agrees to remove the account from your credit.





If they agree to this get it in writing before you pay them a dime.





Other then that there is no way to remove correct information except to wait for it to fall off in 7-years and 180-days per the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Reply:You can dispute anything on your credit report and it is possible that it may get deleted. If the company fails to respond to the dispute, it will go away. If they do respond that it is correct, it will stay. Go to annualcreditreport.com and dispute away!
Reply:First try to get the creditors to remove the bad information. Some will be willing to work with you, others will not. The last thing banks want if for you to stop using their credit card. If the card is paid off but the account is still open you have a bargaining chip to work with. Once you close the account, all bargaining power is lost.





I have personally successfully done the following 3 things to clean up my and my wife's credit.





1) Got 2 of 3 banks to remove late payment information by paying off all due money and explaining that the Post Office failed to forward my mail when I left college. It helps that I was telling the truth.





2) I got the 3rd bank's negative information removed within 2 years. I closed the account and kept bugging the credit agencies. After the bank stopped reporting for a year, the credit agencies just removed the info since it wasn't being updated anymore.





3) I got a collection removed by offering to pay off the full debt only on the condition that the collection agency removed the negative information from the credit report and say as much in writing.





Note that the common thread is that I took responsibility for the debt and paid them in full. If you show that you are responsible then the banks and even collections agencies will be willing to work with you.





However, the collection agency was a little tougher. The debt has been sold so many times that I actually had to track the collection agency down before they found my wife. I had to hang up on them several times before they would play ball. I kept reminding them that I called them first and that I was willing to pay the debt in full but only under my conditions. They want the money so eventually they come around.
Reply:yes, you can remove it for free by contacting one of the credit bureau and all 3 will be removed


however...your negative info must be there for at least 7 years or so in order for them to do that.
Reply:Yes, there are some things you can get removed off of your credit report. However, only if you can prove that the negative entries are not yours at all. If the debt is yours, and it has caused a negative entry on your report, your stuck with it.
Reply:Creditors are the only ones who can remove items from your report





If its a valid debt they will keep it on there...if you pay it off they MIGHT take it off your report...but i seriously doubt that





If you see something on your report that doesn't belong to you then you dispute that item with the bureau...the bureau will contact that credit for proof of the debt. If they can't prove that debt it MUST be removed from your credit report. If they prove it's your debt then it will remain.





If a debt is on your report for more than 7 yrs then you may request for it to be removed





THere are no other options or choices on having things removed from your credit report......
Reply:If its legitimate info, it will have to age its way off. Don't fall for the "quick fix" credit repair scams.
Reply:Yes, but in general you can not do it yourself--you can only dispute it. You hit the nail on the head when you said 'you can get the creditors to remove the negative marks'. They can remove negative info but you have to convince them to do it--not an easy task.
Reply:The only way to remove negative information from your credit bureau is if it is there in ERROR! Otherwise, negative entries (chargeoffs, judgements, late payments, bankruptcies remain on your bureau for 7 years)