Credit Repair services » Credit Equifax

Credit Repair Advice – How to Improve Your Credit Score

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:40:45 +0000

Our credit scores determine much about how we live our lives. We buy practically everything on credit. When applying for a loan, our good credit scores help us receive reasonable interest rates. In fact, from landlords, to insurance companies, to utilities, everyone looks at our credit scores, as they are a reflection of our financial health. A healthy credit score may determine what various agencies will charge for their services. Today, even employers check personal credit scores before offering a job.

Knowing more about our credit scores and the factors affecting them may help us build a positive credit history. But first, let’s look at how they are maintained by the various credit reporting agencies.

Three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – calculate credit scores. Though they use the same methods and formula to calculate scores, they sometimes come up with a different rating for various reasons. One agency may have more updated information about an individual. A creditor may have shared information with one agency only, but not with the others. Creditors, while checking on our scores, take the average of the three scores from these three agencies.

Credit scores range between 300 and 850. A score of 680 and above is excellent for obtaining mortgage financing at low interest rates. A credit score of 621 to 679 is an average score and you would have to pay a slightly higher rate of interest. A credit score of below 600 makes us potentially unreliable and harder to obtain credit. When a credit score falls below 600, credit repair steps should be taken immediately.

The following are factors affecting credit scores and basic steps to take to maintain an accurate credit score rating with the credit bureaus:

1. Routinely check payment history and the current credit debt held.

2. Credit history length is a determining score factor. Naturally, the longer a ‘good’ credit history, the better.

3. Do not close old or paid off accounts. These show the credit history length and contribute to higher credit scores.

4. Pay off debts to improve credit scores.

5. On-time payments. Delayed payments appear on credit reports and adversely affect it.

6. An individual’s race, sex, age, level of education, or marital status has no bearing on a credit score, nor does the fact that an application for credit was previously turned down.

Taking care to maintain a high credit rating enables us to receive credit and loans at good rates. Our credit score is a reflection of how we manage our finances and a determining factor for many aspects of our lives. Knowing early on how to have a healthy credit history is the best way to avoid bad credit and limited loan options in the future.

By: Sherry Frewerd

Bad Credit Report Repair Done Easy

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:46:46 +0000

Usually it’s about the time that someone needs to buy a new car or is about to purchase their first home that they realize that they are going to need to do a little bad credit report repair. While it can be quite costly to hire a professional to help you get your credit rating back on track quickly, there is hope for people who are the more do-it-yourself type and want to save some money.

Bad credit report repair can be done on your own if you have the time and some organizational skills. It is not difficult work to fix your credit, it is just a matter of understanding exactly what makes up your credit score, identifying the problem areas, and then workings swiftly to resolve those issues. All of this can easily be done on your own, without the help of an expensive professional.

The first thing that you need to do is order a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. You can order a copy from each of the three agencies for free every 12 months, and it only takes a minute. Just go to the Annual Credit Report website, enter in your contact information, and you’ll instantly have an electronic copy of your report, which you can save to your hard drive and print out. Just be sure to visit the official Free Credit Report website, as there are many other that suggest you can receive a free report, but only if you sign up for a trial of their monthly credit monitoring service. The official site, however, has no strings attached.

Once you have downloaded your report, print if off and take out two different color pens or highlighters. You are looking for two things that you want to distinguish from each other. The first thing you are looking for is errors on your report. One in four credit documents include misinformation, so chances are you will find some. The other thing you are looking for, which you want to highlight in a different color, is the accurate information that is negatively affecting your credit score. Each report will be slightly different, so thoroughly and carefully look at each document.

Once you have done that, the next in your bad credit report repair plan is to remove the false information and eliminate the negative information. To do this, make two columns on a sheet of paper that that are labeled, “misinformation” and “negative information.” List your items in the appropriate column, but rank them in terms of their greatest impact on your credit score. For example, if you have a bankruptcy on your credit report that did not occur and a typo in your employer’s address, you want to list the bankruptcy first since having that removed will have the greatest impact on your credit score.

