August 3rd, 2009 at 05:53pm
Under Credit Score
You may not know it, but every time you take out any kind of loan or credit or pay something back, it gets counted on your credit score. Who keeps a record on you will vary according to where you live, but the big three credit reference agencies are Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. They will provide your credit rating to any company that is thinking of lending you money.
All the debts you currently have are included in your credit score. There is a history of all the debts you’ve had in the past ten years or so, and special emphasis is put on anything that has gone wrong. Defaulting (never paying) on any debt will ruin your credit rating completely. Borrowing a lot before you start paying anything back will make you look like a very bad risk, and so will going all the way up to (or even over) your limit on a credit card.
It is also worth considering that the credit reports of anyone you live with may be linked to your report, and could reflect badly on you – your wife or husband’s credit rating is tied to yours quite closely.
The most common method of coming up with your rating is called a FICO score, named after the Fair Isaac Corporation who invented it. Your current credit rating status is prioritized, in this order:
* Payment history, which comprises a whopping 35% of your FICO score. This includes everything, from the timeliness of your payments, to the number of bills you have failed to pay, to the bills that have been forwarded to collection companies.
* Outstanding debt, which comprises 30% of your FICO score. This would tell the lending company how much of your existing credit is being eaten up by existing loans.
* Length of credit history, which comprises 15% of your FICO score. If you have been paying a loan of significant amount over a long period of time, then this would fare well with the lending companies as it establishes a level of commitment they would want to see.
* Credit balance, which comprise 10% of your FICO score. Credit balance is the difference between the current amount of your existing loans and the original amount of the same. The bigger the balance, the lower your FICO score.
* Recent inquiries, which comprise 10% of your FICO score. An inquiry is equivalent to a loan application. The more inquiries you have, the lower your FICO score would be.
Why is your Credit Score is important? Because any time you get turned down for a credit card or any other loan, the chances are that it was because of your credit score. Companies giving out small loans are far more likely to rely completely on this rating than to bother checking your income, and a worse rating will mean that you are offered a higher interest rate.
Your credit score is important when you get car loans and mortgages too. You don’t want to find a house you love only to get turned down for the mortgage thanks to your habit of paying your credit card bills late.
There will always be those times when we would find ourselves in a financial rut. These are the times when bills become due almost simultaneously, when satisfying them is rendered impossible by the other financial demands of our life.
Acquiring loans would help bail us out of these difficulties. In certain cases, loans are quite necessary for our survival. It would be to our best interests that securing a loan be easy and almost guaranteed. A good FICO score would help achieve this, and give us a better position to resort to loans whenever the needs arises.
So how do you to check your credit score? Credit reference agencies can’t hold your information on file without telling you about the information they have on you. Write all three credit reporting agencies a letter and, if you have to, pay a very small fee to have them send you the full credit report they have on you. Actually, new laws allow you to get a free copy of your credit report once per year. Contact each credit reporting agency for details.
You can then check over your credit score, and send a letter back to the agency telling them about anything that you think isn’t right. You might find that an error has made you look bad when it wasn’t your fault. They will include anything you send in your file. If the error turns out to be resolvable since it was not your fault, your credit report will be corrected.
By Credit Info
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:51am
Under Credit Score
If you are trying to rent an apartment, borrow money for a car, a home or even get a credit card, your score can have a major impact on whether you can borrow, how much you can borrow and even your interest rate. Understanding your score is important but there are a lot of numbers and confusing wording that can make this a challenge.
A credit score is a mathematical system that consists of many numbers that are used to gauge your credit risk. The most commonly used form for this is called the FICO score. This score is used to evaluate your worthiness for credit. To evaluate your score, you get a certain amount of points based on the information that is listed in your credit report. The highest score possible is 850 and the lowest is 300. A score of 650 or higher generally means that your credit is pretty good, however, until you reach 850, there is always room for improvement.
