Posts Tagged ‘credit fix’

Credit Repair, Does it REALLY work?

October 15th, 2009

As a well known credit guru people regularly ask me if credit repair really works. Credit repair can be very effective if performed the right way.

Be careful which credit repair company you choose because many collect money from consumers for credit services, but the credit services they perform are nothing more than mailing simple dispute credit letters.

Some companies perform minimal disputes only, for example it might be disputed that the item really does not belong to the consumer or that the consumer never really went late on the derogatory item. The hope is that the creditor will not respond to the dispute and the items will be removed off the credit report as a result. These types of credit disputes depend on creditor ignorance or human error to be effective.

Over the last few years the credit bureaus have gotten smart to these credit repair methods. To counter them the bureaus now use complicated computer systems named E-Oscar and OCR.

The credit bureaus E-Oscar and OCR computers sniff out letters which appear to come from credit companies and then automatically respond to those disputes calling them frivolous. The credit bureaus E-Oscar computer then electronically processes the dispute nearly eliminating human error.

The credit bureau computers now render these types of disputes minimally effective. Some items will get deleted to simply be placed back on the report a short time later, and typically the only accounts that will be permanently removed are older accounts creditors no longer care about.

BUT, all hope is not lost

Credit repair can be extremely effective, but it also is very time consuming. Accounts need to be disputed in a legal manner and the most effective disputes are done direct to the creditor requiring even more knowledge to be able to handle on your own.

There are hundreds of laws designed to protect consumers such as FACTA, HIPPA , The Fair Credit Billing Act, The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and many more laws which can be used to get your negative credit items permanently deleted.

Many creditors completely ignore and violate multiple state and Federal laws with the hopes that you do not possess the knowledge or time to be able to challenge them.

Truthfully, most consumers do not possess the legal knowledge to defend themselves. You would have to spend endless hours learning all of the hundreds of consumer laws to know enough to challenge your creditors successfully.

Using Federal and state law violations as leverage to force creditors to delete negative items is a VERY effective repair tactic. Credit companies who do this and participate in direct creditor disputing typically see deletion rates of 70% or higher.

The drawback is in order to effectively dispute and delete your negative accounts, you will spend countless hours learning how to dispute and delete your negative credit items. Or you can find a highly recommended professional company to do it for you instead. But make sure you find a reputable company.

There are only a few truly 100% legal credit companies in the United States. One of the most popular companies who produce the strongest and fastest results is Elite Credit out of the Tampa Florida (www.perfectcreditfast.com.) I have personally seen their results, and even I am impressed. You will not find better, faster or stronger results at such an affordable price anywhere else.

Or you can visit credit forums and start learning how to try to fix your credit your own. Whatever you do, do not decide to do NOTHING. Credit problems are estimated to cost an individual consumer over $1,000,000 over a 30 year time period.

Strong dispute methods could remove most of your negative credit items, and this could be the difference between you just struggling living paycheck to paycheck or living your dram life.

Get started now with fixing your own credit, or hire a professional to do it for you. Whichever you chose, stop delaying and get started today on rebuilding your credit profile and your financial security.

About the Author:

You can expect BIG changes to your credit scores with FICO 08

October 10th, 2009

Fair Isaac has finally released their much anticipated FICO 08 credit scoring model. This new credit scoring model has big differences from the previous FICO model.

FICO 08 is the first major change in Fair Isaac?s scoring model since the 1980?s. Fair Isaac predicts this new scoring model will better predict risk of default by 5-15% over its predecessor.

Many experts estimate it could actually improve the current risk model by upwards of 50%. FICO 08 was pushed to be released in 2009 in response to changing economical conditions.

FICO is used by most financial institutions so understanding the new changes are crucial. Many lenders will quickly be integrating this new scoring model into their underwriting systems.

Many of the underlying principles of FICO will remain the same. This includes the score range of 300-850 which will continue with the new model.

One of the most positive changes is that collection accounts with initial balances less than $100 will NO LONGER have an impact on the credit score.

Very small collections such as small medical bills will not be calculated into the credit score if the initial balance on the account was less than $100 at the onset of the reporting of the item.

The new scoring model will also have less of a score affect for consumers who are late in one area of their credit profile, but not late in other areas. So if a consumer is occasionally late on an auto account, the score change will be less than if that consumer was consistently late on their mortgage and credit cards.

