Pay for delete letter: Negotiate to remove negative listing

Submitted by Laura on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 06:27
Forums

What is a Pay for delete letter?

A Pay for delete agreement is normally made with the original creditor or a collection agency (CA) to remove an outstanding debt listing from your credit report.

If the name of the creditor or the CA gets listed in your credit report with a particular debt, you should first ask for debt validation by sending a Debt Validation (DV) letter to the creditor. Once your debt gets validated by the creditor, you need to send a Pay for delete letter.

A Pay for delete letter is sent as part of your negotiations with your creditor for a repayment plan to pay off your outstanding debt. If the creditor agrees to a Pay for deletion agreement, the negative listing gets removed from your credit report once the debt has been repaid in full. You should always get the Pay for delete agreement in writing so you have proof that the creditor agreed to delete the negative listing from your report, if they refuse to remove the negative item from your report after you pay off the debt.

Sample Pay for delete letter/Pay for deletion letter

Name of Collection Agency
Address of collection agency

Re: Collection Account for Original Creditor Account Number
Amount: $50.00

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is for your information that I am disputing validity of the debt referred to above. I am not aware of the account number and you have not informed me of the existence of this account.

I am willing to pay this account IN FULL (or a settlement percentage, whichever is feasible) if you agree to immediately delete the account from the credit reporting agencies (namely Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) that you have reported to, and validated this account. My sole purpose is to get this item removed from my file. This letter should not be interpreted as recognition of the debt or acknowledgment of liability for the debt.

If you accept the terms of this agreement, the certified amount of $50 will be sent to your collection agency provided there is complete deletion of any reference to the debt from my file on all the credit bureaus that you have reported to, and the debt is validated. As the full amount demanded will be paid back, there should not be any waiting period to delete this item from the reporting bureaus.

Your agency should delete all information regarding the account from my credit files within 10 business days from the receipt of the payment, as mentioned in this agreement. The terms of this agreement will not be discussed with anyone but the original creditor. No third party will be informed if contacted and no acknowledgment of the debt, any kind of payment, or settlement will be discussed if I am contacted by the Reporting Agencies.

Following the acceptance of the agreement, please prepare a letter on your company letter head unambiguously agreeing to the aforementioned terms and conditions and have it signed by your agency's authorized signatory. This letter will imply a legal contract, enforceable under my state law.

If I do not receive an approval letter within 15 days of your receipt of this letter, I will withdraw this offer.

Please communicate regarding this account to the address mentioned below.

Your Name
Your Address
State Zip Code

Hi JohnInOhio,

Welcome to this community :)

You will have to read the summons and complaints thoroughly and file an answer to it. You can either agree or disagree to the charges brought against you. To answer to the summons you can request the court clerk from where you have been served to help you in filing the answer. You can also get help from an attorney.

Thanks,

Aaron

Tue, 08/24/2010 - 07:59 Permalink

thanks aaron, if I agree what happens? can i make arrangements with the creditor and 'stay out of the courts'? Can I request verification even if it is the company who holds the account and not a CA? I will have the money after the date which I need to file the answer .. will they set a court date if I agree or what?

Tue, 08/24/2010 - 13:23 Permalink
Marty (not verified)

Hello, should the pay for deletion letter be notarized?

Tue, 08/24/2010 - 20:03 Permalink

Hi Marty,

I don't think a "Pay for delete" (PFD) letter need to be notarized. If you are sending a PFD letter you can send it through certified mail, requesting a return receipt.

Thanks,

Aaron

Wed, 08/25/2010 - 09:44 Permalink
angies71 (not verified)

I started to pay a debt that i had on my credit report now would this deletion letter work for me i owe $1990 on it still would it be feasible to request for them to take it off

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 03:35 Permalink

Hi angies,

Yes, it may work. You will have to send a request of "Pay for delete" (PFD) through certified mail, requesting a return receipt. However, the main thing is not all collection agencies agree to PFD.

Thanks,

Aaron

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 12:09 Permalink

One can imagine me the newbie to credit cards and can I ask some one that what does it mean by Pay for Delete.

Tue, 08/31/2010 - 05:33 Permalink

Hi henry,

"Pay for delete" (PFD) is a request to the creditor or collection agency to remove the negatives (in regards to the particular account) from your credit report on paying off the dues. If the creditor or collection agency agrees to PFD the negative is removed after you finish paying off. However, not all creditors or collection agencies agree to PFD.

