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If you have a debt, maybe a medical bill or credit card bill, you may have heard from AR Resources, an accounts receivable management company that works as a debt collector hired by the original creditor. To remind you of your financial obligation in whatever way possible, AR Resources must first open an account on your credit report through the credit reporting agencies.

Collection entries on your credit report are harmful to your credit score and affect it for up to seven years after you pay the debt. Potential lenders will use this information to determine your creditworthiness when administering loan and credit approval decisions. The best way to repair and prevent further damage to your credit is to remove the negative entry from your credit report as soon as possible.

What is AR Resources?

AR Resources a U.S.-based debt collection agency launched in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania in 2002, with offices in Jacksonville, Florida as well. It's a legitimate business providing various industries, including banking, health care, property management and small businesses, with accounts receivable solutions, pre-collection programs and bad debt contingency collections. The majority of its clients are healthcare providers and educational loan providers.

Since 2002, people have filed over 600 complaints against AR Resources with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 164 with the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org). These range from harassment to inaccurate reporting and failure to validate debts, all of which are violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Several of the complainants have also filed lawsuits against AR Resources in the state of Connecticut.

If you experience unfair treatment by AR Resources, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Steps to remove AR Resources from your credit report

If you would like to stop AR Resources from communicating with you and get them to remove the collection from your credit report, follow these steps:

  • Request a goodwill deletion
  • Seek debt validation
  • Arrange a pay-for-delete agreement
  • Hire a professional

Request a goodwill deletion

If you've already paid the balance of your debt, you may be able to secure a goodwill deletion from AR Resources. This process involves a debt collection agency agreeing to delete a negative entry from your credit report as an act of kindness. Securing a goodwill deletion will likely work if you've already paid the debt and have an otherwise clean credit report.

To request a goodwill deletion, you can write a letter to AR Resources detailing your financial situation, disclosing what led to the late payments and explaining why you'd like the entry removed. Common reasons for requesting a goodwill deletion include applying for a mortgage loan or for a new car.

Whatever the situation, you should be honest and polite. Remember that AR Resources is doing you a favor if they decide to grant your request. They’re more likely to do so if the tone of your letter is sincere and apologetic.

Seek debt validation

Another way to remove a collection entry from your credit report is to identify inaccuracies in your credit file. You can do this by requesting debt validation from AR Resources. It’s not uncommon for account information to get lost or misconstrued in the transfer from the original creditor to the debt collector. Sometimes the debt in question may not even belong to you.

If that's the case, you can have the inaccurate entry removed from your credit report by submitting a debt validation letter to AR Resources within 30 days of their initial contact. You must then dispute the entry with the three major credit bureaus.

Once AR Resources responds with information about your debt, review all the documentation carefully and look for discrepancies. If you spot any, follow up with the credit agencies and file a dispute. This should be enough to remove the entry, and you may not have to pay the debt.

Arrange a pay-for-delete agreement

If you don’t find any inaccuracies, the next step is to negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement. That means you agree to make payments on the debt, and AR Resources agrees to stop reporting the debt to the major credit bureaus. Occasionally, the debt collector is willing to settle for less than the amount owed to make some of their money back. You could start with an offer to pay half the total amount and negotiate from there.

Once you reach a suitable agreement, ask AR Resources to send it to you in writing. Upon receipt, confirm that the agreement is correct. Then make your first payment as agreed. Check your credit report 30 days after making the payment to see if it still includes AR Resources, and if so, reach out to them and remind them of your agreement.

Hire a professional

AR Resources is a tough nut to crack. If you can’t get anywhere with the company on your own, look into working with a reputable credit repair company. These organizations can help you clean up your credit report and improve your credit score, saving you the trouble of dealing with debt collectors directly.

AR Resources’ contact information:

Headquarters address:

  • 1777 Sentry Pkwy W
  • Merion Towne Building
  • Blue Bell, PA 19422-2207

Postal address:

  • AR Resources, Inc.
  • 512 Township Line Road
  • 2 Valley Square, Suite 210
  • Blue Bell, PA 19422

Phone Number for Medical:

  • 866-301-0222

Phone Number for Non-Medical:

  • 866-221-4388

Toll Free:

  • 866-407-0443

Fax:

  • 267-363-0299

Website: arresourcesinc.com

Dealing with AR Resources Inc.

No one enjoys dealing with debt collectors. But you need to handle the situation quickly so the collection doesn’t damage your credit score for years. The best way to get your credit score back on track and move one step closer to achieving your financial goals is to remove AR Resources from your credit report entirely. If you’re trying to rebuild your credit, check out our article on ways to improve your credit.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect AR Resources Inc.’s current contact information and CFPB and BBB complaints against them.

Disclaimer: This story was originally published on September 21, 2020, on BetterCreditBlog.org. To find the most relevant information concerning collections or credit card inquiries, please visit: https://money.com/how-to-remove-collections-from-credit-report/ or https://money.com/get-items-removed-from-credit-report/