If your credit score is 700 or above, then you are considered to be an excellent credit risk. You should have no problem getting any kind of credit and will most likely be offered a lower interest rate for most of the credit financing. Therefore, it is advisable for everyone to strive to obtain a 700 or higher credit score in order to save money on your mortgage, credit cards or other personal loans.
There are three major credit-reporting agencies that will play a big part in your credit. These three are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Your credit score may be different for each of the credit bureaus because they do not have the same information about you and each uses a slightly different method of calculation.
There are a few things that are reviewed by companies in order for them to compose your credit score. They look at your past payment history. How well you pay your bills and when you pay them. They pay close attention to your outstanding debt. If you have too much debt, your score will be lower. It is also composed of how long you have had your credit history. If you are just starting out, your credit score may be lower even though you do not have any bad points on your report.
Your recent credit applications will also be reflected in your score. If you have too many credit applications made, this will look bad on your report. You should also think about what types of credit and loans you have. You do not want to have a lot of high balances on your credit report. These balances along with high interest rates will go against you and decrease your score.
If your score is lower than you want it to be, you should take measures to improve it. You can buy many books and tapes that will show you some great ways to improve your credit. There is also credit card counseling services that you can obtain in order to get good advice for fixing your credit score yourself.
No matter what your credit score is you should sure that you check your credit report once a year. This way you can insure that everything on your credit report is accurate. Review the information carefully, and if there is anything on there that is questionable, dispute it and have it removed from your report. That way you can be sure there will be no surprises next time you want to finance a major purchase.
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:51pm
Under Credit Line
How can you prove your credit worthiness when no one will give you a chance? If you have bad credit, or no credit at all, you understand how difficult it can be to get moving in the right direction. Luckily, in today’s credit card market there are a variety of options available to assist you. Let us tell you about some of the choices you have to get your credit on the right track:
Secured Credit Cards
Secured credit cards are available to almost any individual. That’s because they require a security deposit which guarantees your credit line. For example, if you deposit $300, you’ll receive a credit line of $300. This may not seem like a true “credit line”, but the charges you make with a secured credit card will be reported to the 3 major credit bureaus, and timely payments will show a positive track record on your credit report. You can use this to your advantage to build or improve your credit history! In time, you can move on to a better credit card offer with no security deposit, lower fees and a better interest rate.
Unsecured Credit Cards
An unsecured credit card is a “traditional” form of credit card which requires no security deposit. Your interest rate and credit line are based upon your credit history. Although most unsecured credit cards are out of reach for many people with poor / no credit, some credit card companies offer unsecured credit cards designed specifically for these individuals. Normally, these credit cards have higher rates and additional fees when compared to standard “unsecured credit cards”, but they do no require a security deposit like secured credit card offers.
Prepaid Credit Cards
A prepaid credit card is like a prepaid phone card. They operate on a “pay-as-you-go” basis and can be used anywhere credit cards are accepted. They offer many benefits, and in most cases, are very easy to use and manage. But be aware, not all prepaid credit cards report your activity to the credit agencies. While you may benefit from the safety and convenience of not carrying cash, you won’t be building or improving your credit if the prepaid credit card company doesn’t report your activity to the major credit bureaus. Luckily, many prepaid credit cards report your credit card activity or offer this option for an additional monthly fee.
Noreen Ruth is a writer specializing in credit card and financial information, she has extensive knowledge and experience writing articles that help consumers use credit to their best advantage. For additional articles about everything you need to know about credit cards and
instant approval credit cards, visit WowCreditCards.com –
Apply for a Credit Card Applications!
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:51pm
Under Credit Score
Many people are unaware of what a credit score actually means. In fact, a survey of 1,000 Americans taken in September 2004 demonstrated that only one third of people knew that a credit score was a measurement of how likely a person is to pay off a loan. Having a good credit score is necessary when it comes to applying for loans for cars, mortgages, and credit cards. Furthermore, having a bad credit score can lead to denial of basics such as a phone line in your home. Therefore, it is important for consumers to understand how a credit scores affects them and how it is determined in the first place.
