Consumer complaint received 2018-12-14
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: Convergent Resources, Inc. (AR)

I have an outstanding collection with XXXX XXXX. The end of the seven year period for this collection is very close. XXXX changed collection agencies to Convergent. Either XXXX gave Convergent incorrect information or Convergent reported information to the credit bureau which was incorrect. My credit report shows that the Date the account was opened was XX/XX/XXXX. I believe is was in XXXX. It also shows that the last payment date was in XX/XX/XXXX. Also incorrect. 
Please note that my wife had a very difficult XXXX and was not able to work full time which reduced our income. Over a year after the baby was born, she suffered a major XXXX XXXX for which the survival rate is roughly 10 %. I had left for grad school. she was not able to help support our family as was planned and only with the help of student loans and family did we make it through. At one time we were so desperate we considered filing bankruptcy, but declined to go forward. We did call XXXX after I began working again, and they were the most unpleasant and unyielding. We told them we had limited funds and would use them where it provided the most benefit. There are no other open collections. 
We are now purchasing a home on a construction loan. The impact of making the collection look like a recent event has been really damaging to my credit score, and a credit score is the primary basis for determining a rate. My banker has advised me it is critical to have this corrected. In speaking with a credit bureau, they did tell me even a correction will hurt my score, so I have asked that it be removed. 
Both XXXX and Convergent have been emailed asking for a removal, and neither has even responded to the problem. XXXX inquired about the account number, however, I no longer have that information and it is not on the credit report. In the email they received they were informed that I had contacted both your agency and a credit reporting agency to make certain that my position was correct and that I had not filed a report, giving them the opportunity remove this item. 
It would appear that this is a manipulation of credit reporting to try and exact payment. Fortunately I am able to reach out to the bureaus and to the CFPB ( whom I contacted earlier by phone to confirm that this is an unacceptable practice ). However, if this is a standard practice of either company or both to try to make a collection, a great many people will not have any knowledge of the law or whom to contact and would be hurt by these actions. I believe that both entities are also under the aegis of the Federal Trace Commission. Should I file a complaint with that agency as well? 
I am supposed to move to permanent financing within the next 35 days. Since I have had no response, I am at a loss as how I should proceed. Your help is really needed. 

Finally, I do want to explain that my schedule at the XXXX as a XXXX has been very busy lately as well as working on the house to save money, so my mother-in-law, XXXX XXXX, called both Convergent and XXXX to get a correct email address. She sent the original emails along with a letter signed by me to allow either entity to speak with her or email her. Copies are attached