Credit is essential nowadays. If you have bad credit, it is often difficult to rent an apartment, purchase a home, or get any form of credit loans at all. Having good credit is important in today’s time.

Many of us believe that once we have bad credit that we have to live with for at least seven years. Rest assured that this is not true. If you have defaults on your credit report, it is possible to have them removed.

The first step is to obtain copies of your credit report from the three major Credit Reporting Agencies – Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax.

Your credit report is not just a record of how you are currently managing your credit accounts. Your credit report is a history of everything you are doing with your credit now, and everything you have done in the past.

The credit reporting agencies, also known as, credit bureaus receive your personal information through the same lenders who grant you credit. The credit bureaus list this information on your credit report, and then sell it to credit grantors who wish to review your credit history before they decide to grant you credit.

Once you receive your reports from all of the agencies, review each report carefully to make sure that all the accounts belong to you. If you see any errors on your credit report make sure to take care of it right away by disputing the error with the Credit Reporting Agencies.

By law, when you dispute an item, the Credit Reporting Agencies are obligated to investigate the error.

If the error or negative information is found to be false or unable to be verified, it must be deleted or changed to reflect the status that you claim it should be.

There are many resources available on the Internet. It is up to you to research the marketplace carefully to find the best guides and resources that would lead you in the right direction to fixing your credit report.

Before you contact a credit repair specialist about mistakes in your credit report, you have to make sure that you are correct when you say this is a bill you donít owe. The specialists cannot wipe out any unfavourable items from your credit report just on your say so. If you need credit repair help for your bad credit rating, then it is only you who can do that.

Credit repair specialists will take a look at your credit report. If the report says you have a bill outstanding, for example, you do need to provide proof that you have repaid the amount in full. You have to verify all your claims of mistakes. If the bills named in the report are legitimate, then they are your responsibility. In order to have an item removed from a credit report, it has to go through legal channels, but the specialists will help you with this.

You donít have to contact credit repair specialists if you do notice a mistake in your credit report. These people do take the work off your shoulders, but you can do it yourself. All you have to do is contact the credit bureau that supplied you with the report and notify them of the mistake. They will send you the appropriate forms to fill out and give you instructions as to how you should proceed. It doesnít cost any money to take this route and do your own credit repair. Help is readily available from the 3 major credit bureaus and is free for you to use. Although credit repair specialists are trained for this job, you do have to pay for their help. Why pay, when you can do it yourself?

Credit repair specialists can help, but you can do it all yourself.

1. Get copies of your credit report then make sure the information is correct.

Go to the Annual Credit Report web site. This is the only authorized online source for a free credit report. Under federal law, you can get a free report from each of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months.

You can also call 877-322-8228 or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) web site and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

2. Pay your bills on time.
One of the most important things you can do to improve your credit score is pay your bills by the due date. You can set up automatic payments from your bank account to help you pay on time, but be sure you have enough money in your account to avoid overdraft fees.

3. Understand how your credit score is determined.
Your credit score is usually based on the answers to these questions:

Do you pay your bills on time? The answer to this question is very important. If you have paid bills late, have had an account referred to a collection agency, or have ever declared bankruptcy, this history will show up in your credit report.

What is your outstanding debt? Many scoring models compare the amount of debt you have and your credit limits. If the amount you owe is close to your credit limit, it is likely to have a negative effect on your score.

How long is your credit history? A short credit history may have a negative effect on your score, but a short history can be offset by other factors, such as timely payments and low balances.

Have you applied for new credit recently? If you have applied for too many new accounts recently that may negatively affect your score. However, if you request a copy of your own credit report, or creditors are monitoring your account or looking at credit reports to make prescreened credit offers, these inquiries about your credit history are not counted as applications for credit.

How many and what types of credit accounts do you have? Many credit-scoring models consider the number and type of credit accounts you have. A mix of installment loans and credit cards may improve your score. However, too many finance company accounts or credit cards might hurt your score.

To learn more, see the Federal Trade Commission’s publication on credit scoring at their web site.

4. Learn the legal steps you must take to improve your credit report.
The Federal Trade Commission’s “Building a Better Credit Report” has information on correcting errors in your report, tips on dealing with debt and avoiding scamsóand more.

5. Beware of credit-repair scams.
Sometimes doing it yourself is the best way to repair your credit. The Federal Trade Commission’s “Credit Repair: Self-Help May Be Best” explains how you can improve your creditworthiness and lists legitimate resources for low-cost or no-cost help.