Once you have your items ranked in the proper order, you will have an idea of where you need to focus your energy to improve your credit score the fastest. When disputing items on your credit report, you don’t want to do them all at once. Just take care of the biggest problems first in order to get the most cooperation from the credit bureaus and getting them to act fast.

By: Ryan J. Taylor

Credit Repair Scam – How To Avoid Being A Statistic?

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:47:41 +0000

A good credit history is critically important for the consumer. A bad credit will prevent you from getting a business loan, owning a home, or even a job. Promises to “fix” your credit are always made by credit consolidation companies, but they are seldom true. Here are some of the important tips to avoid scams:

First things first. Negative information cannot be erased if the information is correct. Only inaccurate information can be corrected in your credit file. Credit file information remains on your record for seven good years from the time it is reported to the bureau. For bankruptcy, the information remains on your record for ten years. All the consolidated information about your credit bills you fell behind on, but are now paid, will remain on your report for the time period mentioned above.

Do not pay the credit repair company unless their promises are kept. Remember, the law is on your side. Federal law requires credit repair companies to give you a complete detailed explanation of your legal rights, a completely documented written contract, and above all, 3 days to cancel. This applies to all credit repair services including for-profit services, non-profit services, creditors and credit unions.

Be wary about emails you receive. When you hover your mouse over the link in the email, you will know for sure if it is a trusted website or a fraudelent one. If fraudelent, report it to your bank promptly.

You don’t need a counselor to correct your mistakes in the credit report. Take charge of it yourself. If you were recently denied credit, you can request a free credit report. Otherwise there is a small charge for it. Some states will allow you a free copy of your credit report once a year. It doesn’t cost you anything to dispute or question items in your credit report. Get online or follow instructions from your credit bureau. The three major credit bureaus are Equifax (800- 685-1111), Experian (800-682-7654) and Transunion (800-916-8800). In most cases you will need to contact all the three credit bureaus as the information they have about you may vary.

Remember that you can’t create a second credit file. Some of the fraudelent companies will offer to provide the consumers with a different social security number (tax identification number if ssn does not exist) in order to create a new credit file for the consumer. Such a practice is called as file segregation. File segregation is illegal and does not work.

Whereever possible, add explanation to your credit report to prove your point. If you have legitimate reasons for not paying certain bills on time (switching jobs, illness), or if you refused to pay because of a dispute, send the bureau a statement to be tagged with your credit report. Each lender who pulls your report will be aware why you fell behind on those bills.

Counseling might be a good option. Find a good non profit consumer credit counseling service in your neighbourhood. Get online or open your yellow pages to find one. Seek the guidance of friends and family members. Select a counselor, meet them in person to make sure they are right for you. Ask them on tips and advice on how to build a good credit history. If you are still lagging behind on your payments, credit consolidation firms will be able to set up a payment plan with your creditors. If money is an issue, select a non profit credit counseling service. They will offer their service for free or for a very low cost.

By: Bill Smiths

Does "Credit Repair" Really Work?

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:35:14 +0000

There are a lot of “credit repair” companies out there, and they promise a lot. How good are their promises, and what can they really do for you. We will take a look at the realities of the credit repair business in this article.

Credit Repair involves a company contacting the three major credit bureaus for you, on your behalf, and disputing derogatory items on your credit report.

Understand this, first of all: the purpose of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Transunion and Experian, is to accurately report a client’s credit and payment history to potential lenders.

They generally do a very good job of fulfilling this mission. If items are true, you really have no right to expect those items to be removed before seven years have passed, or, in the case of bankruptcy, ten years have gone by.

That being said, the credit repair companies basically exploit a part of the law, under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which states that a consumer has the right to dispute any item they feel or believe to be inaccurate on their credit report. A disputed item can be presented to the merchant who granted the credit, and that merchant has 30 days to validate that that debt is correct. If the merchant fails, for any reason, to verify that debt as accurate within a 30 day period from the time the dispute is filed, then, by law, that derogatory item must be removed from your credit report!

