Credit repair questions, answered straight

We are a Dallas credit and debt management firm, founded by Stacy C. Notley in 1983. We review your three-bureau credit report line by line, dispute items that are inaccurate or cannot be verified, build a plan for your debt, and teach you how to keep your credit healthy once it is repaired.

Yes. Start with a free 15-minute credit analysis by phone at (972) 458-9100. Once we have your merged three-bureau report, we walk you through every negative finding in a free one-on-one consultation. The only cost at that stage is the credit report fee paid to the credit agencies: $36 for an individual three-bureau report or $60 for a couple. Single bureau reports are $25, and the LexisNexis report is free.

A copy of your three-bureau credit report. We can order it for you, or you can request a free analysis online and our office will call you to collect what the bureaus need. We never ask for your Social Security number through a web form.

Yes. Our office is in North Dallas on Campbell Road, and we work with clients across Dallas-Fort Worth, including Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Highland Park, University Park and Southlake. Most of the work happens by phone and email, so you rarely need to visit.

It depends on how many items need attention and how the credit bureaus respond. A bureau generally has 30 days to investigate a dispute, and some items take more than one round. Many of our clients work with us for several months. We will tell you what to expect for your own report before you begin.

No, and no honest company can. Accurate, timely information can stay on your report, usually for up to seven years, and some bankruptcies for up to ten. What we do is find the items that are wrong, outdated, duplicated or unverifiable and pursue each one until it is corrected or removed, and then help you build positive history on top.

No one can honestly promise a specific score. We do not sell fear or make false promises. What we can promise is a complete review of all three bureaus, a written plan, and a team that stays with your file until the work is done.

Yes. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information directly with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion at no cost. Clients come to us because a thorough dispute takes time, persistence and knowing what to look for across three reports at once.

Credit repair focuses on your credit reports: finding and disputing inaccurate items. Credit counseling focuses on the money side: budgeting, a plan for your debt, lower interest where possible, and the habits that keep your score up. Most of our clients need some of both, and we handle both under one plan.

Getting started costs only the credit report fee: $25 for a single bureau, $36 for an individual three-bureau report, $60 for a couple, or $75 for our single report package. The analysis itself is free. Pricing for any work after that depends on the condition of your report and how much it needs, so we quote it after the analysis, and you get a written explanation of the services and their cost before you agree to anything.

Payment history counts for about 35 percent, how much of your available credit you use about 30 percent, the length of your credit history about 15 percent, and your credit mix and new credit about 10 percent each. That is why one late payment is rarely the whole story.

Usually not. Closing a card lowers your available credit, which raises the share you are using, and it can shorten the average age of your accounts. Older accounts show stability.

Your middle score from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. That is why it matters to know all three, not just the one your bank or card app shows you.

No. Income and occupation are not part of a credit score. Lenders still look at income when they decide how much to lend.