Your “Credit Report” is a record of your credit history and it’s prepared by agencies called “Credit Bureaus”, or “Consumer Reporting Agencies.” These are private organizations and have no affiliation with the United States (or any) government. There are 3 major credit bureaus in the United States (2 in Canada) and their names are Experian, EquiFax, and Trans Union.

Did you know that credit reporting is a multi-billion dollar a year industry? It’s true! The credit bureaus are for-profit organizations that generate billions of dollars in revenue each year from selling copies of credit reports to creditors and mailing lists.

Your credit report affects more than your financial life. It could affect your education, career, and even your relationships. Your credit report is used not only by lenders and creditors, but also by auto, life, and home insurers, future employers, and even some educational institutions. It affects the interest rates you’ll pay on everything!

So as you can see, your credit report can have a critical impact on many facets of your life. For example, because of a bad credit report you could be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars MORE in loan interest over the life of your home mortgage. This is no exaggeration!

Since the credit bureaus prepare and distribute your credit report to lenders, they clearly wield a great deal of power over both your financial and personal life. But it would be a grave mistake to be intimidated by them, or to think that you have no choice but to live with the negative effects of a bad credit report.

In fact, there’s plenty you can do!

Always remember; Knowledge is power! There’re a few facts the credit bureaus would rather you don’t know. Let’s take a look at them, and you’ll see why.

1. Credit reports are filled with errors!

It will probably astonish you to learn the percentage of credit reports that contain errors. While there seems to be some disagreement, estimates range from 1 out of every 3 (on the low end) to as high as 90%! Here’s a “run down” on error estimates.

Percentage of Credit Reports Than Contain Mistakes

Attorney General of NY 1/3
Consumers Union 48%
US Congress 1/2
Charles Givens Organization 90%

So no matter who you believe, it’s clear that way too many credit reports have errors. So even if you think you have good credit, it might be well worth your while to get a copy of your credit report and take a careful look at it.

2. The law is on your side!

In 1972 Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curb abuses by the credit bureaus. The FCRA is the governing federal law on the issue of credit reporting.

Under the FCRA, you have the right to dispute negative information in your credit report. The credit bureaus then have 30 days to verify the disputed information with the creditor. If they cannot (or do not) verify the disputed information within 30 days, it must be deleted from your credit report.

3. Even accurate data in your credit report must be deleted if it’s not verified.

If you’ve done any research into credit repair you’ve no doubt run across statements to the effect of “Negative data in your credit report that is accurate cannot be removed.” As stated above, the FCRA stipulates that any disputed information must be verified within 30 days, or it must be deleted. The “burden of proof” (in a manner of speaking), is on the credit bureaus.

4. Credit repair DOES WORK in most cases!

You’ll hear all kinds of opinions as to whether “credit repair” (i.e. efforts to improve your credit report) can be successful. The truth is, credit repair doesn’t always work perfectly. But in almost every case the process of credit repair will result in at least SOME improvement in your credit score, and most often that improvement is substantial. So credit repair does work!

Now you may be wondering why repairing your credit score would be of any concern to the credit bureaus. After all, don’t they make money by compiling and distributing credit reports regardless of whether those reports are negative or positive?

Well, yes they do, BUT…they also make money (a GREAT DEAL of money) selling names of people with poor credit, to creditors who have a specific interest in those people.

So why would some creditors want to bother with people who have poor credit? Because they know they can charge higher interest rates to those people, because the “bad credit risks” have no choice but to pay those exorbitant rates or forgo credit altogether!

Besides, investigating disputed information costs the credit bureaus time, manpower, and money. They have nothing to gain, and plenty to lose, when people take the initiative and dispute negative information on their credit report.

5. It’s perfectly legal to hire third party help to repair your credit.

There are plenty of “Credit Repair Agencies” who will help you repair your credit. But if a credit bureau even suspects you’re using such an agency, it’s likely they’ll try to discourage you from doing so. In some cases they’ll even go so far as to send you a letter stating that use of such agencies is illegal.

Such statements are (to put it as politely as possible) garbage! In fact there are laws that regulate such agencies. Now laws don’t exist to regulate illegal activity, except to ban it! When was the last time you saw laws that regulate what cocaine dealers must do to operate within the law?

Once again, repairing a bad credit report just isn’t in the best interest of the major credit bureaus. But unless you happen to be the CEO of one of those bureaus, the most important question as far as you’re concerned is “What’s in MY best interest?”

First of all, get a copy of your credit report and examine it. You can get a free copy of your report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com.

Secondly, take steps to improve your credit report. You can go about it in one of two ways.

