Mark J Garcia asked:




The Credit Bureaus exist for one reason, and one reason only…to make money! Each and every one of the bureaus is a publicly traded company. They make most of their revenue by selling information to lending institutions, insurance companies, utility companies, credit card issuing banks, and employers.

They DO NOT make money by researching your disputes…in fact, it costs them time, money, and resources to investigate them. Is it any wonder then who the bureaus ultimately serve?

Bureau Secret #1 Credit Bureau Reports – Your 92 Scores

Reports and scores are created “on the fly” whenever they are requested by you, a creditor, or a lender. In fact, you can have up to 92 different scores…23 different scores for each Bureau: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and don’t forget the little known “other” bureau named Innovis.

Remember your credit scores can vary drastically depending on who pulls the report and the particular profile applied to you. This Bureau process is especially problematic if you are thinking of getting a home loan or mortgage. The score you see if you request it from a major reporting bureau or an on-line service WILL be different – and probably much higher than the score you receive from a Mortgage Broker.

Why?

One reason is that when you pull a report from an online service 18 elements of identification have to match exactly. For example, all of the letters of your last name need to match. That means you are more likely to get accurate information.

When the bureaus pull reports for lenders, usually only 9 elements have to match, for example only 2 letters in your last name. So, more errors and erroneous information will appear on your score – lowering it. Why do the Bureaus provide different – and LOWER – scores to lenders?

Because they’ve decided that by reporting lower – more conservative scores to lenders, they would be less likely to be sued by lenders if the borrower defaults on the loan.

Do you think the major reporting bureaus care about showing lenders your true credit worthiness? I am here to tell you that they don’t! Matter of fact, if you would like to find out more information about how the bureaus are royally screwing over the American Consumer, I have created a newsletter that details shocking news about the 3 Major Bureaus

Bureau Secret #2 Credit Bureau Reports – Your Scores are NOT Accurate

Did you know that your score is probably inaccurate? According to a recent Public Interest Group Research study, more than 70% of Reports contain errors. Oh sure, the Bureaus say to the public that only 20% of reports contain errors, but that’s a bunch of Bureau bologna, because when they are in court under oath they admit that more than 50% of reports contain errors.

What kind of errors are probably on your report – and making you pay more for your home, auto loan, insurance, credit cards and student loans? The study found that 29% of reports contain serious errors that don’t belong including; false delinquencies that can kill your score.

41% of reports contain personal demographic information that was incorrect, outdated, or misspelled. 20% of credit reports – 1 in 5!!!! were missing major loan mortgage or other information to demonstrate the worthiness of the consumer. 26% of reports contained accounts that were in incorrectly listed as open (or) “closed by credit grantor.” When your account is “closed by grantor” it looks like you did something wrong and that’s bad for your scores.
Bureau Secret #3 What Is Your Real, Accurate, and True FICO Score?

Did you know that over 90% of the financial institutions in the world will use scores from one organization only? The name of that company is Fair Isaac Corporation or as they are more commonly known FICO.

The location where I recommend that you purchase your credit scores from is from the Fair Isaac Corporation at their main website. Now, I recommend going to a certain section of their website where you will get a true picture of why your scores are behaving the way they are

This website will not only give you the most current status of your reports, but it will also show you your FICO Scores from all 3 bureaus.

This is the only place you should ever get your scores, because your FICO scores are the ones from where most lenders will base their acceptance of your credit application.

I find it interesting that the major bureaus also have their own version of scores that they try to sell to you and I. However none of the people you are trying to get to extend you a loan will even look at those scores! It is just another example of the greedy bureaus trying to squeeze more and more money from us.

Let’s Wrap This Up…

So as you can see, there are many myths disguised as truths when it comes to credit and credit repair. There are also hidden secrets that the credit bureaus don’t want you to know. I hope that since you are now armed with this knowledge, you won’t fall victim to false information that exists out there.

Your Credit Score Insider, Mark J. Garcia

Allan

Tim Gorman asked:




Credit reports provide great details about a person including name, birth date, Social security number, home address, how payments are made, income, employment history, home ownership, previous address, court cases, judgments, and bankruptcy and foreclosure records.

