In March of 2001, my Equifax Beacon (FICO) score was 562. It is now 798. My other scores were similarly poor last year and are similarly excellent now. Let me say right off the bat that I'm not selling anything, LOL. Most of what I have done to repair my credit I did on my own.

The credit repair (a euthemism, I realize -- "repair") techniques I used:

1) I did several traditional tradeline disputes via the three credit reporting agencies.

2) I successfully requested quite a few "goodwill adjustments" and received them. (Basically, in case this is new to a casual reader, a goodwill adjustment is when you ask or beg [lol] a fully paid, current creditor [with whom you were previously late] to remove the previous late notations out of the goodness of their heart.) This worked for me with several creditors, and I describe this technique fully on another message board here:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=135007#post135007
Here are a few testimonials from myself and others regarding the "goodwill adjustment" technique:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=143754post143754

3) I utilized what I call the "nutcase letter" which I authored for fully-paid creditors which weren't too amicable to providing a simple "goodwill adjustment". In essence the nutcase letter's goal is to make the creditor believe that you are a litigious nutcase who may cost them more money via possible litigation if they don't remove the late pay notations on your bureaus. Here's a link to my letter and philosophy regarding that:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=135007#post135007
Here are many testimonials from others who have used my "nutcase" technique:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=177839#post177839

4) I successfully brought small claims lawsuits against all three credit reporting agencies -- Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian. Here is a post where I detail the timeline of those suits:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=141877post141877
Here is a post where I share a settlement offer letter I wrote:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=146401#post146401
Here are several other links related to my lawsuits that may be of help to others here:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=143322#post143322
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=145360#post145360
Here is a post where someone nicknamed "Lizardking" details his lawsuits. Lizardking was an inspiration to me. Although he is a self-admitted scoundrel and deadbeat (he successfully skipped much debt, while I did NOT), his courage in bringing such lawsuits provided me with courage enough to go forward with mine:
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=66958

5) I did buy some inexpensive consultation, and here is a post where I discuss that.
http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=168054#post168054
(Caveat: Although the consults were exceptionally helpful, if I knew then what I know now expertise-wise, I certainly wouldn't need to buy consultation if I had to do it all over again. Basically, you can learn all of this without buying consultation. Regardless, I did buy assistance the start since I was impatient, and it was helpful.)

There will be many on this board who would level very fair criticisms against me for having no scruples and for suffering an ethical and moral lapse. Certainly, almost all of the tradelines that were cleared were CORRECT, and in all fairness I did not deserve for them to be removed. Regardless, I have not suffered a single moment of guilt. Perhaps I am a sociopath, I don't know. (And as a clinical psychologist, I hope that's not true, but I suppose all of us have an antisocial streak.) I certainly will agree with anyone who follows this post with an indictment of the lack of fairness, ethics, and moral character required to clean my credit files the way I have.

I hope this is helpful to someone out there.

Doc