Waller Jamison asked:




Maintaining a good credit score isn’t easy at the best of times, but if you have worked hard to improve your credit and achieved a decent score, you wan to keep it that way. However, your credit score changes every time you take out a loan or are late with your payments and can also change through no fault of your own.

One of the reasons that your credit score can fall is because your report contains errors. This unfortunately can have an adverse effect on your ability to borrow money.

If you want to be sure that there are no mistakes in your credit score, you have to check it at regular intervals, that is to say at least once a year. And don’t forget that there are three major credit bureaus and each may have a slightly different score.

If you keep an eye on your credit score, you’ll be able to ensure that there are no major problems when you need to borrow money for a car, mortgage or other expensive item. It can be extremely inconvenient to be about to take out a loan and find that you are unable to do so because of problems with your credit score.

If you find any irregularities on your report you must contact the relevant credit bureau right away so that they can identify the problem and sort it out before it becomes a major issue. Any credit bureau dispute needs to be cleared up immediately.

Generally speaking, mistakes are just small errors which can be fixed quickly and without much effort, but even a minor error can prevent you getting credit when you need it most.

There are times when a mistake is the result of identity theft, which has become much more common these days and of course is a very serious problem, one that you must take steps to resolve immediately. If you are a victim of identity theft, the credit bureaus will put an alert on your file and this will explain the situation to any potential lenders. Identity theft can have long-term repercussions and is something you want to deal with as soon as possible.

Brian

Debbie Dragon asked:




There are attorneys and credit repair “clinics” that claim to be able to remove negative items from your credit file. The service is costly, with some providers charging up to $3,500. It sounds great, in theory, because what’s a few thousand dollars for repaired credit? The trouble with this service is consumer’s pay out the money and their credit files are not always repaired.

About Your Credit File- What You May Not Know

Every item listed on your credit report must be proven. If a credit bureau investigates an item and cannot verify that it has been reported correctly, then it must be removed from your file whether it’s true or not.

Whenever there is a negative item on your credit report, you can challenge or deny the negative report at any time. If the item can’t be verified within a reasonable amount of time, it must be removed from the credit report. The older an item is the better your chance that it will not be successfully re-verified. Creditors don’t always keep good records beyond a year or two.

How to Get a Negative Item Removed From Your Credit Report

The procedure to get negative items removed, if they are incorrect, is straight forward. Some of getting an item removed is simply luck, but if you follow the steps you will increase your chances of having the negative items removed.

Tip: Send your disputes in during the busiest time of the year for credit bureaus. Send them during November or December, and if the dispute isn’t verified in time, it will have to be removed from your credit file.

Step One: Obtain a copy of all three of your credit reports- one from Equifax, one from Esperian and another from Trans-Union. You can get one copy from each credit bureau for free every 12 months.

Step Two: Review each report and find any negative items.

Step Three: Use the credit bureau’s dispute process (sometimes online, sometimes a printed form) to dispute any and all negative items.

Step Four: The disputed items are removed or corrected.

Step Five: For any negative items remaining on your credit report, you can try to negotiate with the creditors to be able to make a lower payment to pay the account off The creditor must then report the item to the credit bureau as paid, and change it to a positive rating.

Consumer Rights Under The Fair Credit Reporting Act

The federal laws are in the consumer’s favor when it comes to credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, there are 5 basic rights given to every consumer:

1. You may challenge the accuracy of the details in a credit report at any time.

2. Any items you challenge must be investigated (and re-investigated) without a charge to you.

3. All challenged items must be investigated within 30 days time or they must be deleted from the file immediately.

4. If errors are found during the investigation, the credit bureau is required to delete or correct the item within your files immediately.

5. If the credit bureau investigates and finds the negative items to be correct, consumers can place a Consumer Statement as part of your credit report as explanation to any inquiries made to your credit file.

Edwin

Samantha Monroe asked:




People who are keen on maintaining high credit score know the importance of a credit report. Having a very detailed credit report is the first step towards ensuring your credit score remains high.

Getting a detailed report from any of the bureaus may cost you some money. If you are really serious about keeping a check on your report, then you would know you need a real report and won’t find it difficult to spare $20 to get a very detailed report.

After getting a detailed report, you should continue in that same vein by going through the report with a fine comb and identifying EVERY wrong entry no matter how small. Every entry that is incorrect should and must be corrected for the sake of your credit score. NEVER over look anything.

Now you have all the wrong entries you have found and are ready to dispute. One important thing to bear in mind is that your letter MUST be concise because the bureaus have a huge amount of letters to treat so they do not need long letters as any such letter stands a risk of not being processed.

One big problem you may face is using the right identifying information for a given bureau as different bureaus have different identifiers. Send the right information to the right bureau.

Another sad truth here is that many people have tried to dispute without success and have had to repeat a number of times. Your letter may not even be processed so you should be ready and willing to keep sending.

Disputing a credit report, removing a judgment or generally repairing your credit does not have to be such a drag or a mission impossible. You can engage the services of professionals to take the burden off you while achieving results you may never be able to achieve on your own. Save yourself the heartache and disappointment of having you credit bureau dispute letter rejected or not processed by allowing professional handle it for you.

Duane

Tayo Binuyo asked:




A good sample credit repair dispute letter is the beginning of a successful credit repair campaign. There are a number of different kinds of credit repair letters. You have dispute letters to the credit bureaus, negotiation of debt letters to collection companies and cease and desist letters. One of the first credit repair letters should be written to collection agency if they are harassing you over the phone.

This is usually one of the first letter’s that is necessary during the course of your credit repair efforts. If you are lucky enough to not have collectors harassing you then you wont be needing the cease and desist letter.

The most popular sample letter for credit repair would be the dispute letter written directly to the credit bureaus. In this letter you are challenging your debt with the credit bureaus, in other words you are telling them to prove that the debt is legitimate and it should be on your credit report.

Below is a sample credit repair dispute letter that can be used to dispute debt with the credit bureaus;

Your Name
Your Street Address
Your City
State & zip code

Credit Bureau Name
Their Full Address

Dear Credit Bureau,

I am writing to formally complain that you are including inaccurate information in my credit report file.

I am upset that you have included this information in my file and have not kept my credit file up to high accuracy standards. The credit laws ensure that bureaus only report 100% accurate information. Every step must be taken to make sure the information reported is complete and accurate.

The following item below needs to be investigated. I would also like to be provided with proof of this alleged item, specific contract or note bearing my signature. If this cannot be provided the item must be deleted from my report as soon as possible:

Creditor Name, Account number (####-###)

Sincerely,

Your Signature
Your Name.

There are also specific mailing instructions that need to be followed when mailing to the credit bureaus. You need to make sure they received your letters and are working on your disputes in a timely manner.

Jacqueline

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.

Rodney

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

carolinabluebaby asked:


I am trying to get rid of a bankruptcy that was not mine off of my credit report. Do I have to dispute all three credit bureaus or just do one and all of them will be taken care of? Do they all create their own report or just get it out of some common source?

Ronald

membersonlygirl asked:


my husband filed for bankruptcy about three years ago. no big deal his credit is good right now. however there is an account that has been ‘settled’ due to the bankruptcy but on his last credit report it said that it was still ‘open’. we have all the forms we need to send in the appeal but i am a little unclear as to which paperwork from the bankruptcy, needs to be sent in as well for proof of the settled account. i know it sounds a little confusing but hopefully someone has an answer for me. a little direction even would be great. thank you so much

Jamie