Over the limit reporting, how to fix?

If you are over on your credit limit, meaning that the High Balance is showing greater amount then what your Credit Limit is showing.

This can hurt your credit score just as much as if you had been late, or had collection / charge off rating. And I mean hurt, like 20 to 50 points against the score for each offense!


You can fix this! Provided the account is still open! [LIST=1]

Immediately pay back down below the credit limit - this is so so important, because as long as you are over, they can hit your account for over the limit fees, and this is one trap that can put a person easily on the road to charge off, it can break you.

Age the account, you have to prove to the lender that you can get back down below that credit limit and stay there. You will want 6 months to 1 year clean payment history with no other problems like lates and such.

Request increase in the credit limit - At the very least ask for your credit limit to be increased for a bit over what you had exceeded the credit limit by.

Utilization is very important as well for the creditor, usually a good idea not to be over 50% utilization when you request credit limit increases. The higher the balance at the time, the more likely you may be to get declined for the increase.

Request that they update the credit reporting agencies to the new increase! This way you have fixed the reporting babble that hurt the score, it might not gain back what you had lost being that time will have passed, but it will make your report look better to other prospective lenders!