Calculating the Credit Score
In essence, a credit score tracks how well a person incurs debt and how good that person is at paying the bills on time. Businesses, including lending institutions, look for a high score with potential customers because the higher a person’s credit score, the more likely that person is to be responsible with finances and the more that person can be trusted to pay back debts.
A credit score may vary from one credit-reporting agency to the next since they do not all necessarily receive the same information from businesses. Some businesses report to all three of the major reporting agencies, while others may only report to one or two. In addition, the statistical pool used by each agency may vary slightly, leading to a different credit score. All of the agencies, however, utilize the same software when it comes to determining credit scores. Fair Isaac and Company (FICO) develops this software and, therefore, the credit score is often referred to as the FICO score.
Score Factors
A person’s credit score is not static. It changes all the time. Every time a bill is paid on time or late it is reflected on the credit score. In addition, each time a person takes out a new loan or applies for a new credit card, the credit score changes. This is because the credit score is based on the person’s financial history and attempts to make a prediction at how responsible the person will be in the future.
The final score is highly objective and based on statistical data. Points are gained based on specific factors such as late payments, payment history, outstanding debt, and the length of time an account has been open. All of this information is compared to the statistics of people with similar profiles to determine a final credit score.
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 08:58pm
Under Credit Repair
Good credit score is necessary if we want to live normal lives. Lots of people make mistake of not paying enough attention to their credit rating even though without good credit many of the everyday things like renting a car, apartment or having a credit card would be unavailable to us.
Each time you do not pay your creditor on time it will be reported to the credit bureau and your credit score will be adjusted accordingly. And in case that it happens often or even you allow your loans to go default, you are going to find yourself in a situation needing credit repair.
Why will you need credit repair? Well with poor credit score you might forget about getting a credit card or a loan of any kind. Well not probably of any kind, but you will be forced to take a loan with a much higher interest rate and because of that your monthly payments will be even harder to make on time.
So how to begin with repairing your credit? You have a number of options here, you can either try a do it yourself credit repair or you can hire a credit repair company to help you.
Your initial research will lead you to a lot of companies that advertise themselves on the web and in newspaper. Most of them use a very aggressive marketing techniques and offer many promises they can not keep.
Be very careful of this promises because simply put there is no fast credit repair. Even if your credit is damaged only by a few incorrect items in your credit report it will take months before those items are cleared.
Also many of these ads are just scams, with all the identity theft around you must think at least twice before giving your sensitive, private information to a company you have never before heard for.
When it comes to do it your self credit repair you should know that whatever a credit repair company can do for you, you can do yourself. What that means is do not listen if somebody promises you a credit repair in a few weeks, credit bureaus work for themselves and are not associated with credit repair companies in any way.
Nobody can erase bad items from your credit report if those items are correct. In most cases a credit repair company will persuade you to challenge all of the negative items on your report.
Sometimes they might even propose engaging in illegal activities, do not take this route, even if it does not get you in a trouble with a law any credit improvement will be only temporary.
Much better way for this is do it yourself credit repair, go online and search for information. The best places for information are well trusted, established credit repair companies and law offices and naturally the government sites.
Step 1 – Get the copy of your credit report from a reputable provider.
Step 2 – Examine it thoroughly for any mistakes, if you find any try to dispute them. Be sure to dispute ONLY the incorrect items.
Step 3 – If you can not find any errors you are in deep credit trouble and will have to go through the complete repair process like debt consolidation and maybe even bankruptcy.
One simple step is to apply for a secure credit card. Just be sure to pay the bills for it regularly and by doing this you will start a slow but steady process of repairing your credit score.
This process will require a large amount of patience and determination from you. But by improving financial responsibility you are going to be in a position to payback your debts on time. By doing so you are going to prove to them that you can be trusted with a credit.
Once again keep in mind that credit repair will take both time and patience, but by undergoing do it yourself credit repair you will profit in the long run.
At Debt-Free-Family we are dedicated to help you get out of debt, avoid bankruptcy and enjoy a debt free life.Find out how and why to start
Do It Yourself Credit Fix.
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:50am
Under Credit Card Fraud
Buying house is a lifetime asset and many buyers do not have sufficient money in their bank to afford it. They take loan from the mortgage lenders or banks to buy the real estate property. But one should know that taking a mortgage loan will have an effect on their credit score. And in order to get a mortgage loan you need to have good credit score.
Every bank or mortgage lender will evaluate your credit score to find out your ability in repaying the debt in time and to the completion. On the basis of your credit score they will approve your loan and also decide the amount that you can get as loan. Therefore to acquire loan as per your requirement it is important to have a good credit score and if you do not have it then start working on it to improve it.
It is good for you to know that all banks and mortgage lenders do not report to same agency for the credit score. As a consequence your credit score will differ with each agency. Therefore the mortgage lender always takes the middle score as your credit worthiness. Hence before applying for loan it is better for you to check your credit score and if need be work on it to improve. Read further to know ways to improve your credit scores.
The very first thing that you should do is find out your credit report. The credit report of an individual in The United States is determined and maintained by three agencies and they are Equifax,Trans Union, and Experian. You can request for your credit report online at http://www.AnnualCreditReport.com.
Once you have your credit report check it for any errors in accounts. Sometimes by error someone else transaction might reflect on your account or there can be a credit fraud too. And this will affect your credit score. Therefore it is very essential for you to study all the details of the transaction in your credit report. If there is any error then you should report to the concerned company and ask them to make the necessary corrections.
Then make a separate request for your credit score to know about your credit worthiness which will ultimately decide your loan approval. The credit score will tell you where you stand in the credit scale which is from 850-300. If your score is somewhere in between 800 to 850 then you have excellent credit worthiness and you will get loans easily and that too with some benefits like lower interest rates. If you are anywhere less than 720 then you have to improve your scores. If you are within 650 then you can still you’re your loan approved but not with any benefits and if you are lower than this scale then you have to do a lot of things before thinking of buying own house.
For those below the scale if you want to improve your credit scores then start working on your current debts. You must start paying your credits in time. You can start with lesser debts first. If you have trouble in paying your credits then speak to the creditor and make your payment plan accordingly. It is better to handle one credit account rather than opening too many. Keep in mind that it will take time to improve your credit score
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:49am
Under Credit Score
Janet just ordered her free annual credit report and was excited about what she saw on her report. She decided to order her FICO score, and low and behold, her score increased over eighty points from the last credit report she ordered over a year ago. She had worked hard to pay off her credit cards throughout the year and was pleased at the positive results on her credit report. Janet was so excited that she finally figured out how to improve her credit report and FICO score. Unfortunately, as soon as she found out about her great credit report and FICO score, she ran across some information about a new credit scoring system that was going to be effective soon! She said to herself, I can’t believe it! I worked so hard on improving my score and now they come up with this!
Just when you thought you knew how to understand and obtain your FICO score, the whole credit scoring system is about to change! The three credit bureaus have decided to flip the script on us and have worked together to create a new credit scoring system. It’s called the VantageScore.
Why have the three credit reporting bureaus; Experian, Equifax and TransUnion decided to create a new credit scoring system? They claim the new scoring system will reduce discrepancies between your scores and the three bureaus. These bureaus indicate that the VantageScore, returns more accurate scores on consumers which may have a credit history which is limited.
Are the credit score ranges the same for VantageScore and my FICO score? No. The VantageScore will have a range from 501-990. For instance, a score of 901-990 is an A; 801-900 is a B; and 501-600 is considered an F.
The FICO credit scoring system has a range from 300-850. It appears that the VantageScore system may be tougher than the current FICO score. For example, if you have a FICO score of 720 you could get a 9% interest rate on a credit card you may have applied for. With the VantageScore, your interest rate for this same credit card may be as high as 20%!
The VantageScore became effective for commercial use on March 14, 2006. Time will tell, how effective this system will be for creditors and consumers. It appears that the new scoring system may be more advantageous to the creditors rather than the consumer, since the VantageScore ranges are much higher to qualify for a good interest rate. This would appear to allow creditors the ability to charge consumers more for products and services purchased.
