Tony Banks asked:




You have a credit score with the three main bureaus, Equifax, Transunion and Experian. Each bureau has come up with their own version of the credit scoring formula which is unknown to the public.

This creates a situation where your three scores are highly unlikely to be the same. The credit score that a lender looks at when qualifying you for a loan really depends on the type of lender. Most consumer credit, car and personal loan lenders use only one score to determine if you will get approved and to determine your interest rate and terms. The geographical location of the lender sometimes determines which bureau they will turn to for that score due to business relationships.

The relationship between a lender and a credit bureau is just like any business relationship. The lender will pay to have access to each credit report and score from the chosen credit bureaus.

On the other hand when you are dealing with mortgage loans, the lender will look at each of your three credit scores. (Equifax, Transunion & Experian) They will base their approval on your middle score. For example your Equifax score was 654, your Transunion 669 and your Experian was 704.

Your mortgage interest rate and loan terms would be based on your Transunion score of 669 because it’s the middle one in terms of the value of the number. It is a good idea to check your credit reports with each of the credit bureaus before you apply for a loan. This way you can make sure there are no errors that will negatively impact your credit scores.

Corey

Tim Gorman asked:




Many people who look into their reports find that their credit information has errors and those errors usually affect your credit negatively.

Maintaining an accurate score sometimes requires us to be pro-active, and we must write letters to remove information off our credit report. These are sent to the big 3 credit bureaus. Although in many cases the first thing most people want to do is to call the Credit Bureau and tell them off, this would be counterproductive. Instead the best method would be to sit down and write a credit report dispute letter.

You should read your credit report, take notes as to what you consider the problem areas are and think whether what’s on the report could actually be true. If, in finding that what’s on the report is false, you need to think through how you’re going to word your letters to remove info off credit report. You’re going to have to send a copy of this letter to each of the three main credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Be polite and state facts as you see them. See example letter below.

Dear (credit bureau name here),

After looking at a copy of my credit file, I found that it contained erroneous information. I would like to dispute this information and request a correction. I am concerned about the information that you have put in my credit report as it could seriously impair the credit rating I enjoy with lending institutions.

You have not (state the problem here).

Be sure to include the month, and the date, and the name of the business.

I am enclosing a photocopy of my cancelled check as proof of my payment. Hopefully, this will correct the accuracy of my credit file. As you are certainly aware of, the credit bureaus are only allowed to use accurate information in a consumer’s credit file.

Thank you for correcting the above errors to insure that it doesn’t impair my personal credit. Please contact me as soon as the correction has been made and my credit report is again accurate. Please send a copy of my credit report to: (place mailing address here).

Yours,

(Your name)

Be sure to include your full name as listed in your credit report, address, Social Security number, copy of your driver’s license, copy of the credit report, and copy of your proof, i.e. cancelled check.

Be sure to retain a copy of whatever you send to each credit bureau. Make a note of the date that you mail your letters to remove info off credit report. Using certified or registered mail is a good idea, as this will give you proof of the mailing date.

Joan

John Mcfadden asked:


You might not realize but finding out the best way to read your credit report can actually save you a lot of time and money – it’s not even that hard to get started, but there are some basics that you need to get your head around all the numbers, abbreviations and unfamiliar terms before reading your credit report.

Before going to a website and getting your credit report you need to be aware that you will need to get more then one create report.

The three main credit report agencies will have a copy of your report but your information will be inconsistent across all three of them – lenders will report your information to maybe only one or two agencies and that information might be incorrect.

Your personal information is no doubt old and out of date as when past lenders reported on your personal information they will only normally report it back to one of the agencies.

You need to get a copy from each one and make sure you do this regularly through out the year, it is recommended that you get a copy from all three first and then get one copy every 4 months – but get one at a time – only by getting your report through this process can you be sure you have the correct information.

The main resign for this is that its voluntary reporting process so the lenders don’ have to by law report your information.

You need to make sure you get a consumer friendly report – don’t ask your friend who may work at a bank to get your copy for you – as you will not be able to read it correctly – you need to get a consumer version.

The Credit report layout

Each report is divided into four sections falling under these categories – Identifying Information, Credit History, Public Records and Inquires.

Identifying information is quote obvious – it’;s all the key information about you but make sure you look t this closely – this is the most common place for your report to be incorrect, especially check you social security number.

Other personal information is your address, phone numbers, date of birth, drivers licenses, your employment information and your spouses name.

The following section is your Credit History – this is the most important information that your new lender will look at to assess your credit worthiness required to make an assessment. You might see that individual accounts are called trade lines.

The accounts will include each creditors name and the associated account number (this could be disguised for security reasons) Note that you may have multiple account kinds with the one lender as they will create a new one if you move.

Here you will have information like the date you opened your account, total amount of the loan, if you’ve paid off the account well and one time. It will also state how much money you owe and the credit limit, and ofcause the account status.

Look out for “charge Off.’s these are big black marks that mean that the lender has given up chasing you and has noted that they did not receive the money they were owed.

Public Recored

You wan this section left totally pristine white – blank as can be. As having a report here will seriously impact your likelihood of gaining credit. bankruptcies, judgments and tax liens activities are listed here.

Inquiries – The Last Section

This the place that will note each inquiry that was made you your account – noted as a soft or hard “call”so if you If you call the credit bureau and ask for a copy it will be on there. It’s great as it’s a very detailed entry record.

“Hard” inquiries are ones you initiate by filling out a credit application – you wan to avoid these as they will have a negative impact on your report if you have too many but the good news is that it also counts two or more “hard” inquiries in the same 14-day period as just one inquiry.

