Its hard to know what makes a good credit score. There are so many factors at play and many of them are out of your control. This article will tell you about the things you can control and how to best use those to your advantage in repairing your credit.
If your debts are overwhelming you and are unable to get creditors to work with you, consider consumer credit counseling. Consumer credit counseling will work with you and your creditors to help you set-up a payment plan that works. They will also work with your creditors to lower your interest rates.
When you find errors on your credit report, dispute them to the reporting agency. About 75% of all credit reports contain some sort of error. It may be an item that should have dropped off your report. It may have been an account that was paid in full but is still showing as outstanding. Clear these items off to give your score a boost.
If disputing an account with the credit agency does not produce results, dispute it with the actual creditor. Send them a letter through the mail advising them that you do not believe that the debt is yours and request that they provide you written proof of the debt. If the account is older, chances are they will not have the records. If they cannot prove the debt they must remove it from your credit report.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is where the credit scoring system came from. It is important to know this because there is one main system that the biggest reporting agencies use, FICO, and this system was created in order to provide a more uniform method in judging one’s risk for borrowing money.
Since passage of legislation known as the Credit Repair Organizations Act, companies must supply you with a required form known as the “Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law,” before you are required to sign a contract to hire them to aid you in regards to repairing your credit. In addition, they must provide you with a written contract which specifies all of your obligations and rights. Make sure you read through all documents before signing a contract. A credit repair organization cannot charge you a fee until they have fulfilled all of their promised services. Also be aware that they must wait three days after you have signed a contract before they can perform any services. During this three-day waiting period, you may void the contract at any time, without payment of any fees.
To maintain good credit or repair a credit problem, the wise consumer limits him or herself to one credit card. Once superfluous credit cards are paid off the consumer has little reason to hang onto them. They are merely a temptation. Worse yet, they require attention and possibly even maintenance payments. Once the consumer commits to one card there is little reason for them to retain others.
When trying to repair your credit, it is important to know you are entitled to a no-cost credit report from each of the three U.S. consumer reporting companies. Annually, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are legally required to give you a complimentary copy of your credit report, if you request one. Each of these three companies has a website, a mailing address, and a toll-free telephone number which can be used to ask for a free annual report.
When repairing your credit, look over your credit report for errors. Look for duplicity of information, accounts that do not belong to you, late payment reporting which are false (always keep record of payments for backup) and records that are older than seven years. Finding errors and alerting the credit bureaus is proactive in repairing your credit.
When you receive your credit report you should read through it and look for any errors. If there are mistakes you should file a dispute to correct any mistakes. You can also write to the credit reporting agency to let them know it is inaccurate and that it should be investigated.
Make sure that you are very careful about your personal information being available to identity thieves. Be careful about keeping your social security card safe, get good software to keep your computer safe from attacks, and purchase a small paper shredder so that you can safely get rid of any documents that might have personal information on them.
Start by paying off smaller debts that are showing on your credit report. Start with debts you can pay in one installment or that are lower than other debts. This way you can rid yourself of some bills and eliminate some of the accounts that show on your credit report.
Work with a credible credit repair service. Like any industry making claims to help others with their finances, scoundrels and incompetents are usually only discovered after you have lost money, so do your research up front. Lots of people get taken in by scammers. One way to separate the wheat from the chaff is to check user reviews online.
Trying to repair your credit? Set yourself up on a plan to pay down your debt and to pay your creditors on time, each and every month. Pay as much as you can towards your balance, but at the same time, make sure that those payments are on time. Making your payments on time is more important than paying down the balance!
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to repairing your credit. This article should give you the power and the knowledge that you need in order to go about fixing your old mistakes and making good choices going forward. Follow the tips and suggestions you have just read and you will have a score to be proud of.