Thanks,

Aaron

Tue, 08/31/2010 - 09:48 Permalink

If I owe the debt and want to pay it is there any chance that the origional creditor will do this? I have recevied a summons and will provide an answer. I had planned on paying off the debt however they chose to accelerate the collection by filing in the courts.

Is it realistic for them to agree to delete the info around the account?

Thu, 09/02/2010 - 02:04 Permalink

I apologize for posting this multiple times.. but I'm having trouble validating that it is actaully getting posted... so here it goes . I have a summons, I need to answer, the org creditor is who is suing and they have provide the DV in the summons. I will have the funds to pay this off but not until after the answer is due. How can I , or do i need to delay this to prevent judgement? Do I file the answer and then contact the creditor and tell them of my intent to pay?

Thu, 09/02/2010 - 02:32 Permalink
Jim11111 (not verified)

Being sued for 2100 debt called and they were extremely rude and I offered to pay 50 % they want 70% of with all the interest and extra fees added. I ok'd asked for it in writing.. gave fax number then they asked for my bank info so I stated I will provide once I receive the letter. Could they be trying to dupe me and not really send a letter? I wont pay if they dont send but does this really happen and what's their motivation they just want a judgement against me?

Wed, 09/08/2010 - 21:59 Permalink
A A (not verified)

I have paid off a few things things however now it just says "paid." In my opinion, it looks better to just not have it on my credit report at all, correct? I'm going to send the template letter by re-wording it in a way pretty much says "I've paid you, now take it off!"

Tue, 09/21/2010 - 16:33 Permalink
A A (not verified)

I'm currently looking for a car and my credit is bad enough, I don't what every dealership running my credit. Sometime told me that if you have a certain amount of credit inquiries per month, it will make your report look bad, and since I already have bad credit, I don't want to do that.

Also, this is a question for people who are always applying for a credit card.

Tue, 09/21/2010 - 16:35 Permalink

Hi AA,

Yes, if you have many hard inquiries on your credit report it hurts your credit score and this looks bad. It seems that you are desperate to get more and more credit cards. However, as you are trying to get a loan if you shop for loans within 14 days and this gets listed within those 14 days, all these inquiries will be considered as a single hard inquiry.

Thanks,

Aaron

Wed, 09/22/2010 - 11:51 Permalink
Random Dude (not verified)

Hello, thanks for all of the information provided on this page. I have a question regarding an a auto that has been repossessed. Fist a little information. The loan was in good standing for about a year, I lost my job and could not afford the payments or insurance. My insurance coverage lapsed. They force placed insurance that caused my loan amount to increase by about $5,000. I was notified of the force placed insurance or of the increase in the balance. After gaining emploument I contacted the bank to and they arranged for me to keep the car by making larger monthly payments for 3 months and the remaining past due amount of about $1600 would be recapitalized. After making the payments I was notified of my new payment amount and the balance of the loan. To my surprise the balance was much higher then the additional $1600 because of the additional amount added for insurance. At this point I had a car that was about $8,000 upside down and a payment that was no where near what I could afford. The car was eventually repossessed and sold at auction for an amount at least $5000 less then fair market price and now I am left with a bill of about $12,000.

During the process I was harassed by the agency hired by the bank to locate the asset. Nasty calls, threats and bribes were offered to friends and family. The agency provided information regarding my account including how many payments I was behind and the amount of debt that was owed. The agency had my contact information and I had spoken to them several times through out the process and they continued to contact people for information. I have many of the calls recorded and have saved most of the messages from the agency.

I have done some online research and the bank and the agency do not have a good track record when it comes to repossession. I know that I was wrong and what I did not take the best course of action. I feel like my privacy and rights have been violated and my name has been drug through the mud by these people. I simply got in over my head and ended up in bad situation for everyone involved.

The charge off and now repossession is the only bad credit I have. I have very little debt but do not make a lot of money. I would liek to avoid filing bankruptcy but paying off the $12,000 debt will take a very long time.

Do I have any other options?

Two other things I forgot to mention, the interest rate was increased after I signed the paper work for the automobile and when I purchased the car they said it was a 2005 but according to my insurance company it is 2004 based on the VIN.

Thank you for any information and your time.