Above all it gives details about a person’s credit history. These include all the creditors with balances and accounts that are closed or in collections. It will also indicate if there are any late payments, and any other irregularity. In addition it will also list the requests for that credit report by creditors during the past year and requests for credit reports including those by employers for the past two years.

These reports are maintained by three nationwide credit bureaus which use slightly different sources to compile the information. Based on the information they have credit bureaus calculate a figure called the credit score. The three credit bureaus Equifax, Transunion, Experian use different formulas to arrive at their score. The credit score can be considered a mathematical way of determining the likelihood of the borrower paying back a loan.

This information can be accessed by creditors, insurers, employers, and others who have been legitimately allowed access subject to conditions through The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). It is clear that accurate information in the credit report is important to everyone concerned not only for the person about whom it is concerned but to anyone else who may want to rely on it for decision making. As such it is important to understand how the credit report is compiled and the accuracy of the information and sources on which that compilation is made.

It is important to know how and at what frequency credit information reaches the credit bureau. On examination of their procedure, it is clear that frequency of reporting varies depending on the creditor. While some creditors will report any changes in the customers’ balances every day, others will report once a month or at longer periods. This is mainly due to efficacy reasons, since with most people there will not be much of a change in credit balances. Because of that creditors will only report if there are any changes in the credit balances. This therefore means that for some people their credit report will get updated about once a month while others may not see any change in their credit reports for 3 or 6 months. On the other hand creditors will report late payments and other negative activities quite promptly.

Carolyn

David Faulkner asked:




Companies providing credit have certain criteria’s to ensure whether u will be able to pay back your loans or not. What ever sort of loan it may be, a car payment, a Visa or MasterCard or Discover or American Express, a department store credit card, a gas company credit card or a mortgage, they are all clubbed under one category and then accordingly a credit score is maintained by all the three big credit companies in United States of America. The credit score is calculated not only keeping in view the current unpaid bills but the complete account history and accordingly they analyze whether their money with you is safe or not and what more can be offered to you. So credit score does make a whole lot of a difference.

Criteria of credit score:

Most of the times a digit most probably ranging between 450 and 850 are allotted to the holder according to which your reliability is calculated by the bureau. The credit score system cannot be said to be fool proof, in fact there are some flaws in it. Some times a credit may be reflecting in more than bureau and as time passes as do the contracts and staff. Any errors that are left are untouched and remain there as it is. The credit company for the lender has changed but the defaults are still carried forward. This is not the case with Mortgage Company, that an exception, as it is reported to all the three bureaus depending upon the amount.

Credibility Of the system:

Another factor which raises eyes on the credibility of credit scores analysis system is the amount of data a credit bureau has to maintain. Such huge data can’t be errorless, not their fault. Not only they Keep track of your current status but also maintain the complete previous record. The total amount of data sums out to billions of records considering the number of businesses and customers in the country. According to studies around 10 percent of the records are corrupted, which is a lot.

No bureau can figure out the worthiness of a customer according to the credit score as the bureaus [http://www.creditscorereportguide.org/Experian_Credit_Report/] do not share their data with each other and a person being very appropriate in one case might be a defaulter with the other bureau. So the credit score is not an exact picture of your credit history but just a hypothetical thing.

What else is the option for us? All we can do it keep a close vigil on our own track record. One should not just rely on one of the bureaus and get regular statements from all the three agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and check them regularly. In case of an error we must report it back and they have to either justify the thing or refund it. This process must be followed at least twice in a year so as to maintain your credit score as it does reflect how you have been in handling credits.

Lonnie

Susan Jan asked:




Having a good credit rating is important because it allows us many conveniences in life, such as renting property, having credit card, and qualifying for financing etc. However, if you do not pay a creditor on time, your credit report with the credit bureau will be affected, and when your credit rating becomes poor, the above conveniences will no longer be possible. It is imperative that you take immediate steps to repair your credit.