1. Hire third party help.

If repairing your own credit report sounds too intimidating, there are plenty of credit repair agencies that will do it for you. But if you take this approach, there are three things you need to know.

First, they’re not cheap. Expect to pay from $2,500 to $5,000 for an attorney or $795 to $2,000 or more for a credit repair agency. Secondly, they don’t always do it right! Some will manage to get the negative data on your credit report removed while actually doing damage to your “credit score” (a calculated number used by creditors to evaluate you credit worthiness.) Finally, many are outright scams!

That’s not to say you shouldn’t hire third party help. If you do your “home work,” ask for references, and carefully select a reputable credit repair agency, you’ll be much better off than if you had done nothing. Still, if you’re willing to do a little work, there’s a much better alternative.

2. Repair you own credit report.

Anyone can fix their own credit report. If you can write a few letters, address, stamp, and mail them you can repair your own credit. There’re plenty of good books available that can walk you thought the whole procedure, and once you’re done a little study, you’ll be surprised at how simple the process is.

Bad credit will cost you many thousands of dollars and limitless anxiety. Even if you have fair credit, fixing you credit could still save you thousands in interest payments over the years.

Credit repair software is an excellent way to repair your credit. Get started today!

I would not be talking about how to increase or enhance your Credit Score since I believe, no matter what your score is it’s never enough. We feel that we could have got a better bargained APR for the new car we have purchased.

So let’s talk about how to get rid of your lower credit score. Some prefer calling it as the FICO score. This reminds me Transunion uses Emperica Score FICO. Equifax uses Beacon score FICO and Experian used Fair Issac FICO. The algorithms used by each are different but they have similar weightage for factors. This is precisely the reason why all the three Credit Rating agencies have different scores. They might not vary much.

One advice for increasing your credit score which many experts give is to increase credit limit on your credit cards. This is a time tested solution for a ‘credit score improve’ key.

What is the acceptable ratio of credit limit and utilisation? It is considered to be safe to utilise 30 % of your existing credit limit. Above 50 % is still OK but if you are over drafting on your credit card, then your credit score will fall drastically, even before you knew it.

What should one do when credit card companies are reducing credit limits and unused credit lines?

There are companies where you can formally make request for credit limit increase. Wells Fargo and American Express are two such Credit Companies which do have the credit limit increase option. There are policies attached to each of them but they are by far the best ones to try for credit limit increase, thereby leading to credit score increase.

Another advice which I use to increase my credit score is balance transfer.

I try to reduce the overall limit on my credit cards by consolidating them and transferring balance from a higher utilised card to a lower utilised card thereby also benefitting on the interest rate that is applicable.

Credit card is a revolving debt and is looked with more suspicion than any other loan like a mortgage or a car loan instalment.

The balance transfer is bit tricky; you need to check the benefit you get moving from one company to another. What are the applicable rates? And are there any hidden charges?

One thing I use is I call up my credit company and inform them about my intention to transfer my balance since I am looking for a consolidation. The original credit card company then tries to retain a customer and negotiates a better rate.  Either ways you win. Overall less credit utilisation reflects well on your credit score report

There is another part which is very important and which can negatively affect your credit score is if you were to pay an older credit in full and expect it to do good to your credit report. The reason being if you are paying an old credit which you did not pay so long and it was approaching the Statute of limitation, then it means by paying you have made it current and you did not even ask the people to remove the negative from your credit report. This will decrease your score rather than increasing it.

Improving your credit score on your own is the best way to do it. Please do not try to go for quick fixes they can affect you badly. Especially do not try to get involved in identity theft. People try to create different credit files for the same name.

Gladwyn Riggs is a well known expert in the specialised field of Credit Score improvement. He has come up with an amazing Hand Holding Guide for Rapid Credit Score Increase.

Let’s try to find out the history behind credit scores and how it came into existence. What was the inherent need of having it in the first place?

Bankers and credit card agencies who give loans would like to know the risk they are taking. That in turn also affects the APR they are going to charge. Banks have to provide Non Performing assets at the end of the fiscal year and declare to its shareholders. So each bank had devised a method of trying to find the credit behaviour of its consumer. They had various parameters encompassing the history and length of credit. But it was never standardised.

Later the Fair Isaac Company came up with a scoring model which is very well known in the industry circles as the FICO Credit Score, used by EXPERIAN. This score gives weightage to various consumer behaviour parameters like 35% Payment History, 30% amounts owed, 15 % length of credit history, 10% new credit and 10 % on types of credit used.

Year 2009, the subprime crisis and aftermath have led to a tighter credit market with credit crunch and Banks adopting stricter policy norms.