Wed, 09/29/2010 - 21:00 Permalink
Herbert (not verified)

I do understand the purpose of the letter. My concern is company opting to NOT accepting the terms. What then? Overall, I want to settle the debt and move on with my life. Should the company NOT accept the terms am I to NOT pay? I’m a bit lost.

Sun, 10/03/2010 - 18:55 Permalink
anthony biess (not verified)

this debt was generated by neglect from an unknown tennant whom is imposible to locate very much a dirty deed against me the ca does not want to aknowledge and is has been very rude when any contact was made this debt is from 2005 and their saying its from 2008 i will recognize my debt what % is the norm when negotiating with collection comp.of america

Tue, 10/05/2010 - 02:12 Permalink
Denis (not verified)

Hi! I see there are a lot of smart people.
Help me please solve a problem.
I will try to shorten the text so as not to waste your time.
One day I happened to visit an emergency (it was a stupid idea in terms of benefits and money)
After that I long did not get the bill (was error in the address). After a while I rang them and they told me that passed in collection. I found the phone rang them.
Collection agency offered to pay me just $ 300 out of 400 and save 100.
So I did. I reported them my card and money withdrawn from the card. Some time later I received a message on the phone that from a collection agency that I had 91 dollar debt.
And this has been another CA. I did not pay. Just kicked out of my head.
Recently checked my credit report and saw THIS! Those same 91 dollar.
Is it legal to all of this? Why 2 CA? Is it worth doing "Pay for delete letter?"
Please answer, i don't really know what to do.

Sun, 10/17/2010 - 21:33 Permalink
Tracy (not verified)

What can you do if the CA does not remove the bad debt from your credit report after agreeing to do so. Can you send the agreement with copies of the payment into the CRA's for deletion ?

Thank you.

Mon, 10/18/2010 - 22:42 Permalink

I was close to $30,000 in debt, i manged to pay out about half of it. The thing is to now I have about 17g left and with rent and everything it not doable anymore and I dontwant to slip back into not paying. So im trying to get consolidation loan and make lower payments. Thing is, my score still sucks, when last checked was around 520-540 with all 3 credit agencies.

On those accounts I already paid off (closed with zero balance), all of them have late reportings on them and its hurting my chances on getting the consolidation loan. Does anyone know if I Pay-For-Deletion letter will work with these companies in order to gt these late reportings removed. lso will this type of letter work on accounts I'm still paying on and have been in good standing with for the past 2 years.

Thu, 10/21/2010 - 15:52 Permalink

I sent a debt validation letter, but the company never responded and I did send certified mail. What should I do next?

Thu, 10/21/2010 - 15:55 Permalink
michael@getmyg… (not verified)

As a suggestion, I send a check with the letter (often times for a lesser amount that what is owed), and word it such that by cashing the check they are agreeing to the terms of the letter. That way I negotiate the payment with the removal without the awkward phone calls.

Mon, 11/08/2010 - 03:30 Permalink

Good Afternoon,

I have a question. I currently have never had a collection item posted to my credit history, however, recently a medical bill for the amount of $294 which is for my daughter (being that I am the grantor listed under her hospital bills) was posted under my credit history. Medicaid company was actually going to pay this bill and the collection agency was actually notified of this, however, they went through and posted it to the three main credit bureaus. I am actually having this getting taken care of by Medicaid, and well I asked them if it was possible to have this removed from my account and they said that they NEVER do this. How should I go about getting this taken care of? The bill is going to be paid in full by the insurance company, however, I don't want it to appear on my account for the next 7 years! I have already had credit card denials because of it.

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 18:30 Permalink
anthony_john1 (not verified)

I just got denied for some credit, checked my score and was pretty shocked to see it so low. It turns out an old Wachovia account was on there for about $2,500, in charge-off status.

I called Wachovia and asked for a Pay-For-Delete and they told me they won't do that since it's not a Bank mistake (the debit is valid, just mishandled by myself). They say the Account will be sold of the first weeek in Jan, and I should pay or settle before then.

I can pay this debt, and intend to ...

Should I send the Pay-for-Delete via mail even though they told me on the phone that they will not delete my information?

If not, can I expect a better credit score after paying in full without the Pay-for-Delete agreement.

I'm worried 'cause I'm moving across the coast in Dec. for a new job and concerened about getting through a credit check from the apartments out there.