As a consumer, make sure you become informed about the new VantageScore system and how it will affect you! Although the FICO scoring system can be still used by your creditor, they have an opportunity to choose which system they will review for your credit. Now there are two systems currently. How long the FICO scoring system will be around is anyone’s best guess!
By Credit Info
August 2nd, 2009 at 05:53am
Under Credit Score
Do you want to borrow a loan but are afraid that you would be denied due to your bad credit score? Bad credit score can greatly affect your chances of getting a suitable loan. Many money and bank lenders solely depend upon your credit score rating just to judge you’re credit worthiness to pay off the loan.
Bad credit score is certainly not the end of the world; if you undertake effective measures you can overcome your bad credit history.
Why to undertake credit score repair?
Credit score repair is nothing but raising your credit score from its current position to a higher position. It’s quite possible that your credit report has number of errors in it. For instance you must have made some payment to your creditors but it must have not been recorded in your credit report. Credit score repair is informing credit report agencies of these errors and getting it rectified as quickly as possible. Rectification of errors in your credit report can affect your credit score greatly, thereby leading to improvement in credit report.
Best ways to overcome bad credit score
If you are under the trauma of a bad credit score you can overcome it by paying your bills and meeting your financial responsibilities. Owing a reasonable amount of money and being able to repay will show your money lenders that you take your finance very seriously.
How can you fix your credit score?
• Check your credit report at least once in six months and rectify errors in it immediately
• Do not open unnecessary account. It would be advisable to shut down all the unnecessary accounts
• Do not open multiple accounts at the same time. Remember a zero balance account is also taken into consideration.
• Repair your credit report in case of any errors
• Pay your minimum balances before the due date. This alone will fix your credit report
• Avoid excessive credit
• Look for identity theft
Isabella Rodrigues writes for credit-free-score.net,
offering the latest information on credit score, visit them today for more infromation
on credit score..
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By Credit Info
August 1st, 2009 at 11:51am
Under Credit Card Fraud
Well… you’re right. It is too good to be true but these types of ads are now surfacing again after the Federal Trade Commission launched “Operation New ID Bad Idea” over 8 years ago. This operation targeted (and took down) over 50 credit repair organizations and companies selling consumers both pamphlets and services giving them a brand new credit file under the pretense it was 100% legal and in some cases even claimed it to be a “government sponsored” program!
The con was simple. Companies would target consumers with bad credit and offer to create a brand new credit file for them by substituting an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for their Social Security Number (SSN) along with a new address. EIN’s were obtained from the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the consumer. With the EIN and a new address the companies would either have the consumer apply for credit with the “new information” or the company would apply for them. When the creditor would run the application it would automatically create a new credit file because the computer would be unable to find the consumer in the database due to the new address and SSN.
While there is some dispute among privacy experts as to whether or not this is legal, the FTC’s actions at the time were not up for debate. Companies were advertising and luring in consumers in order to have them falsify credit applications by providing new information such as their address and SSN in order to obtain credit. This was a direct violation of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and worse yet, the companies were advertising to consumers that this was 100% legal and in some cases claiming it was a government sponsored program. As you’ll hear me say often “In reality, nothing could be further from the truth”.
Privacy experts will argue that using an EIN or 9 digit PIN (simply a made up number) in place of ones’ SSN is completely legal since creditors are on shaky ground asking for your SSN in the first place. In regards to the truth in lending act they will argue that one has to exhibit “an intent to defraud” a creditor. My question “Is concealing ones’ adverse credit history intent in itself?” While I am not an Attorney on the matter of credit law I can conclude that if a consumer was to create an alternate credit file using the EIN or PIN method they better be darn sure they never have a problem paying their bills. If they do, they most likely would find themselves in a courtroom with a case involving credit fraud. Which brings me to my next topic.
