Archive for December, 2009
How to tell if an account is yours or the person that took your identity on your credit report?
JadedSin asked:
The issue is that I found out that my mother has been using my S.S. number to open tons of accounts and she doesn’t pay her bills. I would like advise on the easiest way to figure out if an account is actually mine or not. Some of the accounts go back 2-3 years and I can’t find any paperwork from those companies in my files and I’ve never heard of their names. When you request validation from a credit card company, what do they send you as proof? How do they prove it’s actually your account? I’m just afraid that it will be very hard to prove that they are her accounts and not mine since we have the same last name and we lived at the same address. She also knows most of my personal information.
The issue is that I found out that my mother has been using my S.S. number to open tons of accounts and she doesn’t pay her bills. I would like advise on the easiest way to figure out if an account is actually mine or not. Some of the accounts go back 2-3 years and I can’t find any paperwork from those companies in my files and I’ve never heard of their names. When you request validation from a credit card company, what do they send you as proof? How do they prove it’s actually your account? I’m just afraid that it will be very hard to prove that they are her accounts and not mine since we have the same last name and we lived at the same address. She also knows most of my personal information.
Is it better to try and have this stuff removed from your file before you contact the DA’s office and file charges?
What are some of the first steps that I need to take (other then run my credit reports)?
Thanks!
LUIS
Where can you get a good personal loan from a reputable bank?
Burton asked:
I have average credit around 660 currently…but only have credit cards. I live in California. Can I get a good personal loan with a good interest rate which will help my mix of credit? Only problem is that I have a repo on my credit report that will fall off next year.
RONNIE
I have average credit around 660 currently…but only have credit cards. I live in California. Can I get a good personal loan with a good interest rate which will help my mix of credit? Only problem is that I have a repo on my credit report that will fall off next year.
RONNIE
Reasons for Checking Your Credit Report
Sean Patrick asked:
Your credit report and score tells lenders whether or not you are a good risk for a loan. Your credit history, payments, and account information are on this report. Your FICO score is also an important factor for lenders. The information contained in your credit report is used to generate your FICO score which acts as your credit “report card”. A FICO score is not the same as your regular credit scores. It uses different set of rules & algorithms for coming up with your credit score. And many lenders utilize the FICO score to determine your creditworthiness. Therefore it may be prudent to see what’s on your FICO score as well before applying for a loan.
Often the information contained in your credit report has some inaccuracies. This is why it’s important to check your credit report on a regualr basis. At least once a year to ensure that the information is correct and up to date.
Reasons you should check your credit report include:
* Basic Inaccuracies
Payments that’s have been made, but not credited to you. Late payments or having someone else’s date (especially if the names are similar) being mixed in with yours. If you notice inaccurate information, you must contact the credit reporting agency to get the mistake corrected.
* Tracking Payments
Many times, checks sent through the mail do not reach the accounting office of the company on time, or get lost in the mail. Such late or missed payment issues could be posted on your credit file. Therefore you would need to correct this information by contacting the creditor. If you don’t read your credit report, you will not know which payments have been received and properly reported.
* Identity Theft
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in thw U.S. It’s one that has caused people to have poor credit ratings because someone has received credit or loans in their name and defaulted on the payments. Your credit report will show you the list of accounts that have been opened in your name. Check them carefully to ensure they match your personal financial details.
* Inquiries
Your credit report will list the names of companies or persons who have requested information regarding your credit history. Read them carefully to make there’s no fraudulent activity and/or unauthorized entry that could be related to id theft. Also, too many inquiries are seen as unfavorable by lenders and will make it harder to obtain loans.
* Credit Fraud – Unauthorized Charges
Credit fraud involves the unauthorized use of your credit cards or account number to make charges on your account. Sometimes this is done so subtly that you do not notice the extra charges on your monthly statement. By viewing your credit report, you will be able to catch new activity on your accounts, especially if they are ones you haven’t been using.
When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Viewing your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely. While planning a credit strategy to achieve future goals, you should regularly review your credit report to ensure an excellent credit rating.
*Free Credit Report Services
Free credit report services are not created equal. With some services, you’re able to see what’s on your credit report and score from all 3 major credit bureaus online – TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This is important because the data contained in one credit bureau file may not match what’s on the others. Also, various lenders may choose to see one or more of your credit files. So it makes sense to obtain the most comprehensive report. And most services do not provide a free FICO score. You only get to see what’s on your regular credit scores. These are some of the reasons why it makes sense to do your homework and make comparisons between the features they provide.
MARK
Your credit report and score tells lenders whether or not you are a good risk for a loan. Your credit history, payments, and account information are on this report. Your FICO score is also an important factor for lenders. The information contained in your credit report is used to generate your FICO score which acts as your credit “report card”. A FICO score is not the same as your regular credit scores. It uses different set of rules & algorithms for coming up with your credit score. And many lenders utilize the FICO score to determine your creditworthiness. Therefore it may be prudent to see what’s on your FICO score as well before applying for a loan.
Often the information contained in your credit report has some inaccuracies. This is why it’s important to check your credit report on a regualr basis. At least once a year to ensure that the information is correct and up to date.
Reasons you should check your credit report include:
* Basic Inaccuracies
Payments that’s have been made, but not credited to you. Late payments or having someone else’s date (especially if the names are similar) being mixed in with yours. If you notice inaccurate information, you must contact the credit reporting agency to get the mistake corrected.
* Tracking Payments
Many times, checks sent through the mail do not reach the accounting office of the company on time, or get lost in the mail. Such late or missed payment issues could be posted on your credit file. Therefore you would need to correct this information by contacting the creditor. If you don’t read your credit report, you will not know which payments have been received and properly reported.
* Identity Theft
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in thw U.S. It’s one that has caused people to have poor credit ratings because someone has received credit or loans in their name and defaulted on the payments. Your credit report will show you the list of accounts that have been opened in your name. Check them carefully to ensure they match your personal financial details.
* Inquiries
Your credit report will list the names of companies or persons who have requested information regarding your credit history. Read them carefully to make there’s no fraudulent activity and/or unauthorized entry that could be related to id theft. Also, too many inquiries are seen as unfavorable by lenders and will make it harder to obtain loans.
* Credit Fraud – Unauthorized Charges
Credit fraud involves the unauthorized use of your credit cards or account number to make charges on your account. Sometimes this is done so subtly that you do not notice the extra charges on your monthly statement. By viewing your credit report, you will be able to catch new activity on your accounts, especially if they are ones you haven’t been using.
When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Viewing your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely. While planning a credit strategy to achieve future goals, you should regularly review your credit report to ensure an excellent credit rating.
*Free Credit Report Services
Free credit report services are not created equal. With some services, you’re able to see what’s on your credit report and score from all 3 major credit bureaus online – TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This is important because the data contained in one credit bureau file may not match what’s on the others. Also, various lenders may choose to see one or more of your credit files. So it makes sense to obtain the most comprehensive report. And most services do not provide a free FICO score. You only get to see what’s on your regular credit scores. These are some of the reasons why it makes sense to do your homework and make comparisons between the features they provide.
MARK
Ghosts That Lurk in Your Free Instant Credit Report
Jeremy Englewood asked:
It isn’t Christmas, but did you know that there may be entries in your credit report that are much like the ghost of the Christmas past? This is especially true if you make credit applications, even for just a simple credit card, in too short a timeframe. Let’s look at a scenario.
Let’s say you’ve been able to keep your credit score in good shape, you’ve got one credit card, no loans, and you’ve just been promoted and got a hefty raise. So you want to treat yourself a bit to a new car and sell your old clunky one. Why not add in a new credit card? So you go off to that wonderful world of the internet, fill up and submit several credit card applications – not one, but six of them.
If your personal credit report already looks good and your credit score is something to be proud of, chances are you’ll get approved on several of the applications you filed. But wait – think about what this will do to your credit score! For every credit application you filed, several points will be taken away from your score. Credit experts say that the number of points our credit score will be affected by credit inquiries depends on your credit history and overall profile. This means that if you’re a high scorer, your score could be dinged by just 5 points for every inquiry, but if you’ve got a low credit score it could be higher. And, the number of inquiries matters too. Lenders will think twice about granting you credit if you have many inquiries into your instant credit report. They say that statistically, people who have six or more inquiries into their reports are more likely to declare bankruptcy than those who don’t have any.