The first step in credit repair is to get your credit report from the credit reporting agency. Once you receive your credit report, examine it closely for any inaccuracies. If you find any discrepancies, you can request an investigation in writing to the agency. The agency must then either respond within 30 days with documentation of the particular discrepancy, or remove that item from your credit report.

An immediate solution to credit repair is to contact your creditor as soon as you become aware of your outstanding debts. Your credit report depends on whether your creditor decides to report you to the credit reporting agency. Usually your creditor will be willing to discuss with you alternate payment options and solutions, because they would prefer to get some payment instead of no payment at all from you. You should propose a realistic payment plan and convince them that you can stick to it.

If your creditor does not accept your new payment terms, then your debt will go to collection, and you will then have to deal with the collection agency. Collection agents are usually more aggressive and may even threaten to take you to court if you do not comply. Bear in mind that collection companies generally buy debts at about half their value, so any payment higher than that is a profit for them. Negotiate ASAP to pay less than the full value of your debt, and collection agents generally agree to a quick payment at a small discount of the value, as they are unwilling to have the process drag on.

Another option is for you to seek the help of a credit counselor. Credit counseling is usually done by non-profit agencies, and credit counselors will advise you on and make you stick to your long term credit repair plans. Good credit counseling organizations also provide workshops, educational materials, and counseling.

Of all the credit repair options, Avoid for-profit credit repair companies at all cost because they are often scams, and propose a one size fits all quick fix. There is nothing that a credit repair company suggests that you can’t do yourself, such as obtaining your credit report etc.

It takes a long time to build a good credit rating, and just a short amount of time to destroy it. There are no quick solutions to a poor credit rating, and you will have to slowly and patiently build your credit rating again from scratch. If you avoid quick credit fixes, and instead focus on long term credit repair, you will eventually gain your good credit back.

Sam

W. M. Blake asked:




For a person or company that is deep in debt, on of their options is to turn to credit counseling. While such counseling, offered by various companies, does not include a loan, they are able to work directly with your lender consolidate all of your debts into one easy monthly payment.

This form of debt management is a must for small companies that are in danger of declaring bankruptcy. Individual debtors can also avail themselves of this counseling. If you realize that 40% or more of your income post-tax is going towards debts, this is a definite indication of the need for help with debt control.

The counselors who are employed by these companies are trained professionals. They will analyze your situation and see where you can make adjustments in your income or spending. They will also do their best to negotiate lower interest rates or a longer term with your creditors.

These companies can help to keep collectors from harassing you. One of the worst experiences that could be had is having to deal with such agents. You will also learn, with their help, you to better budget your money. Most importantly you will receive help with regards to keeping a tight reign on your spending.

There are two main types of credit counseling companies. Some are large, money-making oriented companies that charge dearly for their services, which are generally of very high quality. The second type of company is the more socially oriented one, usually non-profit organizations.

You will be aided by the services of these companies as they work directly with your lenders, enthusiastically helping you establish a plan to eliminate your debt.

While both companies have their pros and cons, each individual must make their own decision after some careful research. Check to see what the Better Business Bureau Office in your area has to say about the company. Look into how the company makes payments to the lender. If they do so on a weekly basis, you will avoid late fees and receive lower interest rates. If a company fails to do the latter, avoid them at all cost.

Make sure that the company you choose to do business is stable. You want to make sure that it won’t go bankrupt after taking your money.

Teresa

Tim Gorman asked:




The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACT) give all individuals the opportunity to receive a free credit report. Generally, you can request a free credit report once per year. These reports are requested from the three major credit bureaus who report on all activity regarding credit. The intentions of the Acts are to allow the consumer to check the accuracy as well as the privacy of his or her credit report. This is underlined by the fact that FCRA and FACT are enforced with regard to consumer reporting companies by the Federal Trade Commission which is the main consumer protection agency in United States.

A credit report contains data regarding the consumer’s personal contact information, bankruptcy, as well as his or her very detailed credit history details. It is regularly used to evaluate his or her credit worthiness by not only financial institutions offering credit but by employers and others. As such it is important to make sure that the consumer has a right to check the credit report in order to correct any errors or unfair information contained there. This also prevents anyone else from using your identity to commit fraud since such activity will become apparent when you check the report.