The credit score impact of an authorized user account will also change with FICO 08. There will be no more score increases for certain forms of ?piggybacking?. This is when a customer with credit problems or no credit gets added as an authorized user to accounts of someone else with good credit to boost their scores.

With FICO 08 this is only permitted for the consumer?s immediate family.

If the consumer has too few accounts, closed accounts, or has accounts inactive, the damage to the score will be greater than its predecessor FICO.

FICO 08 now contains between 12- 16 scorecards estimated. This is versus the 10 prior scorecards that existed with the prior FICO model. These scorecards are mathematical models that are used to assign a credit score.

Each scorecard is specific to a particular industry. For example the Mortgage Industry Option Scoring Model uses its own scorecard and weighs past mortgage and installment history heavier than all other accounts while computing a credit score.

FICO will be a big upgrade for Fair Isaac. Most lenders and the credit bureaus are quick to implement this new model due to its increased ability to accurately predict credit risk.

For more questions on credit scoring and enforcing consumer credit rights visit www.PerfectCreditFast.com.

About the Author:

Credit Reports can be a Teaching Tool

August 31st, 2009

All of us have probably been informed that our credit report is a very important document. Its importance will increase if we have been denied credit and realize that we must repair poor credit.

We can obtain copies of our credit report for free, on an annual basis, from the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Go to annualcreditreport.com to obtain these copies. Please request reports from all 3 agencies because they may differ.

The reports will have several sections. Know that there will not be personal private information about your race, worth, or salary included. There will be the usual identifying such as name, address, social security number in the first section.

There will be a section related to any credit lines. These credit lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each credit line was opened, credit limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.

Credit reporting agencies also receive information from the court system. This section will have a listing of bankruptcies, liens, judgments, divorce.

Any time you apply for a loan or credit card there will be an inquiry made to a credit reporting agency. Your credit report will include not only these inquiries but inquiries by you. Credit inquiries remain for 2 years.

It is to your benefit if your credit report is positive. However, any negative information will remain on the report for 7 years. A bankruptcy is on your credit report for 10 years.

It is highly recommended that we obtain and seriously review our credit reports to be aware of differences on each report, locate any and all errors. It is up to each individual to monitor his/her own credit profile, fix errors, and repair personal credit.

With unprecedented challenges in the credit markets its more important than ever to have excellent credit. For more information visit Rob Kosbergs’ Complete FREE Guide on Maintaining and Repairing your Credit Score by going to Credit Score Repair for your FREE information. You may also visit Increase Credit Score for a Guide on Raising your Credit Score.


How to Improve Credit Score

August 25th, 2009

If you’ve been thinking about how to improve credit score issues, you’re in good company. There are many people who want to improve their financial standing but aren’t sure how to improve credit score problems. Before you do anything else, read this article.

The first thing to do is to order a copy of your free annual credit report so you know exactly where you stand. Having this information on hand is essential to repairing your credit. You’re entitled to one free report per year from each of the big three credit reporting bureaus by federal law.

If you’ve wanted to know how to improve credit score problems, it’s a relatively simple concept: start paying off any outstanding debts listed on your free credit report. It may be a small or large amount that you owe, but no matter how much your debts are, pay off one at a time to keep this a manageable task.

You should begin with the oldest debts and work from there towards the newest. Draw up a budget for repayment. Weekly payments are a good way to go, since this makes it easier to budget. Keep your payments realistic so you can continue to make payments as you go.

Your payments should also be sizeable enough that you’ll be able to repay your outstanding debts relatively quickly to improve your credit score. You can pay off your debts more quickly by freeing up money in your budget. This can be done by simply eliminating some of the non-essentials. Knowing how to improve credit score issues combined with the patience and commitment to see it through will make these small sacrifices along the way more than worth the effort.

Being able to exercise self control is the key here. A lot of us do find it difficult to stay with a payment plan or have a hard time controlling their spending. However, stick with your payments, no matter how hard it is. The reward is an improved credit score and is well worth holding yourself back from pulling out your wallet for.

Once you know how to improve credit score problems, you’ll no longer have to avoid your phone for fear of debt collectors constantly calling. Once you tell them that you’re already making payments on your debt, they’ll probably stop calling, at least incessantly.