Thanks

Thu, 11/18/2010 - 19:06 Permalink
Jaime (not verified)

Hello,
I currently have 5 credit cards, all past due and all closed. I was in a debt management program, but was dropped about 3 mos ago for missing 2 payments when I was laid off from work. I was recently looking for a new program I can join when they told me that my only option was bankrupcy, because of the severity of my situation. I then looked at my credit report and noticed an extra 6,000$ dollar debt I was not aware of. It turns out that 2 of my credit cards (both with the same company) are reporting, as well as the collection agency that they sold my debt to. The origonal creditor is not reporting a 0$ balance, but the full balance. Obviously, it is a mistake, as it now appears that I owe twice that debt, plus have twice the amount of late payments, half from the original creditor, and half from the collection agency.
What is my best course of action? I will obviously file a dispute. But because this has drug my credit score so low and has even prevented me from being able to join a debt management program, is there anything else I can do? Should I dispute the origonal creditor as well as the collection agency?
Thanks!

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 01:01 Permalink
In_a_Hurry (not verified)

I hope the knowledgeable people on this forum can guide me about this urgent matter.

I have a job offer that I can't afford to lose. The employer will be doing a credit report. I have 8 items on my report that I need to get in shape VERY quickly.

A State Tax Lien that was in error and state should have removed after they had correct information. What steps can I take to have it removed?

Five medical bills (some have already been paid to the original creditor but still show up under the CA name as outstanding). How can I speed up the corrective actions?

A Bestbuy charge on a no-interest purchase that I dispute because I paid them in full on time.

Help please!!! I really need this job.

Mon, 11/22/2010 - 06:41 Permalink
Alexis (not verified)

If I send in a letter asking a Collection Agency to remove a negative item off of my Credit Report do they have to remove it? I know that I owe the debt and am trying to get a loan so that i can pay it off but i cannot get the loan because of the negative items on my credit. If not what else can i do?

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 22:54 Permalink

I don't think you have enough reasons why your CA would go ahead and delete it off their records. Writing a letter isn't gonna solve your problem. I'm not aware of the worth of this negative item on your report, neither am I aware of how old it is. But you may enroll with a loan consolidation program. There are so many legitimate companies out there these days, but make sure you choose to pay according to your financial strength.

Wed, 12/01/2010 - 07:19 Permalink
L M Wilson (not verified)

We have already paid off judgements for apartment rent. Is there any thing that can be done now to get the negative information removed from our credit?

Sat, 12/04/2010 - 01:09 Permalink
theodore777 (not verified)

I just found out a couple od ays ago that I have had a judgement on my name since March of this year (2010). I tried writing a letter to the parties responsible (the New York State Attorney General's Office), but to no avail. My requests fell on deaf ears and feel like I was wrongfully punished for what transpired. All that I want is for my name to be cleared from this whole mess of a situation, and am looking for any and all advice as to how to properly handle this. Is a deletion letter still possible and effective at this point in time? Thank you very much for your time and am eagerly awaiting for response.

Tue, 12/07/2010 - 17:08 Permalink
Todd (not verified)

Hey guys and gals, the whole point of the credit reporting bureaus is to notify potential lenders of your credit worthiness. If you have legitimate debts on your credit profile, it's unethical for a CA to remove them simply because you pay the debt.

If your negative entries are removed, the lenders then have an inaccurate view of your credit history. Basically, you'll go from "deadbeat" status to appear as though you're a financially responsible consumer.

It's not fair to the business that is taking a risk to loan you money.

Wed, 12/08/2010 - 22:32 Permalink
Kasey B (not verified)

I recently had an MRI done and after the hospital submitted the bill to my insurance company, the sent me a statement for the balance that I owed. The statement amount due was $ 865.00 and the statement date was 10/6/2010. We mailed in a $100 check that they cashed on 10/25/2010. The hospital then turned the account over to a collection agent on 11/14/2010. My question is, is this legal? Are they not accepting my payment terms by cashing the check? I live in Oklahoma. Thanks so much!!!

