Refresh Your Life with Credit Repair
June 22, 2009 by Credit Repair Tips and Advice
Filed under About Credit Repair
Credit repair has the power to transform your financial life and help you meet creditor guidelines. We are in a period of hard economic times. For the last three years lenders have tightened their requirements. Consumers everywhere are finding it difficult to get home loans, automobile financing, and even credit cards. Millions of credit cards holders have been contacted by their creditors and told that their credit limits have been reduced, and in many cases even informed that their cards have been cancelled.
Meeting the Challenge Head On
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal noted that credit card issuers will be cutting credit card lines by two trillion dollars in 2009. Credit repair provides a means of restoring, rebuilding, and optimizing your credit reports and credit scores. An intelligent round of credit repair is exactly what these hard times call for. You do not have to sit back and watch passively while the availability of credit becomes a distant memory. Start your credit repair program today and regain the favor of lenders and access to the low cost financing you need.
A Complete Approach is Needed
There are three aspects to successful credit repair that you must address simultaneously. You must clean up the content of your credit report, rectify any credit deficiencies you have, and fine-tune your credit for credit score optimization. If you neglect any of these tasks your credit repair effort will struggle, or even fail in spite of your otherwise capable and hard work. Many credit repair programs focus on credit bureau disputes to the exclusion of everything else. And as exciting as it is to see derogatory information corrected, you are likely to face disappointment when the time comes to apply for a loan and you find that your credit scores have not improved and that the content of your report does not meet the lenders requirements. Here is an overview of the three pronged approach that will insure you end up with truly usable credit.
The Credit Repair Clean Up
Cleaning up your credit report with credit repair requires patience and a proper understanding of all of your legal rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. And if you have accounts reported by collectors on your report you must have a working knowledge of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and all relevant state statutes of limitation. With the proper tools your job will be easy and rewarding. If you fail to learn the rules you may trigger unanticipated trouble in the form of new collection activity and lawsuits. If you don’t have the time to invest in the learning process don’t worry, just contact a legitimate credit repair service. They will insure that all of the necessary precautions are taken before sending dispute letters to the credit bureaus.
Removing Credit Deficiencies
Rectifying credit deficiencies as part of your credit repair program is every bit as important as cleaning up your credit report. This is necessary for anyone who does not have any open mainstream revolving accounts. Credit cards are the most powerful way of jumpstarting your credit scores. You should have a minimum of two credit cards. Given the state of the credit markets today there is a good chance that you will have to apply for secured credit cards. Secured credit cards are every bit as good for credit rebuilding as unsecured cards. Once you have your two credit cards you need to follow three simple rules to optimize your credit scores. Make your payments on time, don’t pay your balance down to zero, and keep your balance under twenty percent of the total credit line available on the card. As an example, if you have a card with a five hundred dollar limit, you should keep the balance under two hundred dollars.
Fine-Tune and Optimize
Fine-tuning the content of your credit report for credit score optimization requires some understanding of the FICO scoring model. There are certain types of debt that are favorable for your score and others that should be avoided at all costs. In addition, there is an optimal balance between different types of debt that you should work towards. You may need to open accounts, close others, pay down balances, and understand the pace at which these changes should take place depending on your own credit needs.
Picking Your Path
Do you need help? You can succeed at credit repair on your own, or you can hire a reputable credit repair service to manage the process for you. Credit repair is a unique task that requires a fair amount of knowledge if you want to produce the best possible results. If you are going to go it alone please take the time to educate yourself. If you are going to hire a credit repair service, pick up the phone and interview a few. Make a list of questions to ask and pick the company that you feel comfortable with. Good luck!
Copyright © 2009 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Thanks to Jim Kemish for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:
Jim Kemish, a nationally recognized consumer advocate, is the president and founder of Sky Blue Credit Repair, a leading credit repair service since 1989. Jim is also a regular contributor to The Credit Repair Blog, a prominent consumer resource.
Student Credit Cards | Apply Online
June 13, 2009 by Credit Repair Tips and Advice
Filed under About Credit Repair
Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are specifically designed for good students. Some of the features offered by these credit card issuers include:
• No Annual Fee
• 0% Interest for a fixed period of time
• Cashback Bonuses
• $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee
During this current climate of economic instability, illiquidity in the credit markets, in the stock market, uncertainty in the stock market and the softening real estate market, one thing remains constant – good students should be given the opportunity to build a credit history. Responsibility, however, is imperative. It is essential that students keep in mind that if they don’t have enough money to buy something now, they should consider waiting until they can. Credit cards are most beneficial to students when then balance is paid in full every month. They should be treated like cash in hand. In these thorny economic times, where credit is proving to be more difficult to come by, it is important to establish a strong credit profile by obtaining credit early and maintaining a consistent payment history. Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are perfectly designed for student applicants.
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/apply-online-student-credit-cards-660191.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/apply-online-good-student-credit-cards-659096.html
Thanks to College Credit Builder for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:
Online Applications | Good Student Credit Card Offers
May 29, 2009 by Credit Repair Tips and Advice
Filed under About Credit Repair
Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are specifically designed for good students. Some of the features offered by these credit card issuers include:
• No Annual Fee
• 0% Interest for a fixed period of time
• Cashback Bonuses
• $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee
During this climate of economic instability, illiquidity in the credit markets, in the stock market, uncertainty in the stock market and the softening real estate market, one thing remains constant – good students should be given the opportunity to build a credit history. Responsibility, however, is vital. It is important for students to keep in mind that if they don’t have enough money to buy something now, you should consider saving up until you can. Credit cards are most advantageous to students when then balance is paid in full every month. They should be treated like cash in hand. In these difficult economic times, where credit is proving to be more difficult to come by, it is important to establish a strong credit profile by obtaining credit early and maintaining a consistent payment history. Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are perfectly designed for student applicants.