Read your report carefully and report any mistakes to each credit agency so you can get them all fixed and consistent as soon as possible.

I hope you know how to read your Credit Report, so you have a good handle on what your information means.



Jonathan

Daniel Millions asked:


Having a good credit rating has become incredibly important in the modern world. With a high credit score, you can apply for loans with better interest rates, premium credit cards, and low-interest mortgages. To check your credit history, you simply need to request a credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus.

The concept of credit and credit reports is quite complex, and several factors go into your credit report. This includes outstanding loans, paid loans, credit card accounts, and even your medical history. Companies that prepare credit reports and track consumer credit history are called Consumer Reporting Agencies, or credit bureaus. These bureaus sell credit reports to businesses and lenders, and they also provide them to consumers themselves. You can check your credit report free once a year from the major credit bureaus; Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian. If you utilize each bureau, that means you can request up to three free reports a year. Once you go beyond three, or want to use a credit bureau twice, there is a fee (usually only about nine dollars).

The benefits of reading your credit report are numerous and should be taken advantage of by everyone. On the report, you can see nearly everything about your financial activities. The report lists your bank accounts, accounts with various companies, credit cards, lender accounts, and the names of people who obtained your report in the past year.

Why should you check your credit report? For one, it is good to know where you stand before you try to get a mortgage, new car, or other large purchase. A more important reason to check is to find errors. Keep in mind, this report determines whether or not you can get a house, so it is critical that you know all about it. Humans prepare credit reports, and what inherent quality do people have, human error. Therefore, it is quite likely that a part of the report could be fallacious. It is up to you to correct any mistakes, so make sure to order your report at least three times a year. To correct any mistake, simply call the Consumer Reporting Agency and notify them of the error.

Identity theft has become a major problem lately. Although most people do not think it will happen to them, it most certainly can. By occasionally checking your credit report, you can easily find anything suspicious, and then immediately take appropriate action to rectify the situation. Otherwise, you may not find out for months that you have been a victim, and by that time, you already have a pile of debts to deal with. If you discover you have been a victim of identity theft, you can freeze your reports with all of the major credit bureaus, which protects you from any further damage.

Credit score is the single most important piece of information on the credit report. That one number affects nearly your whole financial life. The way credit bureaus arrive at that number is relatively straightforward. They factor in your payment history, outstanding debt, types of credit you have, the length of time you have had credit, and more. Although each credit bureau has their own specific system, the number usually ranges between 300 and 900.

To improve your credit score, there are many measures you can take. The most important is to pay your bills on time. If you do this one thing, over time, eventually you will achieve a high score. You can also reduce your balances on credit cards and spread your debt around to several different cards. As long as you stick to a solid financial plan, your credit score is guaranteed to consistently rise.



Jane

John Mcfadden asked:


Your credit history report is one of the key ingredients that many companies take into account when deciding whether to offer you any type of credit. By not knowing what is on your report, you are basically flying blind when it comes to dealing with these companies.

A consumer’s credit history will take into account almost any type of good or service offered on credit. This includes everything from loans to credit cards, phone and utility bills and even rent. If you have been late in paying any of these, it may have made its way to your report and it may be hurting your chances of getting similar services in the future or getting them on reasonable terms. If this is the case for you then what exactly can you do about it?

By knowing what is on your report, you can either negotiate now for better terms based services or you can take steps to improve your score so that you can negotiate better terms at a future point.

Knowledge of your credit history and the items that affect it give you power in negotiating for a better deal. The short of it is that you need to know what is on your report. That’s the easy part!

Consumer reporting companies are legally obliged to provide you with a free copy of your credit report on an annual basis. This will give you everything you need to know about the items on your report that are affecting your score. All you need to do is contact each of the consumer reporting companies to get a copy of your free report (you can only get a free report from one of them every 12 months).

By having this piece of information, the power to negotiate for better terms on credit based services comes back into your hands.

You can then take steps to improve your score, either yourself, or by employing the services of a reporting company who will analyze your report and endeavor to improve your overall score.

In most cases, these companies can improve credit score quite a lot. If your report is hurting your chances of getting credit based services, then this is certainly something that you should consider doing.

With credit reports being such an integral part of getting goods and services in today’s modern world, is it something you can afford not to do?

You need to take control of your credit history!



Jessie

Chane Steiner asked:


Collection accounts are typically seriously past due accounts that have been assigned to an attorney or collection agency. A collection agency is usually hired after a company has made multiple attempts to collect money that they believe is owed to them. Collection accounts can remain on your credit report for 7 years from the date of the initial missed payment that led to the collection (the original delinquency date). The following techniques will teach you how to remove collections from your credit reports.

What the Credit Bureaus Don’t Want You to Know:

1. A study released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in June 2004 found that 79% of the consumer credit reports surveyed contained some kind of error or mistake.

2. Once you dispute an account, it must be proven or it cannot remain on your report. If the credit bureau cannot verify the item when investigated, it must be removed from your file whether or not it’s true.

3. Every negative item on your report can be denied or challenged at any time. The credit bureau must re-investigate every time it is challenged and if the item cannot be verified within a “reasonable amount of time”, it must be removed from the file.

4. Many times the creditor does not re-verify in time or the credit bureau is busy and does not handle your dispute properly. It must then be deleted.

5. The older an item, the more difficult it is to verify. Creditors seldom keep records for longer than a couple years.

Steps to Repair Your Credit:

1. Obtain your three credit reports.

2. Review the reports and locate the collection accounts.

3. Dispute the collection accounts with the credit bureaus.



Timothy