Wed, 12/15/2010 - 19:35 Permalink

I heard you can ask any or all your creditor a question and ?? Is " do you delete" and about 50 percent do. That means they delete all your account you may only pay a deletion fee. How should I write the letter. PLz help

Thu, 12/16/2010 - 09:54 Permalink

I will like if you can help me write a deletion letter to all my credtor. I heard that a person can ask the creditor " do you delete" and most of the time they say yes and delete all your debt. They may charge you a deletion fee, which is little or charge you nothing. I am no longer worker due to sickness I am now on disability and I want to clean credit by delete it at no cost if I can. Plz plz help

Thu, 12/16/2010 - 10:20 Permalink
jam0905 (not verified)

Hi. I have a quick question. I want to send a PFD for an old Tmobile account. The account was first reported on my credit report in Nov of 2009. I am trying to clean my credit and the Tmobile account along with one other account is the only negative mark on my credit report. The problem is the CA recently sold my account to a new agency. The old CA (Enhanced Recovery Co) still appears on my credit and the new company (Plaza Associates) who just recently purchased my account still does not show on my report.

Do I wait for Plaza Associates to report my debt and then send the PFD? and how do I remove the Enhanced Recovery Co from my report since they no longer own my account?

Thanks!

Thu, 12/30/2010 - 05:03 Permalink
Chiquita (not verified)

Kneed help in writing a " do you delete" letter and how that work may you email me

Sun, 01/02/2011 - 02:22 Permalink
Lawrence (not verified)

I would send another letter AND A CHECK for the monies owed HOWEVER !!!!!

I would do the letter I mentioned above . Send a check with the restrictive endorsement on back again having it state
"Depositing of the funds constitutes acceptance of the enclosed settlement agreement and full satisfaction of the debt described."

$327 might not seem like alot but I would be willing to bet if they receive the check with the letter and terms they might be persuaded to cash it and agree to the terms .

PLEASE MAKE SURE !!! You add the date of the letter as I forgot .
ALSO After you print your version out with YOUR signature Make a copy of it and the check front and back and put in a safe place .

If they cash it they MUST conform to the agreement .

Hope this works for you ...
It has worked for me 4 times .
Gl and Happy New Year ....... Lawrence .

Tue, 01/04/2011 - 03:20 Permalink
Shawn (not verified)

Hi Carol, I need to send the credit bureau a letter to remove or show that a judgement has been satified. Do you have a letter for this request. Thank you for answering in advance.

Tue, 01/11/2011 - 15:01 Permalink

Can someone please explain why a collection agency would not want to remove negative statements on ones credit report if one were to agree to pay them the full amount requested? I mean really, take the money, remove the blemish and move on!
I must be missing something. Anybody out there know?
Thanks!

Thu, 01/13/2011 - 13:27 Permalink
Jorge (not verified)

Carol,

I have a $ 27.00 debt i just saw in my report. I called the collection agency to agreen on a PFD and they told me that if I pay at once over the phone that they would only send me a letter stating that it was settled and satisfy and paid in full.

I would think being $27 US dollars they would do it with no problem.

What do I do? Go ahead and pay it or send them a PFD anyways

If I pay it would show the debt taking care of and if I postponed my credit score will be stagned or get lower if it does not show payment of the debt.

Please help

Thu, 01/20/2011 - 17:13 Permalink
KGIRL (not verified)

What can you do if the creditor agrees to this and after you pay still does not remove the item from your report. What recourse do you have, if any

Mon, 02/07/2011 - 18:00 Permalink
DiaRod (not verified)

Dearest Carol, I have approx. $10,000.00 total on 5 credit cards that are charge offs. I would really like to try to start to pay on these accts. to try to rebuild my credit. But I have no idea how to get started in doing so? And when sending a letter do I send to orginal company or to the collection agency I'm not sure if they all have a collection agency letter I need to go through everything but I just need some help getting started. Any advice would be great...

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 04:40 Permalink
robert mack (not verified)

Hi Carol,

I have been negotiating with the credit agency to settle an old chargeoff and we finally came to a number that makes sense to both of us. Is there any way I can request them to make the deletion of this chargeoff from my report even after we have negotiated a price for me to pay. Currently they say it will show paid however it would be nice if I could just get the entire issue removed? Any thoughts? thank you!

Tue, 03/29/2011 - 18:01 Permalink
milchiel (not verified)

I did not send a DV as I am in a rush to get this debt paid and willing to pay it off. I want to refinance my home and this is the only thing on my credit that's holding me back. I sent the payment for deletion letter via certified mail already and received confirmation that it was received. However, no response from the CA has been received. What can I do next?

Sat, 04/02/2011 - 17:32 Permalink
Valerie (not verified)

Hi Carol,
Thanks for all the great information. I have a question for you. I have already paid off the debt but it is showing on my credit report as "potentially negative closed". Would a Pay for delete letter still work?

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 21:58 Permalink