If you’re able to check your credit report carefully on a regular basis and pay off any outstanding debts, you can get back in control of your finances and restore your credit rating. It’ll be easier to obtain financing and even employment. When you know how to improve credit score issues and can follow through on the necessary steps, you’ll feel empowered and enjoy the benefits of good financial health.

About the Author:

Fix Your Credit Report And Regain Your Good Credit Score

August 21st, 2009

All of us need to maintain our credit scores, since this is such an important factor in nearly every area of our lives. Your credit score can have a huge impact on your life and you should never delay when you need to fix credit report issues.

Chances are that if you have applied for a job recently, you had to sign a part of the application giving the company permission to run a credit check. The reason why employers do this is to get a good idea of the kind of person they might be about to hire. If your credit report reveals a lot of bad standings, then some employers may not view you as being a reliable employee until you take action to fix credit report issues.

Having bad credit can keep you from securing the financing you need to purchase a home or a new vehicle; there are few things in life which are not affected by your financial standing. Ordering a free credit report is the first thing you need to do to fix credit report problems. You can order reports which list all of the data gathered by the big three credit reporting agencies.

You can start repairing your credit score once you’ve gotten your credit report and can see exactly what’s keeping your score down. Take a close look at your report. Before taking any action, you need to look over every single item to make sure that all of the information listed there is accurate.

Start with your name and address; it’s surprising how common it is to have even these essential details listed incorrectly on your credit report. From there, go down the list and look carefully at all of the negative items listed there. If you see something which seems to be listed in error, contact the credit bureau at once to let them know. Credit bureaus make mistakes too; and they don’t know that an item is inaccurate unless you contact them to let them know. If you want to fix credit report errors, you need to check your credit report regularly.

The more negative items that collect on your credit report, the longer it is going to take to repair your score. It may seem as if everything is crashing down on you as far as your finances go, but it is highly recommended to fix credit report problems now before things get really bad. Just about everything shows up on a person’s credit report.

When someone is late on a bill, it is likely to show up on their credit report. A past due account of an amount as small as $5.00 is enough to do damage to your credit score. As ridiculous as it all seems, people take this type of thing very seriously. What is even worse is that many people do not have any control over their financial luck, especially during hard economic times. In order to fix credit report issues, you have to be confident in your abilities to improve your situation.

When you fix credit report issues, your improved financial state will make you able to receive financing for a home, vehicle or other expenses. Take your efforts to fix credit report problems a little at a time, setting aside weekly payments which fit into your budget realistically and soon enough, your credit score will start to rise.

About the Author:

Tips on Credit Score Repair

August 19th, 2009

Here are some Credit Score Repair Basics to help you protect and maintain your credit profile.

All of us have probably been informed that our credit report is a very important document. Its importance will increase if we have been denied a loan and realize that we must repair it or if we have been a victim of identity theft. Below you will find what is typically on your credit report and some precautions you can take to prevent identity theft from happening.

First its important to obtain copies of your report from all three credit bureaus. A good place to do this is at Equifax themselves. You can get the 3 in 1 credit report – I personally monitor my Fico score as well but you don’t have to. These are the bureaus that your creditors report to and you will need to investigate all three to determine what incorrect and derogatory items you have.

The reports will have several sections. Know that there will not be personal or private information about your race, net worth, or salary included. There will be the usual identifiers such as name, address, and social security number in the first section. There will be a section related to any trade lines. These lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each trade line was opened, limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.

The court system also reports to the credit agencies. Generally, these reportings consist of divorces, judgments, liens, and bankruptcies.

Each time you apply for a credit card, car loan, or other type of line of credit, an inquiry is made on your credit report. At the end of your credit report there is a list of all of the companies that have inquired about you. Make sure that you are paying special attention to that area, as that is an area that could warn you of someone trying to get credit in your name.

Of course, there is no hiding that it is important to make sure that your credit report is cleaned up and stays that way. Each piece of negative information that is reported on you will remain on your report for seven years. Bankruptcies will remain for ten years.

It is important that we obtain and seriously review our reports to be aware of differences on each one, locate any and all errors. It is up to each individual to monitor his/her own profile, fix errors, and repair, if necessary.

About the Author: