Archive for March, 2010

The 3 Major Credit Bureaus And How They Affect You

David Kamau asked:




Your credit history is a record you’ve established with the 3 major credit bureaus by either paying or not paying your bills on time, or not paying at all. This history is recorded by all of your creditors on your three credit reports.

The 3 major credit bureaus are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. They keep this information on file for you, your creditors, new lenders and other interested parties.

Parties that may require your credit history that are not lenders or creditors per se are employers and, more recently (and frightening), doctors and hospitals.

Your credit reports will reflect your payment history on all of your credit accounts you’ve had for the past.

This includes your student loans, mortgages, retail store credit cards, auto loans, telephone, and utilities (cable, gas and electric); although typically utility companies do not report until you fall into delinquency.

Federal law requires that child support delinquencies get reported.

This information can be reported for up to 7 years, or 10 years for bankruptcies. However, there is no time limit if applying for a loan of more than $150,000 or a job with an annual income of more than $75,000.

But aside from your credit history, the 3 major credit bureaus also store personal information about you, such as past and present addresses, social security number, and employment history.

The 3 major credit bureaus are for-profit businesses. They make money by selling your information.

You may be asking; how do the Credit Bureaus know if I pay my bills on time or not?

Well, the credit bureaus do not know if and how you pay your creditors. It’s your creditors that supply your information to them: it is your creditors that report your payment history to the credit bureaus; good or bad, they run and tell.

Have you wondered how debt collectors are able to find you when you move? One of the ways that debt collectors are able to track you down to your new address is through the credit bureaus.

When you apply for new credit, your information including your address is entered into your credit file. This process is called “lender reporting” where your creditors will send, typically, all three credit reporting bureaus the current status of your accounts utilizing an electronic tape.

Since lenders do pay to make reports they often do not report to all 3 major credit bureaus. This is one reason why your credit report will often differ from bureau to bureau.

Once the credit reporting agencies receive this tape, it’s loaded into their system and then unloads into their databases, hence, creating an updated record of all your accounts, address, and payment history.

In the perfect world, all your accounts should be paid on time; however, many of us fall behind. Doesn’t matter whether you were hospitalized or near-dead, all your timely payments, late payments, or missed payments are reported.

Accounts in good standing are noted as “paid as agreed.” This means that the creditor is reporting your account as being paid according to the terms of agreement you signed.

If your account is past due then your status rating changes and causes your credit ratings drop.

All the 3 major credit bureaus also indicate on your report the name of the creditor, type of account, account number and delinquency status (whether 60, 90 or 120 days late).

The worst notation on your credit bureau report is one that shows that an account is “in collection”. But even more devastating are judgments against you, bankruptcies and tax liens.

Christian
 

How Do you Obtain your Equifax Free Credit Report?

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Nancy
 

Clean Credit Report – Easily Raise Your Credit Score 100 Points

Vincent Dail asked:




Your credit report contains information about where you work, live and how you pay your bills (On time or not). It also may show whether you’ve been sued, arrested or have filed for bankruptcy with in the last 10 years. Companies called consumer reporting agencies (cra) or credit bureaus compile and sell your credit report to businesses all over the world.

Many financial advisors suggest that you periodically review your credit report for inaccuracies or omissions. This could be especially important if you’re considering making a major purchase, such as buying a home. Checking in advance on the accuracy of information in your credit file could speed the credit-granting process, clean credit is a must.

Because businesses use this information to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and other purposes allowed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), it’s important that the information in your report is complete and accurate.

Whenever you apply for any type of credit or financing, a credit report is pulled from at least one of the three major credit bureaus. You want a clean credit report to be pulled. While there are hundreds of smaller credit bureaus around the country, virtually every credit bureau is affiliated with either Experian, Trans Union, or Equifax.

Getting Your Clean Credit Report

If you’ve been denied credit, insurance, or employment because of information supplied by a credit reporting agency, the FCRA says the company you applied to must give you the agency`s name, address, and telephone number. If you contact the agency for a copy of your report within 60 days of receiving a denial notice, the report is free. In addition, you’re entitled to one free copy of your report a year.

