Originally Posted by CDSmith

Don't pay your mortgage or Visa payment for 3 months in a row and see how fast your credit rating gets "marks" on it, no civil judgement required.

Or, sign a contract for service from certain companies and then decide later you don't require the service. Some companies will sell your account to a collection agency, and if you don't pay up guess what? Black marks on your credit rating for 7 years, again... no civil judgement required.

Happens all the time.


You can get a bad credit rating from not paying your utility bills.