Another step to take is to talk with each of your creditors for any accounts that have fallen behind… or worse, defaulted.
Keeping communications open while you’re working to catch up can make the difference between default reporting or a hold on negative reporting.
If the account has already defaulted, sometimes the creditor will be willing to mark the account as closed rather than default if you set up payment plans.
A closed account is a slightly less negative hit than a defaulted account.
You have to stick to the payment plan to hold up your end of the bargain though, or it will go back to being reported as a default.