Credit inquiries are likely to stay in your report for about two years. So those six credit applications, plus three inquiries from car dealerships you’ve talked to while window shopping for a new car, that means nine credit inquiries. Now do the math: nine inquiries at 5 points each, that means 45 points taken away from your credit score. Then, these inquiries will remain in your free instant credit report for two years. Somehow, that doesn’t seem so good anymore.
Have you submitted any credit application or inquired about credit cards, loans, or mortgages lately? The best thing to do is to get your credit report for free and then scrutinize all your credit inquiries. Try to recall the circumstances relating to each inquiry. When you were at the car dealership, did you expressly state that you were going to buy your car from them? Did you give out your credit information without thinking twice even though you were just window shopping? Many of us make the mistake of giving away our confidential information without thinking carefully before we do. That careless disclosure of your credit information to the car salesman just cost you about 5 points from your credit score.
Think twice about disclosing your financial and credit information to any lender. Learn where to get your free instant credit report and how to check your credit report for errors so that you can improve your credit profile and raise your score.
DARRIN
It isn’t Christmas, but did you know that there may be entries in your credit report that are much like the ghost of the Christmas past? This is especially true if you make credit applications, even for just a simple credit card, in too short a timeframe. Let’s look at a scenario.
Let’s say you’ve been able to keep your credit score in good shape, you’ve got one credit card, no loans, and you’ve just been promoted and got a hefty raise. So you want to treat yourself a bit to a new car and sell your old clunky one. Why not add in a new credit card? So you go off to that wonderful world of the internet, fill up and submit several credit card applications – not one, but six of them.
If your personal credit report already looks good and your credit score is something to be proud of, chances are you’ll get approved on several of the applications you filed. But wait – think about what this will do to your credit score! For every credit application you filed, several points will be taken away from your score. Credit experts say that the number of points our credit score will be affected by credit inquiries depends on your credit history and overall profile. This means that if you’re a high scorer, your score could be dinged by just 5 points for every inquiry, but if you’ve got a low credit score it could be higher. And, the number of inquiries matters too. Lenders will think twice about granting you credit if you have many inquiries into your instant credit report. They say that statistically, people who have six or more inquiries into their reports are more likely to declare bankruptcy than those who don’t have any.
Credit inquiries are likely to stay in your report for about two years. So those six credit applications, plus three inquiries from car dealerships you’ve talked to while window shopping for a new car, that means nine credit inquiries. Now do the math: nine inquiries at 5 points each, that means 45 points taken away from your credit score. Then, these inquiries will remain in your free instant credit report for two years. Somehow, that doesn’t seem so good anymore.
Have you submitted any credit application or inquired about credit cards, loans, or mortgages lately? The best thing to do is to get your credit report for free and then scrutinize all your credit inquiries. Try to recall the circumstances relating to each inquiry. When you were at the car dealership, did you expressly state that you were going to buy your car from them? Did you give out your credit information without thinking twice even though you were just window shopping? Many of us make the mistake of giving away our confidential information without thinking carefully before we do. That careless disclosure of your credit information to the car salesman just cost you about 5 points from your credit score.
Think twice about disclosing your financial and credit information to any lender. Learn where to get your free instant credit report and how to check your credit report for errors so that you can improve your credit profile and raise your score.
DARRIN





FICO score and Credit Report and late payments?
Posted by admin in Personal Finance on December 17, 2009
I had 3 credit cards that went to collection about 8 months ago and I paid them all of right around that time.
They show up on all 3 credit reports as potentially negative credit items as they all say 120 days past due.
I was also told that this lowered my credit score.
My question is: I have 1 credit card that is 180 days past due and it shows that the amount has been written off.
Would it raise my FICO score or help my credit reports in any way if I paid it off? It doesn’t seem to have helped when I paid off the other credit cards.
I’m not looking for personal comments…I just want a real answer.
JEFFRY
Credit Card, Credit Cards, Credit Report, Credit Reports, Credit Score, Fico Score, Late Payments, Negative Credit, Personal Comments
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