If you simply want a copy of your report, call each credit bureau listed since more than one agency may have a file on you, some with different information.

The three major national credit bureaus are:

Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; (800) 685-1111.

Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742).

Trans Union, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; (800) 916-8800.

Correcting Errors For Clean Credit.

To protect all your rights under the law and to keep your credit clean contact both the CRA and the information provider.

First to get clean credit reports, tell the credit reporting agency in writing what information you believe is inaccurate. Include copies (please keep your originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request deletion or correction. Always keep copies of your dispute letter.

They must reinvestigate the items in question, usually within 30 days, unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all relevant data you provide about the dispute to the information provider. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the CRA, it must investigate, review all relevant information provided by the CRA, and report the results to the CRA. If the information provider finds the disputed information to be inaccurate, it must notify all nationwide CRAs so they can correct this information in your file. Disputed information that cannot be verified must be deleted from your file, then you will recieve a clean credit report, with that item removed.

If your report contains erroneous information, the CRA must correct it(clean credit).

If an item is incomplete, the CRA must complete it. For example, if your file showed that you were late making payments ( 30 days or more), but failed to show that you were no longer delinquent, the CRA must show that you’re current.

If your file shows an account that belongs only to another person, the CRA must delete it.

When the reinvestigation is complete, they must give you the written results and a free copy of your clean credit report, if the dispute results in a change. If an item is changed or removed, they cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies its accuracy and completeness.

Also, if you request, they must send notices of clean credit report corrections to anyone who received your report in the past six months. Job applicants can have a corrected copy of their clean credit report sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes. If a reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, ask the CRA to include your statement of the dispute in your file and in future reports.

Second, in addition to writing to the credit agency, tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Again, include copies (please not originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider then reports the item to any credit reporting angency, it must include a notice of your dispute. In addition, if you are correct that is, if the disputed information is not accurate the information provider may not use it again, thus you will have a clean credit report.

When negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. Accurate negative information can generally stay on your report for 7 years.

Clean Credit: There are certain exceptions:

Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years.

Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitation.

Credit information reported in response to an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limit.

Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Criminal convictions can be reported without any time limit.

Credit information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit.

Adding clean credit accounts to your file:

Your credit file may not reflect all your clean credit accounts. Although most national department stores and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in your file, not all creditors supply information: Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those creditors that don’t report clean credit.

If you’ve been told you were denied clean credit because of an insufficient credit file or no credit file and you have accounts with creditors that don’t appear in your credit file, ask the CRA to add this information to future reports. This will help get you on the road to a clean credit report. Although they are not required to do so, many CRAs will add verifiable accounts for a fee. You should, however, understand that if these creditors do not report to the CRA on a regular basis, these added items will not be updated in your file.

Loretta
 

Counsel’s Efforts Lead to Verdict in Suit Against Credit Bureau Over Erroneous Credit Report

Teo Mcdohl asked:




If you have always wanted to know more about this topic, then get ready because we have all the information you can handle.

In 1993, Terry Cousin scholarly a plant had useful for credit and purchased a car with his name. Cousin obtained a disc of his credit report from Trans Union Corporation and found an address and delinquent car lend that were not his. He finished an investigation appeal, but the same information perpetual to emerge on his credit report.

In a struggle to refurbish his good credit, Cousin contacted ATLA limb Michael T. Lewis of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to symbolize him in a state advantages the credit bureau. In 1994, applicant sued Trans Union, alleging violation of the light repute exposure Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. sec 1681 et seq., which requires credit bureaus to admire reasonable procedures to promise utmost promising accuracy of information in credit hearsay. The parties complete that state for $15,000. As part of the settlement, Trans Union fixed to suppress the adverse numbers. Soon after, however, the business reposted the faulty address on Cousin’s report, along with a delinquent cellular headset account that was not his.

Once advantage, Cousin finished an investigation appeal and sent it to Trans Union. After an investigation, the business fixed to suppress the delinquent account and erroneous address. In November 1996, however, a car dealership denied Cousin’s credit application, citing a bad credit report. Cousin discovered his report still enclosed the erroneous information. If you have completely read through the first half of this article, the second part will be a snap to understand.

