How to add missing items to credit report

Question

I recently paid off 100% of my debt. It was in default for more than 7 years. My credit report showed these accounts in default, then the accounts were eventually removed from the credit report because their status did not change.

Now that I have paid off the debt, I want the accounts added back onto my credit report. Right now, the 'average age of accounts' on my credit report is pretty bad (a little over 2 years), because these accounts are no longer on it. If I get them added back onto the report, the average age of my accounts would be 10+ years. I can't seem to get my credit score to cross the 800 mark, and I think it is because of the average age of my credit, because everything else on my report mirrors that of an 800+ score.

This is important to me because I am experiencing issues where I am not able to benefit from certain financial products that my significant other is able to benefit from, having a credit score over 800. I'm 4 years older than him, and I have a longer credit history. The primary difference in our credit histories right now is the average age of accounts (I intimately understand nuances of credit reports, and can say this with confidence) and the fact that I'm female (can't change that, obviously). I don't have near-future plans of getting a loan or mortgage, but I like to plan for the long term and work towards having the best options available to me. Regardless of the fact that I already have a score that is over 750, getting these accounts added back on my report is not a useless pursuit- paying off 100% of my debt that was in default for over 7 years says a lot about me.

Does anyone know how to get old accounts added back onto a credit report? I wrote to the credit bureaus months ago and never received a response. I have yet to find a phone number that will actually connect me to a real person. I contacted the Dept. of Education to see if they would notify the credit reporting agencies that a change has occurred, but they said they don't do that.

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

An article on Nolo.com suggests two options for adding an account that is not being reported on your credit report: asking your creditor to report (which you've already done), and asking the credit reporting agency (CRA) to add the account. They acknowledge that it is a long shot, as the CRA's don't have an advertised procedure for doing this, but according to the author of the article, "it doesn't hurt to try."

Other than that, you cannot generally add your own accounts to your credit report. You can, however, add personal information (addresses, places of employment, etc.), you can dispute incorrect information, and you can even write a 100-word statement explaining negative items that will attach to your credit report.

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Before you spend too much time on this, I would like to reiterate that, in my opinion, the value of an 800+ score is overblown.

If you choose to make this your goal, keep in mind that there are three credit reporting agencies, and that there are multiple credit scoring systems. FICO is the one that most lenders actually look at, but most consumers are looking at VantageScore (shown on free websites like Credit Karma), which does not use the same scoring formula. If you are looking at your VantageScore, you might find that your FICO scores (which can only be obtained by paying a fee) are higher than you think.

Finally, remember that, because the credit score formulas are proprietary secrets, your assumptions of why your credit score is not where you hope it would be could be inaccurate, and that even if you are able to get these accounts added to your report, it might not provide the boost you are looking for.