Posts Tagged Finance Companies
Fix Wrong Information In Your Credit Report-TODAY
Jon Arnold asked:
Other than eating, sleeping, and breathing, one of the most important things you should be doing on a regular basis is ensuring that the data in your credit report is accurate. That is such a simple statement, yet it is ignored by the vast majority of consumers, probably due to several factors, such as:
* Consumers seem to accept the fact that errors will “self correct” in a reasonable period of time, where in reality nothing could be further from the truth.
* Consumers don’t know how to find out if there is wrong information on their credit report, which impacts their total credit score negatively.
* Consumers don’t realize that having a low credit score (lower than what they deserve, if the information maintained by the credit bureaus was accurate) can impact a huge number of factors in their everyday lives.
* Consumers don’t realize that studies have shown that the MAJORITY of credit reports on consumers and businesses have errors and inaccuracies.
Your credit score is used by anyone loaning you money such as credit card companies, home loan lenders, auto loan lenders and finance companies. You need to find out what your credit score is before you talk to any lender in case there is something on your report that they may question. Your credit score is the actual number ranging from 300 to 850 that lenders use to judge your creditworthiness and the interest rate they’ll charge you. Having a credit score lower than what you actually deserve could mean the difference between getting approved for a loan or credit card, or being denied. If you are approved, a lower credit score can mean the difference of the lender assessing a 14% interest rate or a 6% interest rate, which can cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars more at the end of the loan period.
The “big three” credit bureaus are required to give you a free copy of your credit report annually, or any time that you have been denied credit based on information that they provided to a potential lender. It may take some time to get through to the credit bureaus to request a copy of your credit report, but this is well worth your time to do so. Be sure to get a copy of it from all three of them, since some lenders only report to one or two of them. This means that the information on your credit report from one credit bureau is almost certainly not going to be identical to the data from another credit bureau.
If you notice any errors on your report, you should complete a dispute form with the credit bureau. When they send you a copy of your credit report, they will usually include instructions on how to file a dispute for erroneous or inaccurate information. Some experts say that if you are disputing say 5 different items, you should file 5 separate dispute forms so each one can be addressed specifically. There is some merit to that discussion, since the credit bureaus may view a dispute consisting of many items as “frivolous” and not take appropriate action to correct the information.
Another excellent reason for keeping an eye on your credit report is because you will then be aware of any attempts at identity theft. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century, and if someone has stolen your identity to open new accounts in your name, it will likely show up on your credit report. You should take the time to become familiar with identity theft and what you can do about it at Preventing Identity Theft.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute information in your credit files with the three credit bureaus, and the creditor is required by law to verify the disputed information. You have the right (and indeed, the obligation) to dispute the completeness and accuracy of information in your credit files. When a credit bureau receives a dispute, they must investigate and record the current status of the disputed items within a “reasonable period of time”, usually defined as 30 days. If the information reported on your credit report cannot be verified by the creditor, the credit bureau is required by law to remove the information.
Check your credit report regularly, at least once per quarter. Even if the creditor misses that 30 day window, they can report the information again later, at which point when you see it appear again, you can (and should) dispute it again. Sometimes, for blatantly wrong information, you may want to contact the creditor directly and find out why they insist on putting inaccurate information on your credit report.
Fernando
Other than eating, sleeping, and breathing, one of the most important things you should be doing on a regular basis is ensuring that the data in your credit report is accurate. That is such a simple statement, yet it is ignored by the vast majority of consumers, probably due to several factors, such as:
* Consumers seem to accept the fact that errors will “self correct” in a reasonable period of time, where in reality nothing could be further from the truth.
* Consumers don’t know how to find out if there is wrong information on their credit report, which impacts their total credit score negatively.
* Consumers don’t realize that having a low credit score (lower than what they deserve, if the information maintained by the credit bureaus was accurate) can impact a huge number of factors in their everyday lives.
* Consumers don’t realize that studies have shown that the MAJORITY of credit reports on consumers and businesses have errors and inaccuracies.