You can request the free annual copy of your credit report from the website set up by the three main credit bureaus, namely Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. All three have set up a toll free telephone number and a mailing address to meet the requests from consumers. Contacting the credit bureaus directly will not be fruitful since they will direct you to the website referred above. However you can request the free annual copy from each of the three bureaus separately at different times as long as you request only one copy for 12 months from each bureau.

Once you have filled the form on the website you will be able to see the credit report almost immediately. Using the toll free number or mailing address will get you the report within 15 days of request. However you should have the information needed to verify your identity if the credit bureau requests.

Other methods to get a free credit report

In addition to the entitlement mentioned above .You are entitled to obtain a free credit report if you are denied credit, insurance, or employment due to the contents of the credit report. However you should request the report within 60 days of notice of such denial. Unemployed individuals looking for work, those who are on welfare, and those who have been victims of frauds or identity theft, can also request a free copy of the credit report. It must also be remembered that residents of States of Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont, have access to annual credit reports free of charge for some time through State laws.

Keith

Mark Andrade asked:




In addition to disputing incorrect information on your credit report, you can also add accounts to it that make you look more credit worthy. If, when you review your report, you noticed accounts that were not listed on it that paint you in a positive light, you can ask the credit reporting agencies to include these accounts on your report. Doing so will help in your quest to build a more positive credit rating and higher credit score.

There are three types of information you might want to have added to your credit history to build your score:

Explanation of any incomplete or disputed information Positive account histories not included in your report Information demonstrating reliable payment and employment, stability

Often credit reports don’t include accounts that you might expect to find. For instance, some major commercial lenders don’t report mortgages or car loans. Also, local banks or credit unions frequently don’t provide information to credit reporting agencies.

If your credit report is missing credit histories for accounts you pay on time, send the credit reporting agencies a Letter Requesting Inclusion of Accounts, along with copies of recent account statements. Ask the credit bureau to add information on these accounts to your file. While the agencies aren’t required to add account histories, they often do, but you might be charged a fee.

Another option is to go straight to your creditor and ask that they report the information directly to the credit reporting agencies. However, some creditors categorically refuse to do this as they only report to one or two agencies and won’t consider changing their standard business practices. But it’s worth a try.

You may find that credit histories for accounts you pay on time are only missing from one or two credit reports. The third report might already include all your accounts or maybe you focused on cleaning up that report first. If this applies to you, send the agencies with the missing information a copy of your all-inclusive report with a letter asking the missing data be added to your file.

Creditors also like to see verification of stability so consider asking any evidence you have of that be added to your account. Creditors are most likely to add updated information on employment and residences because it’s used in evaluating credit applications. However, if your report is missing data or contains obsolete or incorrect information on your phone number, date of birth, or social security number it is beneficial to update those as well to reduce the risk of account mix-ups.

Once you’ve repaired your credit, request a copy of your report from each credit bureau. You are entitled to one free credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies annually. Look for anything old or inaccurate. Conducting an annual credit check and adding positive accounts previously omitted, can help ensure you maintain the highest credit ratings possible and avoid being a victim of identify theft.

Diana

Francine Denson asked:




There some confusion out there when it comes to free credit reports. You have likely seen the many articles that are floating around that state that you can get your free credit report, but just what does a free credit report consist of? In this article will will look at the differences in the 3 different types of credit reports advertised and learn more about which one is the most beneficial to have.

Type #1) Single Credit Bureau Report

One type of credit report is one where you can get a report from only one of the three bureaus. These three bureaus are Equifax, Trans Union and Experian; most of the time with this type of report you will have to choose one of these companies to get your report from. This may not help you very much because each of the three bureaus differs a bit in the content they report. You would probably benefit more from a 3-1.

Usefulness: C-

Type #2) 3-1 Credit Report

A 3-1 report would include a report from each of the three bureaus. The advantage to this is you get all three reports. The downside is that you get only one score from one bureau. It would be more sensible to receive all three of the bureaus scores. Mortgage companies look at the three scores and usually go by the one in the middle. I would only be logical to see what they see if you are attempting to get a loan.