So what has changed, the banking and credit card companies are getting risk averse. They prefer a much higher score in credit report. Now the logical question would be what this score is. The range varies with the type of loan you are applying and so does the cut off.

Generally, a score of 700+ is considered good for the mortgage related housing loans. A score of 670+ is decent for getting a good deal at the car dealers. The car dealers also tend to ask for a much higher down payment for people who have poor credit rating scores.

It has also been seen that credit reports offered by Credit Rating agencies have as many as 29% serious erroneous reports. 71 % reports have some other error of minor importance. So there is a high probability that your credit report may have a negative which was added by error and so it is imperative that you monitor your credit reports once at least every quarter.

Credit score has been taken as guidance by almost all the major credit card companies and lenders for giving loans and credit cards. It is a negotiating factor during business deals and hence it should be noted by one and all that YOU MUST take good care of having a credit score that is in the higher range.

Credit Score is not a percentage but a percentile and also it is a straight way comparison of apple against apple so You will be compared with a similar background person having similar credit payment history.

Importance of credit score lies in the fact that it brings the extra reliability of payback for the lenders and thereby it increases the chances of you getting a loan.

Credit score is important for securing good loan from a reliable bank which is liquid and has a good market image.

Importance of credit score also lies in the fact that once you have a good credit score, you are assured of a decent APR from a good company. It has actually standardised the process of getting debt and money flow.

Gladwyn Riggs is a well known expert in the specialised field of Credit Score improvement. He has come up with an amazing Hand Holding Guide for Rapid Credit Score Increase. Check it now

Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way:

1. The fastest way to a great score is pay your bills on time, keep account balances low, and take out new credit only when you need it. This is mainly about plain old common sense. People who do these things faithfully usually have very high scores. To lenders, high scores signify that you’re being conservative and cautious about credit. In turn, they see you as a lower risk borrower and will reward you with much better terms and a much lower interest rate.

2. What if you’re house hunting and you just need a few extra points to bump you over the line to the great rates? Start by having your mortgage broker, pull your credit report and your credit score to see where you are. If your score is above a 720, you’re golden. Even 700 is going to get you good terms. Improving your score from, say, a 720 to a 740 won’t get you better terms, though, so don’t waste your time doing that. Just continue to follow the guidelines above. What you’re really looking for on your report are factors that could be negatively affecting your score. Look for errors in the report, such as accounts that aren’t yours, late payments that were actually paid on time, debts you paid off that are shown as outstanding, or old debts that shouldn’t be reported any longer (negatives are supposed to be deleted after seven years, with the exception of bankruptcies, which can stay for as long as 10 years). Every time I meet with a client, I go over their report with them to ensure that the information is correct. I can’t tell you how many times there has been old or downright incorrect information in the report! 75% of credit reports contain errors. Hmmmm!!

While repairing errors, the fastest route to a better score is paying down balances on credit cards; in my experience, it’s possible to increase your score up to 200 points or more in 90 days by paying down your credit lines because it helps your debt to credit ratio. 30% of your scores are calculated by how well you manage that area. If you can’t pay them down then you must apply for new credit to offset your debt to credit ratio. What that means is that, the credit scoring system looks at all your credit card limits and your credit card balances and calculates what your credit limit vs. what your balances and shoots out a percentage. So for example, If you have a credit card limits that amount to $10000 and you owe $8000 on them, you are at 80% of the credit limits. Your debt to credit ratio in that case is at 80%. Typically you want to be at 30% or less. If you would like to apply for high credit limits to help your debt to credit ratios visit www.ePublishingUSA.com . They approve anyone with a heartbeat. Let all your friends and family know so you can help them with their credit. From now on, do your best to pay your bills on time (or ahead of time) and keep your balances as low as possible. After 12 monthsthe scoring module becomes immune to that late and your credit scores are not affected.

3. One thing you shouldn’t do if you’re just trying to boost your score is close unused accounts. If someone tells you to close unused accounts to improve your score, don’t listen. It won’t help you and it can hurt you. Closing unused accounts without paying down your debt changes your utilization ratio, which is the amount of your total debt divided by your total available credit. You appear closer to maxing out your accounts. That’s why your score can drop. It doesn’t mean people shouldn’t close them, but don’t close them to improve your score. If you do cut up cards, though, leave the oldest one open! The length of your credit history is another factor in your score. If you close the account of the credit card you got when you were a freshman in college and leave open the ones you just got within the last couple years, it makes you look like a much newer borrower.