Your credit score is used by anyone loaning you money such as credit card companies, home loan lenders, auto loan lenders and finance companies. You need to find out what your credit score is before you talk to any lender in case there is something on your report that they may question. Your credit score is the actual number ranging from 300 to 850 that lenders use to judge your creditworthiness and the interest rate they’ll charge you. Having a credit score lower than what you actually deserve could mean the difference between getting approved for a loan or credit card, or being denied. If you are approved, a lower credit score can mean the difference of the lender assessing a 14% interest rate or a 6% interest rate, which can cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars more at the end of the loan period.
The “big three” credit bureaus are required to give you a free copy of your credit report annually, or any time that you have been denied credit based on information that they provided to a potential lender. It may take some time to get through to the credit bureaus to request a copy of your credit report, but this is well worth your time to do so. Be sure to get a copy of it from all three of them, since some lenders only report to one or two of them. This means that the information on your credit report from one credit bureau is almost certainly not going to be identical to the data from another credit bureau.
If you notice any errors on your report, you should complete a dispute form with the credit bureau. When they send you a copy of your credit report, they will usually include instructions on how to file a dispute for erroneous or inaccurate information. Some experts say that if you are disputing say 5 different items, you should file 5 separate dispute forms so each one can be addressed specifically. There is some merit to that discussion, since the credit bureaus may view a dispute consisting of many items as “frivolous” and not take appropriate action to correct the information.
Another excellent reason for keeping an eye on your credit report is because you will then be aware of any attempts at identity theft. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century, and if someone has stolen your identity to open new accounts in your name, it will likely show up on your credit report. You should take the time to become familiar with identity theft and what you can do about it at Preventing Identity Theft.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute information in your credit files with the three credit bureaus, and the creditor is required by law to verify the disputed information. You have the right (and indeed, the obligation) to dispute the completeness and accuracy of information in your credit files. When a credit bureau receives a dispute, they must investigate and record the current status of the disputed items within a “reasonable period of time”, usually defined as 30 days. If the information reported on your credit report cannot be verified by the creditor, the credit bureau is required by law to remove the information.
Check your credit report regularly, at least once per quarter. Even if the creditor misses that 30 day window, they can report the information again later, at which point when you see it appear again, you can (and should) dispute it again. Sometimes, for blatantly wrong information, you may want to contact the creditor directly and find out why they insist on putting inaccurate information on your credit report.
Fernando
How Well Do Your Understand Your Personal Credit Report?
Donald Saunders asked:
You probably know all too well that the information in your personal credit report is used by the finance and credit card companies when deciding whether or not to extend credit to you, but are you aware of exactly what information your personal credit report contains? For instance, did you know that the information contained in your credit report could affect whether or not you can buy that new home or will have to remain in your current ‘shoebox’?
Many people believe that if a credit card company or other lender looks at your credit report they are merely looking at your credit score and, although this is without doubt one thing that they do look at, they are looking at far more. Most especially, they are looking to see how much debt you have in comparison to to your income and even quite small accounts, like those with a mail order company, will be treated as an income deduction when when it comes to considering a loan application.
If a lender calculates that you have got less money coming in than you have going out then your loan request will undoubtedly be turned down. In fact, by law a specified percentage of your income has got to be available to meet loan payments before the lender is permitted to approve it, regardless of the purpose of the loan.
Lenders are also looking back at your credit history over the past seven years to see how well you have managed loans in existence during that period. Specifically, they are looking to see if you have made your payments on time and will take note of any payments that were more than thirty days late. It may not have seemed particularly important to you at the time that you ran into a few problems and were late with your payments for a few months on an account, but any new lender is certainly going to consider this when assessing the risk of lending to you now.
Lenders will also look to see whether any of your accounts have run into debt during the past seven years and whether or not these debts have now been paid off. If you have payments outstanding on an existing loan agreement credit card companies and other lenders will be very wary when it comes to giving you additional credit before these are cleared.
