When I started to get my credit straight a few years ago, I started by disputing everything on my credit. There were accounts on credit that were sold to account acquisition companies, i.e. Palisades, AFNI, NCO. Depending on how old the account is, these companies do not always have the proper documentation to verify that the account is accurate. I had two accounts removed by doing this. Another benefit is that negative items normally only stay on your credit for 7 years. Well the creidt bureaus don't always remove them automatically. When you dispute it they research and remove those accounts as well. My credit score jumped 60 points in 45 days simply by doing these things. This is my experience. Not saying it will work for everyone, but I say dispute your credit reports.