Archive for category Finance

Experian Personal Credit Report – Phone and Address

Hector Milla asked:




Many consumers know that they have a credit score that is used to calculate what kind of car loan they are qualified to obtain. However, a great many also don’t know that this figure is formulated from their credit history and is basically a composite number — the average of all 3 credit reporting bureaus. These firms all employ a unique algorithm to determine a 3 digit number between 350 and 800. As the number goes higher on the scale, a consumers ratings goes up as well. That is why there are more advertisements in the media, advising people to obtain a free personal credit report. By obtaining this document and analyzing it thoroughly it is possible to find erroneous data that has been reported about their finances.

One of the 3 main credit reporting bureaus is Experian. Their toll free contact number is 1 888 397 3742, and contact mailing address is Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013. Both of these methods are valid ways to obtain a copy of your own personal payment history. This company also advises consumers to order this once per calendar year. There are a number of simple ways to improve this rating, including paying all bills online if possible. In this way, a statement or payment can’t get lost in the mail and the charges are deducted straight from the bank account. There are no bounced checks or waiting for them to clear.

The most important part of any credit score calculation is how many late or missed payments are made by a consumer. These make up about 1/3 of the total and will stay on the report for 7 years, even if there are no other items for this length of time. Only time will fix this problem, not a financial service that promises a quick end to those financial hardships.

As the credit score increases, a consumer is able to get lower interest rates and credit cards with lower annual fees. These 2 perks are reserved for customers who are a good risk. That is, the companies offering their credit services are betting on the fact that these people pay on time, every time. This is why it is important to stay within a budget and pay bills on time. By establishing, and maintaining a good payment history, most people can get exactly what they want out of their life.

Stacy

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Building Business Credit For Favorable Credit Terms

John Halasz asked:




There is a difference between presenting your personal credit score from your business credit score. The personal credit rating report shall be separate and independent from your company’s business credit rating report. However, there are creditors who may require your personal credit score reports. Take note that your personal exposure is absolutely your prerogative. You must be aware that presenting only your company’s credit report helps avoid personal lawsuits to your personal assets. Building business credit history, payment performance, and rating is crucial to your business sustainability. It is wise to seek the help of building credit rating services trusted by lenders to discuss the technicalities of maintaining business credit rating reports.

It is apparent that maintaining better or higher credit score helps facilitate loan grants or approvals. The lender will always look at your credit history to assess payment performance and determine the amount of exposure or risk he is willing to take and extend to your company. In the United States, there are three credit rating bureaus. They are the Equifax, Experian, and the Trans Union. These three bureaus used different score rating tools and show different results. Creditors usually obtain the average result to be able to decide the length, rate, and the amount they are going to lend your organization.

In the business credit report, creditors obtain important information to help them evaluate the financial health of your company as such as the amount owed, the payment history, the terms and length of credit extended to your company, the recently availed credits, and the kind of credits you have obtained in the past or have at present. This could be confusing on your part and you may feel the need to seek the expertise of building business credit rating services. They will help you develop your business credit history so you may have more borrowing opportunities to banks and creditors. Having a favorable credit score would mean favorable credit terms from creditors.

These business credit rating services maintain different rating tools that lenders may use to develop your loan term plan or proposal. This covers your company size including your number of assets and number of employees. D & B or UBC are popular credit rating services that build your credit reports to show impressive payment habits creditors likely use to measure financial strength. Credit reports are transparent with the condition of your company. They have the ability to show whether your company is worsening or improving. Remember that favorable credit terms are possible only with higher credit scores. No creditors would want to risks money on low credit scores.

Denise

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Do Personal Credit Scores Affect Your Ability to Borrow Money?

Jack Igan asked:




You Should Know Something About Your Personal Credit Score and understand how a low personal score can affect your ability to secure a credit loan.

The prospect of applying for credit unnerves many people unnecessarily. Just be truthful when you answer the questions and you should not have any problems. In our everyday lives we fill out “applications” rather frequently. Aside from the more obscure employment application we fill out more familiar forms for people several times a week. At least I do.

I spend a lot of time on my computer and the Internet and I am always requesting information. Usually they require your name, password, username, but quite often they will ask for additional information such as your address, date of birth, telephone number. Try requesting a telephone or cable service or posting a certified letter with a return receipt without first filling out a form.

The day you are born you get a birth certificate and a social security number; both follow you for life. Everytime you do a search on Google a record is made and saved in a database somewhere in California. This record includes information from your computer so they can trace that search right back to you and your house or your office.

So, by the time you get around to requesting credit, you are already in one or more databases and your personal information is usually available to anyone who wants to buy it. Everyone already knows who you are. So breathe easy and just go ahead and fill in the form.

What does this have to do with credit scoring and how does it affect me? All I want to do is buy a new (fill in the blank).

Any company that is in the business of lending money to its customers has to know with reasonable certainty that the borrower will pay it back. Credit risk is the name of the game but managing that risk is a science and a skill combined.

