Irena Bocheva asked:




Are you trying to obtain a mortgage or auto loan, but fear being turned down by creditors? Do you want to apply for a business loan, but don’t want to pay thousands of dollars on high interest? Whatever you specific situation is, you are not alone-more than 35 million Americans are struggling with issues related to bad credit score. Getting turned down on your loan, employment or lease application are just some of the side effects of having a low FICO. The growing significance of your FICO makes having a good credit score a necessity.

Here are 3 simple tips that will help you raise your score in less that a month

1 Face your credit problems NOW.

A lot of people postpone solving their bad credit issues until it’s too late. The collection phone calls, the tons of unwanted mail, the fear of applying for loans-deal with the issue NOW. The problem with bad credit is that the more you procrastinate action, the more your credit problem spins out of control. Don’t pretend that the problem doesn’t exist-face it.

2 Approach your credit problem with a clear plan of action.

Order a copy of your credit report and highlight all negative items in it. Which are the most harmful negative accounts in your report? There are various credit repair strategies which are tailored towards each type of negative account (collections, legal judgments, late payments, past due payments, tax liens etc). What works for late payments (pay them in full and send “goodwill’ letter to creditors) does not work with collection accounts (pay only the settlement amount and negotiate for the removal of the negative item). Familiarize yourself with the different credit strategies and start applying them to the most harmful accounts in your report.

3 No proof-no guarantee

There is one simple rule in the world of credit repair-try to keep everything in written form. Always use certified or registered mail, make copies of your correspondence with credit bureaus and collection agencies. Always ask for written verification of every deal you strike with a credit bureau or collection agent. If you don’t keep written proof of your efforts, you might be simply wasting your time.

How raise your credit score fast? The KEY is knowledge about the inner workings of the credit system and the various loopholes in it. Once you start thinking outside the box, you will be surprised to find how easy credit repair actually is.

Kurt

Nitin Saini asked:




Credit report should be checked on a yearly basis. It becomes absolutely necessary to keep a check on your credit reports if your ever aced some discrepancy in your reports. Most common problem that people usually face is identity thefts. While ordering your credit bureau data always ensure that you get three copies each from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.

The main reason for getting separate copies is that each agency gives a different report. Every creditor has their way of reporting. This means that some creditors report to just one agency where as some report to two agencies. There are also creditors who report to all three agencies depending on the loan type. Your loan history is especially shared to all three agencies when you have taken loans such as a mortgage.

In U.S., the process of keeping records of all the credit history is done for every individual. They keep record of every account you had for 5 to 10 years, loans which you have taken and also the ones that you have paid off. The history of the records helps them to produce their credit bureau data.

All three agencies keep your credit records. This means that there is every possibility of the report having errors. There have been serious discrepancies in people’s records, thus it is not just a possibility, but more of a reality.

The first question that comes up in your mind would be what would happen when you get a faulty report? It results in you FICO score or credit score being calculated at much lower than it actually is. The next question that would arise in your mind would be what effect does a faulty credit bureau data have on you? Well, your lowered credit score is making you pay extra money! You may be paying a 7% on your mortgage instead of 6%. Instead of paying a 2.9% on your car loan, which a qualified buyer pays, you might end up paying 8%. Your lowered credit score does not make you counted as a qualified buyer. These are just a few ways that make you shell out extra money.

There is no mechanism available to the credit bureaus which would automatically correct those errors. The credit bureau does not take any responsibility on their lax of reporting, as they believe it is only reporting that they are doing and they are not the ones generating it.

After checking out the view point of the credit bureau, you should take up the responsibility. You may be just a consumer or a business owner, whatever is that you do get a regular copy of you credit bureau data. Check the data minutely for any kind of discrepancy. Once you find any faulty reporting, approach the bureau directly. This should help you in getting an error-free report.

When you are checking on the reports, do not rush through it, as now you know how it could affect your credit scores. Cross check the data because error-free report will result in a higher credit score. With a higher credit score, you would not be shelling out anything extra from your pocket.

Leon

Francine Denson asked:




You probably already know that your credit history is kept in detailed records by three major credit bureaus. What you may not know is that in addition to all of that data, each credit bureau also assigns you a number, known as a credit score. That credit score is one of the most important factors in whether or not you can get a loan and if so, how much you will pay in interest. This article aims to help you understand your credit score and how it affects your ability to qualify for loans and lines of credit.