Finally, your personal credit report will also show if you have filed for bankruptcy, usually in the last ten years. A few people believe that a lender is much more likely to advance you credit if you have filed for bankruptcy as they enjoy the protection of knowing that you may not file again for several years. However, this is not the case and filing for personal bankruptcy is viewed as a red flag by the credit card and finance companies showing that you have already demonstrated a tendency for getting yourself in over your head when it comes to managing your finances.
Your personal credit report is a very important document and one which you should not only understand but that you ought to review from time to time for your own protection. Luckily, the law states that you must be sent a copy of your personal credit report once every year if you request it.
Gertrude
You probably know all too well that the information in your personal credit report is used by the finance and credit card companies when deciding whether or not to extend credit to you, but are you aware of exactly what information your personal credit report contains? For instance, did you know that the information contained in your credit report could affect whether or not you can buy that new home or will have to remain in your current ‘shoebox’?
Many people believe that if a credit card company or other lender looks at your credit report they are merely looking at your credit score and, although this is without doubt one thing that they do look at, they are looking at far more. Most especially, they are looking to see how much debt you have in comparison to to your income and even quite small accounts, like those with a mail order company, will be treated as an income deduction when when it comes to considering a loan application.
If a lender calculates that you have got less money coming in than you have going out then your loan request will undoubtedly be turned down. In fact, by law a specified percentage of your income has got to be available to meet loan payments before the lender is permitted to approve it, regardless of the purpose of the loan.
Lenders are also looking back at your credit history over the past seven years to see how well you have managed loans in existence during that period. Specifically, they are looking to see if you have made your payments on time and will take note of any payments that were more than thirty days late. It may not have seemed particularly important to you at the time that you ran into a few problems and were late with your payments for a few months on an account, but any new lender is certainly going to consider this when assessing the risk of lending to you now.
Lenders will also look to see whether any of your accounts have run into debt during the past seven years and whether or not these debts have now been paid off. If you have payments outstanding on an existing loan agreement credit card companies and other lenders will be very wary when it comes to giving you additional credit before these are cleared.
Finally, your personal credit report will also show if you have filed for bankruptcy, usually in the last ten years. A few people believe that a lender is much more likely to advance you credit if you have filed for bankruptcy as they enjoy the protection of knowing that you may not file again for several years. However, this is not the case and filing for personal bankruptcy is viewed as a red flag by the credit card and finance companies showing that you have already demonstrated a tendency for getting yourself in over your head when it comes to managing your finances.
Your personal credit report is a very important document and one which you should not only understand but that you ought to review from time to time for your own protection. Luckily, the law states that you must be sent a copy of your personal credit report once every year if you request it.
Gertrude
Free Credit Report – Get Hold Of Your Free Credit Report Today!
Abhishek Agarwal asked:
Did you know that you can get a free credit report? Your credit report is the document that records all your credit transactions. It is what finance companies, banks and credit card companies use to judge whether you are a good risk. If you’ve had difficulty getting a loan or a credit card it may be because you have a bad credit report.
What is the point of knowing your credit report you may ask. If you can’t get credit what can you do about it?
Well there’s plenty you can do. Getting your free credit report can really help you turn the situation around. It is a way of taking control of your financial affairs. This is the starting point to improving your record score so that you can get loans.
When you get your credit report you can make sure that no one has stolen your identity and is running up bad debts in your name. This was one of the main reasons the legislation was brought in. The problem of identity theft is a serious one. The Fair And Accurate Credit TRansactions Act was passed in December 2003 specifically to prevent identity theft.
The FACT Act as it is known allows US citizens to see their credit report once a year. They can check it for accuracy and have mistakes changed.
There are three credit reporting companies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You can get a free report from any one of them. They are all similar but areproduced by slightly different methods.
You can go to the website of one these companies and apply for a free credit report. They can be found at www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, or www.transunion.com. Alternatively, you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com or www.freecreditreport.com. Follow the instructions to get your credit report.