If any company makes it a practice to take unnecessary risks by approving bad loans it increases the likelihood they will loose money. If that same company only extends credit to no-risk or prime risk borrowers they will ignore a sizeable group of hard working, honest, and responsible people who need credit. This group will fall somewhere between the high risk groups and the low risk groups but represents an enormous amount of profitable business. Not working with this ‘average’ group will cost any lender a sizeable amount of business income and opportunities for commensurate profits.

To help make it more profitable for companies to work with these borrowers a system of credit scoring was developed about twenty-five years ago in an attempt to forecast an assumed credit reliability model against which any single person applying for credit would be rated. Basically, whenever you buy anything on time, that purchase and your record of repayments is recorded in a database under your name and social security number. These records are constantly updated each time you make additional credit purchases or repayments on a loan.

Your personal credit score is a fluctuating number based on your individual record of prompt on-time payments to satisfy your loans, the number and amounts of loans you have made, the number and amounts of your current outstanding loans, and how quickly or how slowly you have lived up to your obligations to repay each of those loans, your total debt, how detailed you credit history is, information found in public records, and other factors.

Opening a new account or making a payment could operate to change your score. Your information is categorized, sorted, and analyzed against previously created statistical credit models. The result of all of these reports and comparisons represents a predictive analysis of your credit worthiness, or your personal credit score.

The major credit reporting agencies are using a recently consolidated scoring system called FICO, developed by The Fair Isaac Corporation. Experian uses a proprietary version of FICO called “The Vantage System”. Vantage has a scoring range from “501 to 990″. The older FICO system has a range of scoring from “300 to 850″. In a nutshell, the higher you’re score, the lower your risk, and all other things being equal. The problem here is that all things are not equal.

Interpretation of the results is pretty much up to the lender and it is hard to get a consensus on what is an average score. Not all credit companies interpret the available information in exactly the same manner. Suze Ormand, a CNBC financial guru and television personality quotes “703″ as an average FICO credit score. A personal loan credit score of 500 would probably place you at the lower end of the scale.

Your credit score affects every aspect of your financial life. Your ability to repay a loan and the probability or your repaying that loan are the highest considerations for any lender and he uses your personal credit score to determine your credit worthiness.

It is a paradox that the major credit reporting companies all use the same credit scoring models or a proprietary version but none are all that willing to tell you what threshold, or “point score” they use to deny you credit or what the “number” is that dictates the interest rate they will charge when you buy that new car, HDTV, or boat. For a more complete personal credit report that includes the actual credit score assigned you by that reporting company and a chart comparing you to other borrowers nationwide, you have to pay a fee, usually about $15.00.

There are many websites where you can get a free personal credit report. Just do an internet search using the phrase “free credit report”. I would suggest using one of the top credit agencies only because their reports may be more up to date. you should note however that the free credit report you will receive is not the same report you would get as a paying customer. Unless you have a serious problem with your credit it should be adequate for your needs. If you need a more detailed report you can always order one if you think it’s needed.

I have no interest or affiliation with any of them. They are listed here as a convenience to you, only. One caveat when visiting these websites; they all offer a free credit report but each site has enhanced additional services that do cost money.

Tyrone

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Securing Business Credit Cards Without Personal Guarantee

Sherry W. Gain asked:




The biggest problem for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners is to secure a credit for their business. The most obvious route they take is to mingle their personal credit with business loan, a faux pas in totality. They end up spending their credit worthiness through their personal loan cards. But do you know that the same financial institutions which provide you credit cards also issue small business owners with business-credit cards without personal guarantees? Of course, your business needs to be credible for obtaining such credit lines.

Once you have established a credible business entity, it is then your duty to establish its credit worthiness. This is attained by reporting the transactions on your business loan cards to business credit bureaus. Similar to a personal credit report, a business credit report is essential to build the credit worthiness of your business. Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax Business and Experian Business are some of the business credit report bureaus you should be targeting. Unless and until you have established your credibility with at least three of them, laying your hands on business credit cards without personal guarantee is tough. If you are thinking of applying right away, consider the information presented below -

• If the business loan application of an organization is declined, the organization cannot apply again for the following 6 months.

• The application will be disqualified if it is made thrice or more within 90 days.

• Very few, or just 5 percent of business lenders care to report your credit worthiness to credit bureaus. Not reporting it impedes the credit worthiness of your business. Thus, choose business establishments that regularly report your regular payments to business credit bureaus.

Business Credit Cards and No Personal Guarantee

It means that it is possible to get business credit cards without personal guarantees. Such type of an application is usually made by small business organizations and entrepreneurs to take care of sundry expenses.

How to get Business Loan Cards?

To get business loan cards, a few things are of integral importance

A Strong Business Plan: The primary requisite to impress any association into allowing you credit, is a great idea. Prepare the plan in a detailed and strong manner focusing on its harvests and how it shall empower you to make more money. Be very specific about the areas which are going to need monetary help.