In the real world, especially during the Christmas holiday season, merchants often do not have a chance to respond within the required 30 days and verify legitimate debts, so the credit repair company will then be able to have that derogatory item removed. Other merchants may have gone out of business, etc., so it is not necessary to wait a full 7 years to have that item drop off your credit report.

You as a credit consumer can dispute any item on your own credit report. Are you able to do that? Are you a good letter writer? Do you know how to navigate the complexities of obtaining and updating your reports? Some people can, some people cannot. The credit repair companies will do all this work for you. And they are good at it, they do it every day, all day long.

There are a lot of credit repair companies, however, that promise too much, and charge too much up front. Some companies want you to pay hundreds of dollars up front before they go to work for you.

A good credit repair company will charge you by the month. The first month may involve a small set-up fee in addition to the monthly fee. You are not committed to a contract, you use their services for as many months as they need to get your credit scores improved sufficiently. For example, $75 to set up and $49 a month, no contract.

Under the law, a credit repair company cannot usually obtain your credit reports for you, they will advise you as to how to obtain them, whether for a fee or free. You need to provide them with your credit reports that they can work from to begin the repair process.

Everyone has a right, under federal law, to a free annual credit report. Google this and you will find the site for this.

I am a mortgage broker and I deal every day with clients whose credit is not up to snuff, and I do have a credit repair company I refer clients to, and, 3 or 6 months down the road, they are in better shape and I can then help them get the loan they seek.

As always, seek the advice of a certified financial planner or mortgage planner when you begin the credit repair process, so you can steer clear of the scammers and get aligned with a good credit repair company.

By: James Hussher

Credit Repair Made Easy

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:34:19 +0000

Did you know that credit repair could be accomplished without outside help? Your local library may contain the books you would need to help you rebuild or repair your credit score.

To get started, you need to learn what your credit report says about you. You can gain this information by writing to each of the credit bureaus and asking for a copy of your own credit report. You can do this online by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com or by writing to one of the three major credit bureaus.

Credit Report Bureaus to Contact

The following are credit bureaus. They hold on to reports of your credit history. Write to each for information on how to get your credit report.

Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA. 30374

Call Equifax at 1-(800) 685-1111 to order a credit report by phone. To place a fraud alert on your credit report with Equifax, call 1(888) 766-0008

Website address is http://www.Equifax.com

Trans Union LLC

Consumer Disclosure Center

P.O. Box 1000

Chester, PA 19022

Website address is http://www.Transunion.com

Call Transunion at 1 (800) 888-4213 to only order free credit reports

Experian

National Consumer Assistance Center

P.O. Box 949

Allen, TX 75013

Call 1 (888) EXPERIAN to order credit reports or place a fraud alert on your credit report.

Website address is http://www.Experian.com

How To Review Your Credit Report

Be sure to read up on the directions for correcting your report. For example, if you find information that does not fit your true history, you simply need to write and contact the credit bureaus. Each of them has prepared instructions for reporting errors. If you find information that is not entirely correct, you can report this as directed and explain how it is incorrect.

If there is something that you are not familiar with, ask the credit bureau to give you the name, address and number of the institution that may be giving a false report. You may be able to sort it out and fix your credit further.

After all this information has been corrected, submit it to the designated credit bureaus. Be sure to keep a copy of this information for yourself as well for your own records. If anything should get lost in the mail, you’ll be able to make a quick copy and submit it.

You Don’t Have To Repair Your Credit Alone

That’s how easy it is to actually repair your credit report, though even this process may be overwhelming. If you find that you are nervous about going through the process of credit repair alone, you may ask for assistance. Credit repair companies are available and for a small fee they can assist you with your credit repair.

If you choose to try a credit repair company, do be sure to check out the company before forwarding any money. Check to see if your credit repair company is registered and bonded as a credit service organization. You can check with the secretary of state’s office to be sure. Always check that a credit service is registered before getting involved with or paying any company.

No one should have to suffer with a poor credit score, when it is simple to get back on track with a few easy repairs. You don’t even have to go at it alone. There is always help available when you need it.

By: Lee Harrison