They will check your identity by asking a few personal questions just as your bank would. But the process is not difficult. If you find no problems then there is probably no need to get the other reports. If you find problems then it is worth paying to see the others and correcting the mistakes.
Information that was once kept secret from consumers is now freely available. This is a resource and you should make use of it. It will help you to keep a good credit score and keep your finances in order. Since this legislation came into force checking your credit report has become one of the basic tasks of personal financial management.
You may not have had your identity stolen. The bad credit score may be all your own work. But once you know what the damage is you can set about putting it right. The worst thing you can do when the debts start piling up is to hide your head in the sand.
MILTON
Did you know that you can get a free credit report? Your credit report is the document that records all your credit transactions. It is what finance companies, banks and credit card companies use to judge whether you are a good risk. If you’ve had difficulty getting a loan or a credit card it may be because you have a bad credit report.
What is the point of knowing your credit report you may ask. If you can’t get credit what can you do about it?
Well there’s plenty you can do. Getting your free credit report can really help you turn the situation around. It is a way of taking control of your financial affairs. This is the starting point to improving your record score so that you can get loans.
When you get your credit report you can make sure that no one has stolen your identity and is running up bad debts in your name. This was one of the main reasons the legislation was brought in. The problem of identity theft is a serious one. The Fair And Accurate Credit TRansactions Act was passed in December 2003 specifically to prevent identity theft.
The FACT Act as it is known allows US citizens to see their credit report once a year. They can check it for accuracy and have mistakes changed.
There are three credit reporting companies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You can get a free report from any one of them. They are all similar but areproduced by slightly different methods.
You can go to the website of one these companies and apply for a free credit report. They can be found at www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, or www.transunion.com. Alternatively, you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com or www.freecreditreport.com. Follow the instructions to get your credit report.
They will check your identity by asking a few personal questions just as your bank would. But the process is not difficult. If you find no problems then there is probably no need to get the other reports. If you find problems then it is worth paying to see the others and correcting the mistakes.
Information that was once kept secret from consumers is now freely available. This is a resource and you should make use of it. It will help you to keep a good credit score and keep your finances in order. Since this legislation came into force checking your credit report has become one of the basic tasks of personal financial management.
You may not have had your identity stolen. The bad credit score may be all your own work. But once you know what the damage is you can set about putting it right. The worst thing you can do when the debts start piling up is to hide your head in the sand.
MILTON
Credit Reporting Agencies Are Not Your Friends
Rayven Perkins asked:
There are multiple credit myths and rumors that surround the realm of credit reporting. Some are urban legend, and have become so widely disseminated that they are taken as gospel; others are deliberately encouraged by lenders to terrorize or cajole debtors into compliance.
The following is a compilation of the most common credit myths concerning your credit file, and the reality that all consumers should be aware of.
Myth: Credit reporting companies are subsidiaries for or working on behalf of the federal government.
This belief is fostered by the fact that creditors make such a big deal about “registering” you as a debtor with a credit reporting agency that the power of the agency itself becomes inflated. In fact, credit reporting companies are nothing more than mega businesses and their true subsidizers are the banks and finance companies.
Myth: If you pay a bad debt, the negative report will automatically be removed from your credit immediately.
This is a tactic used by unethical bill collectors to get you to pay your debt, and 9 times out of 10 it is a flat out lie. You can occasionally make an agreement with a creditor to pay a debt on the condition that it be removed or marked paid as agreed, but this should always be in writing, and they must put in writing that they will contact the credit reporting agency, request the update, and follow through until it is done.
Myth: You have to sign up for a credit monitoring service to get a free credit report.
This one is just ridiculous, and has been picked up by hundreds of companies trying to sell “credit protection” packages. They offer you a free credit report through their website and then sign you up for a monthly automatic charge for an overpriced, basically useless “credit alert” program that you can duplicate simply by taking reasonable precautions. Don’t be fooled. You are entitled by law to a no strings attached, once a year, completely free report from each of the three major credit reporting companies.
Myth: Trying to get stuff removed from your credit report is illegal.