Market Research: Do your research well. Talk to vendors and buyers about the cash flow and other specifics. In some cases, you need not even approach companies for credit cards, because you will be able to find vendors who are ready to hold credit accounts. However, if you do need business credit cards without personal guarantees, a strong knowledge of the functioning of the industry you’re in is essential.

Applying Well: Start small and choose a local vendor for your card. More often than not, your existing finance company would have an offer for business credit cards and it will be easier to secure one from them too. Furnish information such as your company’s contacts and financial documentation to the issuing institution. In case of small businesses, primary owners also need to present information about personal finances. Legal paperwork like your DBA and employer tax ID might prove necessary for your application for business credit cards without personal guarantees.

Kathleen

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Personal Credit Report – 6 Tips To Protect Your Credit

Jared Wright asked:




The personal credit report is a document that contains pertinent information about your financial activities. Your credit report revolves around your credit information. It will help financial institutions evaluate your credit worthiness. Your personal credit report is the key to getting that much awaited loan or purchase.

Everything in your personal credit report, as reliable as it is, is not immune to theft and fraud. Other people may use your information without your consent. You must be are aware of this possibility and do the necessary precautions. Protecting yourself from theft and fraud will save you from any damage and its effects.

Protect yourself now and read on. This is how it goes.

Secure a copy of your report. Check your the report for any fraudulent or erroneous information. If you feel that you are a victim of fraud it is best to secure your information immediately. There are many ways in which the bureau can help you to secure your report for fraud.

Make sure your information is correct. If you feel that your information is used without your consent or if there are any inconsistencies, you have to file a security alert or fraud victim alert. This must be filed in national credit bureaus.

Inform and document. After filing for security or fraud victim alert you may inform lenders or creditors who have secured fraudulent information. It is wise to document all your credit transactions. Secure phone numbers, addresses, names and dates

Meet expectations. There will be requests or expectations from either the creditors or credit bureau. Make sure that all the necessary documents or even phone calls are accomplished. Not doing so will make matters worse. It is also best to know what you can expect from them.

Secure another copy of your personal credit report. After six months of a successful investigation you must check on your report. Always check for any fraudulent or erroneous information. Make sure that they are accurate and consistent. Do this regularly.

Keep record of files and documents. All documents must be filed, recorded and kept. This will be very useful if ever another difficulty arises.

Always remember that your personal credit report is your ID. You are the only one who knows what should be on it. It should always be protected. Doing so will let you enjoy the benefits of having a “clean” credit report. Check on your personal credit report now and protect yourself from theft and fraud.

Alma

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Improve Your Personal and Business Credit Using UCC Filings

Aiman Zul asked:




Credit improvement using UCC filings:

Any document that is filed with your state is considered a public filing. That document is now public knowledge. Anyone can search through these public records and find these documents/information.

Credit bureaus are connected to a public filing database that updates every 24- 72 hours. They automatically receive all liens and bankruptcy information after it is filed at the county state or federal level.

UCC stands for Uniform Commercial code. UCC filings is a VERY powerful tool in improving both business and personal credit. The amazing thing is that most people do not know about this technique. Well. most people do not even know that you do NOT need a lawyer to incorporate a business. Lawyers might charge you up to 4 times more than if you incorporate yourself. There are many such examples, lawyers being paid for something that can easily be done yourself. You will be amazed how easy some of these things are.Moreover the purpose of UCC filings is NOT to build credit – the credit building part is a by-product. If you really think about it, most credit building methods are just that.

What you have to understand about UCC filings is that they are not new. Public filings, in one shape or form, have always been around. UCC filing basically shows the public that a collateral is being held between parties for an agreement between the parties. So if I get into a monetary agreement with you I can file a UCC to give details of the collateral that will secure that agreement.. Of course when the UCC is filed it will be public knowledge and any good data collection agency or credit beauru will pick that up. That is when the “fun” starts.

For now, long story made short, UCC is a form of public filing that will help you develop both your business and personal credit. As the collateral is released and the UCC eventually terminated your credit will improve. This is true for both personal and business credit. The effect is similar to getting a bank loan and paying it off.

Personally I think that this method will work for another 1 to 2 years max. I believe that this “loop-hole” (for the lack of a better word) will eventually close. Remember at present anyone can file a UCC and the requirements are not that hard to meet. This is very similar to when people could improve their credit by becoming authorized users of another persons credit card. Even if they had bad credit a mere phone call would make them authorize users. I remember witnessing a person build a 5 year credit history by getting his friend to make him an authorized user on one of his cards. Of course the “trick” became common practice and now that method is almost obsolete. You can still become an authorized user BUT it does not effect your credit the way it used to. There is a good chance that UCC filings would follow the same pattern (for credit repair that is) but for now I believe that any intelligent person should make full use of this method. Knowing the law and than using the law is the “way” of the corporation. Both personal and business credit can be improved using UCC filings.

Vanessa

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