In theory, your credit score can run anywhere from 300 – 850. The average American’s credit score is 692 and scores above 700 are good. Your score is calculated using a secret algorithm developed by Fair Issac Company, which is why the term credit score is nearly synonymous with FICO score.

The credit scoring system takes in to account many different factors of your financial history. The bulk of your score comes from your proven ability to pay bills on time. Late payments and failures to pay will seriously damage your scores. Next, the score considers your outstanding lines of credit and how much you still owe. Keeping low balances on credit cards is a good way to avoid loosing points for being overextended.

The length of time that you have had credit is also considered in your credit score. Young people with less of a credit history typically loose points in this area. It’s important to establish some credit as early as possible and to maintain that well to prove over time that you can be trusted with larger loans.

Lastly, your credit score considers the types of credit that you have. A credit card is not the same as an auto loan which is not the same as a mortgage loan. You gain points for having a good history of well managed larger loans.

In actuality, because there are three different credit bureaus each with their own database, you have three different credit scores. Typically a lender will take the one in the middle or an average of the three when determining whether you qualify for a loan.

Each lender uses their own guidelines, but here’s a standard break down of what your score means:

730+ – Excellent credit
700 – 729 – Good credit
670 – 699 – Average Credit
585 – 669 – Higher risk
Below 585 – Very High Risk

If you have average credit or above, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a loan. Those with good and excellent credit will pay less in interest than those who have smaller scores. If you fall in to a high risk category, it is a good idea to consider seeking help to repair your credit as you may find it difficult and costly to get any type of loan.

Barry

Helen Hecker asked:




Everyone wants a good credit score. So much of what we do financially is dependent on this FICO score on our credit report. Of course it’s important to try to make payments on time, etc. but this isn’t always easy to do. Emergencies come up. You can be the best person in the world and responsible too and you try to do things right. But there are secrets in the credit reporting field.

But you may just find yourself short on cash and try as you may just have to miss a payment or make a late payment or you’re charged for something you did not buy or returned or something else. Many times this is through no fault of your own.

If you don’t have a current free annual credit report you can get a free credit report instantly online. After you have your credit report in hand, look through the report and find all the negative marks or bad items. Make a list. Hopefully it’s short. Maybe you only have one or two. If you have several then list them with the highest amount down to the lowest.

This is an easy lesson in how to repair your credit. We’re going to tackle the lowest amounts first. And here’s the secret that many people do not know. If you write a letter to the three credit report companies or bureaus and dispute any of the amounts, the credit bureaus contact the creditors. If the amounts are small the creditor may not even bother to answer the credit bureaus.

The credit bureau has to remove the item if the creditor hasn’t responded within a certain length of time.

Don’t think that writing the letter is hard to do. Sit down early in the morning when you are fresh or at a time when you have more energy. Just simply address three envelopes to the three credit bureaus. They are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

You can easily get their address from the free credit report or online. Just explain that you found some errors on your credit report that you want to dispute. Make it short.

Enclose any relevant documentation, if you have any, which shows there is an error or that you want to dispute. This would include any cancelled checks, online payment confirmations, etc. Ask for a correction. Then say something like you want to keep a good standing and value an accurate and good credit history.

Also say something like a good credit rating and credit score is important to me. Make sure to name the creditor and the date of the error. Keep a nice tone to the letter.

Then close with a ‘thank you’ paragraph. Something like “Thank you for attending to my letter and this matter so I can maintain a good credit history. If possible let me know that my file has been reviewed and send me a copy of the corrected credit report.”

If you review your free credit report often you can catch small errors and fix your credit report before too much time passes. This is a little known secret and if the creditor amount is small enough you should be able to easily get it removed. It’s worth the small effort to raise your credit score. You CAN fix it yourself knowing this secret! There are many other credit report secrets!

Wesley

Peter Burke asked:




Study reveals that nearly 9 million people in America have problems of bad credit. This forms about 3% of the population, (over 6% of the adult population!) of the United States. So the knowing the credit history of a person is gaining ground and necessity for creditors.

The fact remains if your FICO rate is below 620, people won’t lend you any credit. This FICO score being low has various reasons like bankruptcy, excessive debts, inability of rendering payment of bills at proper time, among others.