Bottom line: know that you’re not powerless when it comes to your credit score. There are a lot of things you can do to improve your score and you need to understand what your credit is like now and what’s influencing your score today. Then you can go out and get that amazing interest rate!

Boost Your Credit in 90 Days!

Worst: Credit Repair Services
It’s tempting to simply pay a company to “do the work for you,” but all credit repair services (that includes law firms) have two dirty little secrets they don’t want you to know.

First, because they charge monthly for their service, they make more money–up to $2,000– if they deliberately drag out the process, which is why they often take two or three years.
Second, you actually wind up doing MORE work than if you did it yourself. In addition to dozens of forms, the credit repair service requires YOU to personally choose which items to dispute, how to dispute them, and you have to constantly send them information that the credit bureaus send you.
Better: Follow Instructions From The Credit Bureaus.
This is like the wolf instructing the sheep. The credit bureaus are NOT your friends. This approach costs nothing, but you get what you pay for. Don’t do it.
Better Still: Do-It-Yourself Programs (Typically A Printed Book, An E-Book, Or An Audio Program).
There are hundreds of these programs available, but they’re out of date. If you are very organized and have lots of free time available, the process these books describe will work fairly well. . . eventually.

Best: Credit Repair Software

There are several companies that offer credit repair software (not just an e-book). Although some are rip-offs (clue: unprofessional-looking websites), many credit repair software products combine the best of all worlds: simplicity, low price, and fast results.
Better quality credit software ranges from $97 to $1,000 or more, but there’s no reason to spend the higher amounts. Look for satisfaction guarantees and a professional-looking website.
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The best credit repair solution for the money is Credit Repair Magic, available at CreditRepairMagic.com. At only $97, it’s the fastest and most cost-effective credit repair solution we’ve ever found. Don’t waste your time with useless e-books or ridiculously overpriced monthly services. Download the best credit repair software anywhere
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Credit repair, done right, will transform your credit report and lift your scores. The benefits of good credit are significant. You can expect to qualify for better financing options, and the quality of your life will profit accordingly. Intangible benefits like self confidence and inner peace are a wonderful bonus. Once you have achieved your goals you should make an effort to protect your credit repair success.

Create a Budget

A budget is a perfect companion for your credit repair program and a virtual insurance policy against losing any of your hard won success. Take the time to map out all of your finances. Make sure that there is room in your budget for all of your expenses. If you discover that you are spending more than you can afford get creative; cut back where you can and make sure that you are living within your means. The more you know the better you will be able to manage your financial life. You will be able to make informed spending decisions, avert budgetary discomfort, and protect your credit repair success.

Start a Saving Plan

There is nothing like a saving plan. Everything in your life will benefit. You will be able to meet unexpected expenses without falling behind on your monthly obligations. Savings will protect your credit repair results like nothing else. Get into the saving habit. Put a little bit aside for yourself each and every month and watch your account grow. You will love the comfort you will get from knowing that exigencies are covered. Over time your savings will grow and allow you to make important investments like the purchase of a home.

Consider Auto Payments

Nothing will put a dent in your credit repair results like a new late payment. Make sure that all of your payments are made right on time. Most creditors offer a couple of payment options that can help you remain timely including direct-debit from an account of your choice and online bill management. Examine your options. Whatever method you choose make very sure that nothing slips through the cracks.

Avoid Consumer Debt

Protect your credit scores by managing your debt properly. Once your credit scores improve you will receive credit offers on a regular basis. Some of these offers may be a benefit to your credit repair project, but others should be avoided at all costs. You should be able to enjoy the flexibility that good credit offers, but make careful choices. The FICO credit scoring model has a built in bias against consumer debt, like store cards and furniture store loans. These will harm your credit repair results. Beware of temptation and consider other financing options.

Manage Your Revolving Credit

The FICO scoring model places major stress on your credit card usage. Keep your balances low and your credit scores will soar. Let your balances sneak up to the limit and your scores will plummet. Timely payments, as essential as they are, will not protect you from the credit repair devastation that will occur if you run up your card balances. If, for some reason, you do max out a credit card, don’t panic. As soon as you pay down the balance your scores will rebound. Remain aware.

Monitor Your Credit

All three credit bureaus, and many resellers, offer excellent credit monitoring services. These monitoring services are a terrific post credit repair tool. Once you join a monitoring service you will be alerted to all changes on your credit report, including the appearance of any derogatory items. These alerts will give you the opportunity to respond to any event in a timely manner and mitigate the potential damage.

Copyright © 2009 Ian Webber. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

By: Ian Webber

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