After an investigation, Trans Union deleted the delinquent account and faulty address. Nevertheless, it advantage posted the delinquent car lend. With Lewis and partner Pauline Shuler Lewis symbolizing him, Cousin sued Trans Union advantage, alleging it had both knowingly and negligently sullied the FCRA.

Trans Union reportedly contended that (1) programming troubles produced in the deleted information reemerging and (2) the car dealership did not deny applicant credit because of the erroneous credit report.

Claimant also sued the cellular headset business, alleging defamation. In addition, applicant sued two other credit bureaus; Equifax and Memphis Consumer repute Association (MCCA), alleging violation of sec FCRA 1681g, which requires a credit reporter to supply a consumer with a disc of his complete folder ahead appeal. Claimant stated that Equifax had reform to supply him with a disc of his credit report. While MCCA had given him a disc of his report, he alleged it did so only after “refining” the folder to faint the faulty credit information.

Before testing, applicant complete with the cellular headset business for $35,000. Claimant also complete with Equifax for $30,000, and with MCCA for $40,000.

In preparation for testing advantages Trans Union, applicant’s counsel wore record acquisition and learning to advantage a thorough understanding of the task before pleasing any depositions. Then, they took depositions “to show applicant’s task out of defendant’s doorway,” Michael Lewis said. According to Mr. Lewis, “these testing videotape depositions showed devastating to the apology.”

In addition, counsel organized exhibits to tell applicant’s word in a tidy and concise conduct. For example, they wore a chronology during cavity and final statements to lay out the series of dealings for the jury. The chronology showed that “even as tardy as 60 being after the flash claim was folder, Trans Union still was issuing sham credit hearsay, libeling applicant in the middle of a central claim,” Mr. Lewis said. “The jury did not like it. It had a bad smell to it.”

The jury awarded $4.52 million, plus $4.47 million penal indemnity.

Mr. Lewis hopes this task brings thought to an upward dilemma. He says that according to a current U.S. shared awareness explore Group learning of 133 consumer credit bureau hearsay, virtually one-third of them enclosed grave errors that could product in unfair veto of a car lend, a credit, or even a job. Seventy percent of the hearsay willful had errors of some kind.

Over time, you will begin to understand how these concepts really come together if you choose to venture into this subject further.

Danny
 

Credit Repair News – How New Credit Laws Can Help You Clean Up Your Credit Score

Divya Mishra asked:




The latest Card Act passed by the government will definitely help you overcome your credit card debt very quickly. However, what is a connection between this and the credit score? Well, don’t you know that there is a very close connection between unsecured debt and your credit report?

If you mess up your secured mortgage but repay your unsecured debt on time, you will actually escape with less damage to your report. This is because a person who can repay the debt out of future income will always be in a position to take care finances properly. That is the logic that credit card issuers and other unsecured lenders apply.

Now, the latest reforms pass by the government has made it difficult for the credit card issuer to increase the interest amount arbitrarily. If you make regular repayments once in sixty days, you can actually escape interest rate increases even if the overall repayment pattern is not very regular. All this means that you can quickly reduce the credit card debt and bring it down to manageable levels.

The credit card industry has established itself in such a manner that extremely low credit card debt has a negative impact on the credit report and very high credit card debt also has a negative impact. It is only when you have a revolving balance and yet repay it on a regular basis will you enjoy maximum benefits.

If your interest rate remains under control, you can easily use the extra income you might earn to bring down the total amount owed. Needless to say, this will have a positive impact on your credit score and will make it easier for you to overcome financial emergency with minimum difficulties.

Another reason why the new credit law will have a positive impact on your finances is the cancellation of the universal default rule. This means that a minor mistakes and errors in prompt repayment of debt will not result in imposition of a penalties and penal interest. All this information will not go back to the credit bureau and this will help you protect your recently improved credit score from further damage.

If you want more information, you should log on to the World Wide Web. Well, if you want to actually make use of the changes to improve your credit report, you should get in touch with professionals who know what they are doing. Rather than reinventing the wheel, it makes sense to employ the experts and be done with it.

Andre