However, there is a ray of hope! Your credit score can be improved. This can be done by maintaining your potential for credit,however small it may be and making it clear to creditors that you’re capable of paying your debts in time, without having to having to resort to more credit. To help you improve your credit there 5 basic steps below.

1. Get yourself a copy of the your credit report. Then utilize the various advantages of the credit report of the government (which is free) from every Bureau of the National Consumer Credit – Equifax and Trans-Union. This will get you to the start of the process. It will give you a clear picture of your present rating.

2. File an application for a credit line, which may be a secured or unsecured credit card.

3. On getting the card, do not make blind purchases. Restrict the purchases to 70 percent of limit imposed on the credit card. i.e. if the limit of the credit card is $500, use it to the extent of $350 only.

4. Then, make sure you pay pay bills at the proper time, as this alone takes up 35% of the FICO score of yours. So this is a good base for creditors to judge your creditworthiness.

5. So what about Prepaid cards?

You can also use a credit card that is prepaid. This often a solution that many borrowers are unaware of. This, is perhaps the simplest and most effective method for longer term improvement if you have debt discipline problems. This effectively means you will mean using a credit card to rebuild credit – a ‘win-win’ situation. Use a prepaid credit card that is reported to a Credit Bureau. Only a few of the credit cards regularly report to a credit bureau. So select one that does so, on a regular basis.

One thing to note about prepaid cards is that you must Keep a track of fees. The prepaid card companies often levy fees. Make a prior comparison with many companies in order to secure a credit card where the lowest fee is charged. Bear in mind that some fees need to be paid for credit cards that get reported to the credit bureau, which can be up to an annual fee of$100 – But remember the purpose of this card is to repair credit!



Check the benefits

Some prepaid cards are available with certain benefits, but not all of them. Some give you points which can be used for free call time and other activities.



Preventing abuse of the credit card

Prepaid cards have the distinct benefit that you can never cross the limit, so it enables you to avoid interest and penalties. The implication is that if a report to the credit bureau is made, it is literally impossible to get a FICO score which is lower than your current score with such a card. So you can get credit cards to rebuild credit. It only gets better!

Tracy

John Rasor asked:




Let’s say you are what most people would consider a good person. You help out in the community, volunteer to help others and even show up on the front row for church every Sunday. You recently applied for a home loan and to your surprise were denied. How could this be? You’re a good guy or gal, and deserve this loan, right? Could you be on the credit bureaus blacklist?

Since there is no such thing as a “blacklist” within the credit scoring system the answer is no. You are not on a blacklist. Your credit history are based on nothing more than factual data that lenders have provided about your pay habits.

Your fico score has absolutely nothing to do with your age, marital status, race, sex, nationality or religious beliefs. Your occupation and length of time on the job also have nothing to do with how your credit score is calculated. Only information present on your actual credit report make up your credit score.

Pretend for a moment that you are an underwriter working through a mortgage loan application. What would be of the most importance to you? Ironically, underwriters look at the same thing that the credit bureaus do.

1. Payment history is a biggie. This tells the tale of whether or not you can handle what you currently have on your plate. If you are consistently 30 days late on your car payment, why would you think you are worthy of a home loan?

2. Credit history is also important. The age of your accounts reveals your experience with credit. Multiple accounts like credit cards, student loans, car payments with several years of history, especially with perfect payment status will surely pass the test for an approval.

3. Your debt load makes a difference in how you handle available credit. If all or even a few of your credit cards are maxed out a red flag pops up. People in control of their finances typically use credit cards sparingly or always pay them off in full each month.

4. Recent inquiries can wreak havoc if you’ve had too many. Multiple credit card applications make it look like you are in desperate need of more credit, or just credit in general. Its ok to have a few inquires with multiple mortgage companies within a 14 day window. The bureaus only look at these as one inquiry since most people will shop around for the best home loan.

It always makes sense to obtain a copy of your credit report either before you make a mortgage application or if you are declined credit as a result of a low credit score. There are several arguments for this statement. One is identifying potential errors and fixing them before your lender pulls their copy. Another is having the upper hand when applying for a mortgage. If you have a great credit score use it as leverage and tell the lender up front. Request terms based on it and make that lender wait to pull your actual credit report until you have received multiple offers.

Clinton