How To Create An Alternate Credit File Legally
Most consumers are unaware that in addition to consumer credit reports, both Experian and Equifax own and operate business credit reporting services. By creating a business credit profile a consumer can now create an alternate credit file legally. While some creditors such as residential utility companies will not allow you to use business credit in place of personal credit, we have had numerous clients who have successfully used business credit to obtain credit cards, automotive leases and loans. This technique (although controversial) can be very effective when done properly.
The basics of building business credit involve 1.) Setting up the proper structure for your business (i.e. Corporation, LLC, etc.). 2.) Obtaining an EIN as well as a DUNS number (Dunn and Bradstreet). 3.) Borrow and/or buy products and services from vendors who reports to business credit reporting agencies such as Experian, Equifax and Dunn & Bradstreet. While building business credit requires time just like personal credit, don’t get discouraged. Remember, when you set out to begin building your business credit you are starting with a clean slate. This is when it becomes imperative that one learn from the mistakes of their past. Remember, in the credit world those who do not learn from their past are (inevitably) doomed to repeat it.
By Credit Info
August 1st, 2009 at 09:02am
Under Credit Repair
Some credit repair companies make unbelievable offers to eliminate negative items from your credit report. They also claim that a better credit score will be reported in a short period. But most of them fail to deliver on thier promise and consumers end up losing their hard-earned money. Even the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is skeptical, stating there are very few legitimate credit repair companies. Therefore, it makes sense to try improving your credit score yourself rather than risking money on the services provided by credit repair organizations.
What are the most common credit repair scams?
The credit repair industry is riddled with scams and rip-offs. Most common are over-charging borrowers against false promises of providing a better credit rating. The scams that occur most often are detailed below:
Temporary removal of negative items:
Some credit repair companies claim they have an intimate relationship with the credit bureaus and have back-door through the system. Meanwhile, they bombard the bureaus with disputes over the derogatory items and debts recorded in your credit report. These debts may disappear temporarily from your report once the bureau starts the investigation. However, to the surprise of most consumers, the original derogatory items and debts re-emerge after the next reporting cycle.
The credit repair company charges a fee for the temporary removal of negative items from your report. Moreover, the charge is usually demanded upfront, which goes against the Credit Repair Organizations Act.
Applying for a new credit report:
Another credit repair rip-off involves a company soliciting a way to create a new clean credit report. The company helps you apply for a new taxpayer’s identification number or Employer Identification Number (also known as EIN) in order to build a new credit history. This does not follow a legal process and the new report ultimately will carry the previous information, despite having a separate identification number.
Ensuring a clean report:
The biggest crooks are those credit repair companies who make you believe they can clean up your credit fast and help you get a mortgage or credit card through their channel partners. They typically demand a lot of money upfront in exchange for such services. In the end, these organizations are simply pretending to offer credit counseling or mortgage services and finally disappear. With all of the credit constraints returning in the mortgage complex, this is the most popular and most costly scam of all.
How can you prevent becoming a victim?
To avoid the trap all-together, you can complete the credit repair yourself. If you are still determined to seek outside council, please address the following items.
1. Verify the legitimacy and experience of the credit repair company. This can usually be done by asking for referral sources of satisfied clients.
2. Check with your state’s regulatory and better business bureau to determine if the company is in good standing.
3. Have the company provide a contract outlining what services are to be rendered and the amount and method of payment.
4. Contact a trusted mortgage broker that is skilled in analyzing credit reports to determine if the suggested course of action is reasonable.
5. Beware when a company solicits you for services. Referrals are usually the best way to select a reputable service company.
Consumers have certain rights under The Credit Repair Organization Act. An executed contract is required to begin any repair services. You have three days to cancel the contract without paying any charge. It is prohibited for a credit repair company to charge you until the agreed upon services have been completed.
If you feel you are a victim of a credit repair scam, you may report it to the local consumer affairs office or state Attorney General’s office. A complaint may also be filed with the FTC that ensures the future protection of consumers against fraud.
As a veteran mortgage broker, I’ve created a special online guide to give you access to the same rules that seasoned mortgage professionals and credit repair companies use everyday. You can visit this free guide by
Clicking Here
By Credit Info
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