Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Simple steps to a better credit report

By Mark Taylor

Not one of us is without some sort of understanding of how a bad mark on a credit report can negatively affect our credit standing. For some it's definitely worse than it is for others, but we all fall into one of just a few categories. We are either Mr. or Mrs. perfect or almost perfect, OR we have some bad marks, but we can still get a decent loan on a house or car, or we have such bad credit that when we try and get a loan we get laughed at.

No matter which of theses categories you fall under credit repair is a topic you should know a little bit about. Here's the deal, you are going to get bad marks on your credit whether you deserve it or not, and therein lies the opportunity for you to improve it, even if the mark was your fault.

As far as getting items removed or updated, there are no guarantees. With a little understanding of the process you will be shocked at what you can accomplish. Remember that an improvement on your credit reports can save you a lot of money. Better interest rates over your lifetime could add up to millions of dollars in savings.

Step one is to order all of your reports. You can either find an online resource for this or write to the credit reporting agencies directly. You will need a current copy of your Experian, Trans-union, and Equifax reports. Step 1 is to thoroughly go through the reports and identify the marks that are injurious. Next you want challenge the accuracy of the mark. You must use a little common sense here. Not all marks are going to just fall off.

Now again use your brain here, if the debt is large and unpaid and recent you will invariably get a response when challenging it and its also likely you will get a letter or phone call to resolve it. Welcome the opportunity to negotiate and pay the debt, and then re-challenge the mark. Creditors are less likely to respond when there's no money on the table.

Motivation on the part of the creditor is what it's all about. Some will respond to anything but most will respond only when there's an underlying benefit, like getting paid. If the bad mark is a settled debt, or very old then the creditor / collector may not be inclined to stop what they are doing to reply to the bureaus.

The key is to get the bad mark to a point where there is no benefit for the creditor to respond. Yes they have people for this, specifically to handle these inquiries, but systematical bombardment will likely turn in your favor, especially when there's no money on the line.

*You can use a separate document noting the account, and account numbers or simply write directly on the report. Ask the bureau to remove the incorrect information as it's inaccurate and to please verify the inaccuracy and update you as to the results.

Credit repair can be a lot of fun, in fact in the coming years it can be an excellent service to provide to the community. If you get good at it you can make a lot of money helping others to remove unwanted, erroneous although sometimes truthful information from their credit reports. - 20896

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