Again, this is just not true. There are illegal and unethical ways to tamper with your report, but many people have incorrect or outdated items on their report and it is perfectly legal to try to have those removed or updated. The steps to accomplish this are easy, and you can do it yourself so don’t waste money on a “credit repair” company that claims it can restore your credit for a huge fee.
Myth: Credit Reporting agencies are required by law to keep negative items on your report for at least seven years.
Actually, the Fair Debt laws state that after 7 years credit reporting companies are required to remove adverse reports – and nowhere does it say that these can’t be taken off earlier. The credit reporting agencies perpetuate this myth themselves so people will not ask them to remove stuff.
Myth: Credit reporting agencies strive to keep accurate reports.
In what alternate universe? Again, a credit reporting agency is not an agent of the government, and has little interest in helping anyone out or motivation to be accurate. They are in business to make money, and they make it from the lenders.
They have a vested interest in reporting whatever the creditors tell them because the creditors pay them to, and they double dip by selling this personal and private (and often inaccurate) information to other lenders and agencies as well. They have no vested interest in removing items, or in helping you at all.
Now that you know what credit myths to watch out for, you can take steps to review your credit and begin to correct any discrepancies. Unfortunately, credit reporting agencies do hold a lot of power over the average American citizen, and it falls to you personally to make sure that you are not being taken advantage of or wrongfully portrayed.
NIGEL
There are multiple credit myths and rumors that surround the realm of credit reporting. Some are urban legend, and have become so widely disseminated that they are taken as gospel; others are deliberately encouraged by lenders to terrorize or cajole debtors into compliance.
The following is a compilation of the most common credit myths concerning your credit file, and the reality that all consumers should be aware of.
Myth: Credit reporting companies are subsidiaries for or working on behalf of the federal government.
This belief is fostered by the fact that creditors make such a big deal about “registering” you as a debtor with a credit reporting agency that the power of the agency itself becomes inflated. In fact, credit reporting companies are nothing more than mega businesses and their true subsidizers are the banks and finance companies.
Myth: If you pay a bad debt, the negative report will automatically be removed from your credit immediately.
This is a tactic used by unethical bill collectors to get you to pay your debt, and 9 times out of 10 it is a flat out lie. You can occasionally make an agreement with a creditor to pay a debt on the condition that it be removed or marked paid as agreed, but this should always be in writing, and they must put in writing that they will contact the credit reporting agency, request the update, and follow through until it is done.
Myth: You have to sign up for a credit monitoring service to get a free credit report.
This one is just ridiculous, and has been picked up by hundreds of companies trying to sell “credit protection” packages. They offer you a free credit report through their website and then sign you up for a monthly automatic charge for an overpriced, basically useless “credit alert” program that you can duplicate simply by taking reasonable precautions. Don’t be fooled. You are entitled by law to a no strings attached, once a year, completely free report from each of the three major credit reporting companies.
Myth: Trying to get stuff removed from your credit report is illegal.
Again, this is just not true. There are illegal and unethical ways to tamper with your report, but many people have incorrect or outdated items on their report and it is perfectly legal to try to have those removed or updated. The steps to accomplish this are easy, and you can do it yourself so don’t waste money on a “credit repair” company that claims it can restore your credit for a huge fee.
Myth: Credit Reporting agencies are required by law to keep negative items on your report for at least seven years.
Actually, the Fair Debt laws state that after 7 years credit reporting companies are required to remove adverse reports – and nowhere does it say that these can’t be taken off earlier. The credit reporting agencies perpetuate this myth themselves so people will not ask them to remove stuff.
Myth: Credit reporting agencies strive to keep accurate reports.
In what alternate universe? Again, a credit reporting agency is not an agent of the government, and has little interest in helping anyone out or motivation to be accurate. They are in business to make money, and they make it from the lenders.
They have a vested interest in reporting whatever the creditors tell them because the creditors pay them to, and they double dip by selling this personal and private (and often inaccurate) information to other lenders and agencies as well. They have no vested interest in removing items, or in helping you at all.
Now that you know what credit myths to watch out for, you can take steps to review your credit and begin to correct any discrepancies. Unfortunately, credit reporting agencies do hold a lot of power over the average American citizen, and it falls to you personally to make sure that you are not being taken advantage of or wrongfully portrayed.
NIGEL
Credit Report
Mike Clover asked:
What is in a credit report? A credit report is a snapshot of your current obligations to creditors. These creditors include credit card companies, mortgage companies, banks, and retail stores. Lenders are permitted by law to check your credit report and review it in order to determine whether or not to grant credit to you. In order to build a credit report all you have to do is establish credit in the form of a bank loan, credit card account, car loan, mortgage, or studen loan. Information on your credit report comes directly from your history with accounts you currently have outstanding loans with. Whether you pay your obligations on time or not, lenders will report that information to the credit bureaus. There are four categories.
1. Your personal information: Your credit report identifies you will the following information.
” Your name
” Social Security number
” Current address ” Previous address
” Birth date
” Current employer and previous employers
” Phone number
2. Your credit history: Your credit history will show your payment history with current lenders such as:
” Credit Card companies
” Mortgage companies
” Retail stores
” Finance companies
3. Inquiries: This is where lenders are finance companies have requested your credit report. The rule of thumb is the less inquiries the better.
4. Public Records: Your credit report lists any obligations that may affect your credit including the following:
” Judgments
” Tax Liens
” Bankruptcies
Credit Reports are now available to any organization that is trying to grant you credit, or a company considering hiring you. Your personal credit report is so important during this day and age that you need to have a current copy to see what they are seeing. Even landlords are pulling credit in order to grant you permission to rent from them. With all this in mind, it is highly recommended that you have recent copy of your credit report, so that you are aware whats being reported in regards to your personal credit history. Most of the companies that provide credit reports, dont understand credit, they just sell you a credit report.There are also websites that offer a credit report for Free but fail to mention that you will not get a free credit score. Make sure when you obtain a copy of your credit report it comes with all 3 reports and score. It makes no sense to get copy of your credit report without your scores since creditors look heavily at your credit scores. Remember “your Credit is your Life.”
Caffeinated Content
What is in a credit report? A credit report is a snapshot of your current obligations to creditors. These creditors include credit card companies, mortgage companies, banks, and retail stores. Lenders are permitted by law to check your credit report and review it in order to determine whether or not to grant credit to you. In order to build a credit report all you have to do is establish credit in the form of a bank loan, credit card account, car loan, mortgage, or studen loan. Information on your credit report comes directly from your history with accounts you currently have outstanding loans with. Whether you pay your obligations on time or not, lenders will report that information to the credit bureaus. There are four categories.
1. Your personal information: Your credit report identifies you will the following information.
” Your name
” Social Security number
” Current address ” Previous address
” Birth date
” Current employer and previous employers
” Phone number
2. Your credit history: Your credit history will show your payment history with current lenders such as:
” Credit Card companies
” Mortgage companies
” Retail stores
” Finance companies
3. Inquiries: This is where lenders are finance companies have requested your credit report. The rule of thumb is the less inquiries the better.
4. Public Records: Your credit report lists any obligations that may affect your credit including the following:
” Judgments
” Tax Liens
” Bankruptcies
Credit Reports are now available to any organization that is trying to grant you credit, or a company considering hiring you. Your personal credit report is so important during this day and age that you need to have a current copy to see what they are seeing. Even landlords are pulling credit in order to grant you permission to rent from them. With all this in mind, it is highly recommended that you have recent copy of your credit report, so that you are aware whats being reported in regards to your personal credit history. Most of the companies that provide credit reports, dont understand credit, they just sell you a credit report.There are also websites that offer a credit report for Free but fail to mention that you will not get a free credit score. Make sure when you obtain a copy of your credit report it comes with all 3 reports and score. It makes no sense to get copy of your credit report without your scores since creditors look heavily at your credit scores. Remember “your Credit is your Life.”
Caffeinated Content