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/apply-online-student-credit-cards-660191.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/apply-online-good-student-credit-cards-659096.html
Thanks to College Credit Builder for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:
Credit Repair in Today’s Economy
May 27, 2009 by Credit Repair Tips and Advice
Filed under About Credit Repair
Credit repair is more important than ever. Creditors have tightened their guidelines, effectively barring millions of Americans from borrowing money. Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, and credit card issuers have all raised the bar. Borrowers with lower credit scores can expect to be denied, or to pay significantly higher interest rates than borrowers with good credit. If you have credit issues you cannot afford to ignore the potential benefits of credit repair.
Credit Report Errors are Common
To understand the potential of credit repair it is essential to grasp the extent of the inaccuracies built into the credit reporting system. Over three-quarters of all credit reports have errors. The three major credit bureaus would love you to believe that correcting these errors requires nothing more than a click of the button on their websites. This is far from the truth.
The Cost of Credit Reporting Errors
Wouldn’t it be great if credit reports were accurate? After all, your credit score may be the most important number in your life, and will certainly determine the interest rate you pay on your loans. Your interest rate will determine your payment, and a higher payment means a tighter budget. In short, credit reporting errors put a dent in the quality of your life and cannot be ignored.
Look Out For Yourself
A close read of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the legislation that governs the behavior of the credit bureaus reveals a disturbing reality. Although the FCRA requires the credit bureaus to comply with consumer credit repair disputes, it only requires compliance to the extent that corrective measures do not cause financial strain on the credit bureaus. In other words, accuracy is desired, but only in as much as a subjective measure of reasonableness allows.
The Professional Edge
Credit repair could easily become a budget-buster at the credit bureaus. It is in the best interest of the credit bureaus to perpetuate the damaging mythology that credit repair professionals can do nothing more for you than you can do for yourself. Customers of professional credit repair services have long known that credit repair involves far more than disputing obvious errors. A credit repair expert will typically identify twice the number of problems as an untrained consumer. This can mean a major difference in your credit scores.
Professional Credit Repair Qualifications
Professional credit repair involves in-depth knowledge of the FCRA, including reporting period limits, dispute procedures, and the specific obligations of the credit bureaus. A credit repair professional must also have a practical understanding of the FICO credit scoring model, an intimate grasp of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and individual state specific statutes of limitation for different debt types. Knowledge makes all of the difference in the results. And when it comes to your credit you cannot afford to settle for less.
Do it Yourself Credit Repair
If you are going to attempt credit repair on your own it is essential that you are well prepared before you begin the process. You should not take any action at all without a thorough grasp of everything involved. I have seen hundreds of people worsen their situation by jumping into the process without proper preparation. One of my favorite do-it-yourself books on credit repair starts with a firm warning that you should not take any credit repair action until you have read the entire book, cover to cover. The book is 500 pages long.
The Choice is Yours
We support the efforts of many do-it-yourselfers and are happy to answer credit repair questions from the DYI community. We have freely shared our knowledge for almost two decades; it is an important part of our philosophy. In the end the choice between hiring a credit repair professional and managing the process on your own depends on your inclination and schedule. If you have the time and energy the task can be rewarding. Our customers tend to be busy people that would rather focus their energies on other things and leave the credit repair to us.
Take the First Step Today!
If you have credit issues, please don’t delay the credit repair process. Some of the results will come quickly, but others will take time. You want to make sure that your credit scores are as good as they can possibly be when you need them. You do not want to be scrambling for a credit score boost at the last minute. Every point on your score counts, and every day in the credit repair process matters. Take the first step now. You will reach your goal before you know it. Good luck!
Copyright © 2008 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Thanks to Jim Kemish for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:
Jim Kemish, a nationally recognized consumer advocate and credit repair expert, is the president and founder of Sky Blue Credit Repair, a leading credit repair service since 1989. Jim is also a regular contributor to The Credit Repair Blog, a prominent consumer resource.
Apply Online | Student Credit Card Applications
May 24, 2009 by Credit Repair Tips and Advice
Filed under About Credit Repair
Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are specifically designed for student applicants. Some of the features offered by these credit card issuers include:
• No Annual Fee
• 0% Interest for a fixed period of time
• $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee
• Cashback Bonuses
During this period of economic instability, illiquidity in the credit markets, uncertainty in the stock market, and the softening real estate market, one thing remains constant – good students should be given the opportunity to build a credit history. Responsibility, however, is essential. It is important for students to remember that if they don’t have enough money to buy something now, you should consider saving up until you can. Credit cards are most beneficial when then balance is paid in full every month. Treat them like cash in your wallet. In these tough economic times, where credit is proving to be more difficult to come by, it is important to establish a strong credit profile by obtaining credit early and maintaining a consistent payment history. Student credit cards issued by Discover and Capital One are perfectly designed for student applicants.
Visit www.goodstudentcreditcard.com to apply online.
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/apply-online-student-credit-cards-660191.html
Thanks to College Credit Builder for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:




