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How Do I Get Midland Credit Management Off My Credit Report?

FT Contributor

If you check your credit report and see a Midland Credit Management (MCM or Midland CM) collections account, you probably have past-due debts.

The company to which you owe the debt has most likely turned it over to Midland Credit Management in the form of a collections account.

Staying on top of collections accounts by taking the right steps to resolve your past-due debt is the best thing you can do to protect your credit score.

Table of Contents

Is Midland Credit Management a Real Company?

Midland Credit Management, Inc., is a third-party collection agency based in San Diego that helps consumers pay off their debts. It is not a scam and is an authorized credit management and debt collection agency as well as a subsidiary of the Encore Capital Group, a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

The company mainly provides consumers with options and resources to resolve their debts on time without causing any errors that could damage their credit scores.

What Is a Collection Agency?

A collection agency is a company that lenders and creditors use to recover past-due funds. Companies hire collection agencies to collect receivables from customers who were not able to pay on time. Collection agencies work closely with credit bureaus and lenders to retrieve delinquent funds.

How Debt Collection Works

When a borrower defaults on their debts or does not meet the criteria for making scheduled loan payments, the creditor reports this activity to the credit bureau.

After this happens, the borrower’s credit history is at risk of being tarnished. Also, the borrower’s debt will be turned over to a collection agency within three to six months of default.

What to Do if Midland Credit Management Is on Your Credit Report

If you are getting phone calls or letters from Midland Credit Management, it’s a good idea to figure out what to do next. The three tips below will help you understand how to deal with this debt collection company and how to remove it from your credit report.

Ask for Written Communication Only

Unless you are completely confident in what is going on, it is a good idea to ask for written communication only. Sometimes, debt collectors may follow unethical business practices and promise things they cannot fulfill. When they do so in writing, it has much more weight than if they do so over the phone.

All you need to do is send them a letter. In this letter, you should demand that all communications be handled in writing.

Request Validation of Debt

MCM does not make any money unless they collect the debt. This is why they are so persistent on the phone and in their communication methods. However, they might be mistaken in the veracity of their claim, which is why you should send them a debt validation letter.

A debt validation letter demands verification of your debt. Sometimes, companies may make mistakes and put more debt under your name than you actually owe. Therefore, it is a best practice to request debt validation.

You may actually owe less than you have been told you owe. You should send this validation letter within 30 days of your written communication. After the letter arrives, make sure to look at it and verify everything that is there.

If there are any inaccuracies, you have the right to deny communication from the company and remove the negative entry. If your credit history is inaccurate, you can dispute it in only a few steps.

Under the terms of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, if you can prove that the claim is invalid, then it can be wiped off your credit report.

Reach a Settlement

If the company validates your debt, you should make every effort to negotiate. Often, you can negotiate to pay less than you owe if you are able to pay it off in full earlier than requested.

If you decide to not pay anything, then your credit score will be affected negatively, hurting your ability to get a car loan or a new credit card.

Other Ways to Remove Midland Credit Management From Your Credit Report

If Midland Credit Management won’t reach a deal to settle your debt, there are still options to remove the negative mark from your credit report.

Pay for Delete

A pay for delete is an offer to pay a set percentage of debt in exchange for the removal of the negative mark from your report. You should only do this through written communication and never over the phone.

If the company accepts your offer, you should mail them a check. After about 30 days, mail them another letter asking whether the negative entry has been removed from your credit report.

However, pay for delete is not an advised method of removing your debt; agencies are required by law to report delinquencies truthfully and the latest credit scoring models, FICO 9 and VantageScore 3.0, ignore paid collections accounts.

Use a Credit Repair Company

If you are still not confident enough to make the move, there are credit repair companies that can help you with debt removal. It is often difficult to guide yourself through the process on your own, which is why many credit repair companies have dedicated themselves to making the process stress-free and easy.

After spending time with a credit repair company, you’ll understand how credit works and what steps to take should you be met with this situation in the future.

Should I Expect Legal Action Against Me if I Don’t Pay?

If you do not pay, the company may engage in harassment. The Better Business Bureau receives hundreds of complaints each year about MCM’s debt collection practices. If you are one of those people who decide not to pay, it’s likely that they may call you and pressure you to do so.

Keep in mind that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits MCM and other debt collectors from calling you late at night or early in the morning. You also have the ability to request them to call a specific number. If you do not pay the debt, the company can also take legal action against you.

If this occurs, you need to see the statute of limitations to check the category under which your debt falls. The statute of limitations on debt refers to a debt collector’s ability to take action against you. In some cases, you will be able to get the case dismissed if the statute has expired.


Image Source: https://depositphotos.com/

 

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