Usefulness: B

Type #3) 3-1 Credit Report With Credit Scores

This brings us to the third type. This is the 3-1 credit report that included all three scores. This is the best offer there is due to the fact that this is what lenders look at. You will want to ensure that you know what you are getting when you request a credit report.

Usefulness: A+

Every consumer is entitled to one free report from each of the three bureaus annually, but this does not include a credit score. By using the services of on of the popular online free credit report sites, you can get instant access to not only your credit reports but your credit scores as well. You would be best off off obtaining a 3-1 with all three scores so you can have a clear view of what lenders are looking at when deciding whether or not to approve your loan.

Sue

Conleth Onu asked:




Is bad credit ruining your life? Have you been denied credit because of negative information on your credit report? Do you want to learn how to make a good credit report instantly? If you answered yes to the above questions, you’re in the right place.

Having a bad credit record will make your life difficult in many situations. Nothing can slow you down faster financially than negative information contained in a credit bureau file. Sometimes, the information is true, other times it is deceiving or even totally wrong. What can you do if you believe that you have been turned down for credit because of inaccurate or outdated information?

There are some steps that you can take, to get rid of blemishes on your report. Your first step should be to get your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. You can get a free copy of your report one time a year, and you can also obtain one at no charge if you have been denied credit within the past 60 days.

Once you have obtained your report, examine it carefully. Make sure that all information is being reported correctly. If you find any incorrect information in your report, you can dispute it with the credit bureau.

Send a letter to the credit bureau explaining your dispute. When filing a dispute, tell the credit bureau what information you believe is incorrect and the reason why. Include any documentation that would help support your claim.

By law the credit bureaus are required to delete negative items from credit reports whenever a particular item reaches a certain age. Also, inaccuarate or unverifiable information must be deleted from credit files.

If there are accounts on your report that need to be settled, you can negotiate with the creditors. Be sure to have the creditor sign and date the settlement proposal and return it to you, before you pay them.

Once you have finished eliminating negatives from credit report, and have a clean clear credit report, it’s time to add positive information on your report.

A secured credit card can help you build good credit. It looks and works like any other major credit card. Secured Visa and Mastercard are issued against your depositing cash in a financial institution. That deposit serves as a collateral for the credit card. If you maintain a good account, your excellent credit rating will be recorded on your report.

Another effective way to add positive credit information to your credit file is to take out a small installment loan from a bank and pay it back promptly.

You can also build good credit by getting Department Store and Gas Company credit cards. By having your very own major credit card, you can qualify for instant credit at many department stores and gas stations.

Once you have established a good credit rating, you will be eligible for loans, credit cards, and other items of credit.

Marie

Conleth Onu asked:




It is often difficult for us when we have bad credit and not knowing where to start to get back on our feet again is even more frustrating.

If you have bad credit, you might want to check into a few resources that can help you find a solution to your credit problem. Life does not have to be difficult and all of us make mistakes.

Bad credit is an obstacle and if you want to run you are about to get yourself into a situation that you do not really need. There is always a solution to most problems. The problem most times is some of us do not have the means to find solutions to our problems.

In this article, I am going to make it quick and to the point, helping you repair your credit through the process.

So the first step is to collect copies of your credit report from the major credit bureaus. Credit bureaus compile and sell information about consumers and are a principal source of information about your credit history.

You are entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report if you have been denied credit within the past 60 days. If you have not been denied credit within the past 60 days, you can order your credit report by paying a fee.

Next, review your credit report watching closely for errors (items that do not belong to you). Dispute any errors on your reports immediately with the credit bureaus. Any errors or inaccurate information will be deleted.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, all negative information seven years old or more must be deleted. Bankruptcy stay on credit report for up to 10 years or longer.

Once you dispute the negative information, you will receive a copy of your report from the credit bureau, showing the items that were removed and the items that were verified as accurate. The dispute method of removing negative information from your credit file can improve your credit rating.

The Internet offers credit report information, guides, and kits, which can lead you in the right direction to repairing credit. You might want to surf the Net for resources that can help you find a way out of bad credit.

Debbie