Credit Repair Services

With the influx of people who are worrying about their credit scores and their finances in general, it comes as no surprise that there are companies out there who are offering exclusive services to clean up or repair your damaged credit. While it may seem like such a simple solution to your credit woes, be warned - some of these companies are not what they claim to be.

Credit repair services claim to repair bad credit marks on your credit history. What you need to find out before committing to a service is how the company goes about making such repairs. There is a big difference between the items on your credit reports that make up a poor credit score and then there are items on the report that are genuine mistakes. If the company tells you then can remove all bad marks - walk away now. No one can remove information that show poor credit activities. To do so would be illegal.

On the other hand, you have the right to look at your credit report and file a request to remove any misinformation. If the credit reporting agency claims they can repair inaccurate information for you, know this - you too can do the same thing for free. All that is involved in this procedure is analyzing your credit report and noting all mistakes. You then have a right to file a complaint with the credit bureau that provided the report. The credit reporting bureau is then obligated to investigate the information from the original creditor within a reasonable period of time. If the creditor responds that the information is indeed correct, your report will not change. If the credit reporting agency gets no reply from the creditor, the incorrect information will be removed from your credit report.

While you cannot remove poor credit activity from your credit report, you can ask your creditors to work with you to improve the information being reported to the credit reporting agencies. They may not all be cooperative but it is worth a try in order to improve your credit score.

For those people who simply do not want to go through the trouble of repairing their own credit reports, there are reputable companies who can do the repair work for you. Be sure before you commit to any one company, be sure they are a company in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and will work with you to truly help you repair your credit score and not just take your money. A good first red flag - if the credit repair agency denies you can do the above-mentioned steps on your own - know that they may not have your best interests at heart as they are not being honest with you. Also be aware and clear of how much it will cost to work with a credit repair company before signing on the dotted line.

Here are some other points that may raise some alert flags:

· Speak to you in terms that seem confusing and “over your head” with no real concern if you understand

· Do not tell you honestly about what your obligations or rights are concerning your credit.

· Tell you that they can repair all bad credit marks on your report.

· Last, but not least, if a credit repair company tries to convince you to apply for a new identity using an EIN number for credit purposes. This is very illegal and is not repairing anything.



Thanks to John Chase for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:

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Can you answer mkstar214’s question about Credit Repair?:

I have paid for alllllll of my old collection accounts and I’m just waiting for them to drop off of my credit reports. I’ve been looking into credit repair service on line and wondering if they can actually help. All of the items on my reports are actually MINE and I did actually owe them, but they are all FINALLY paid off. Is there any hope to get them removed quickly?

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Credit Repair Just For You

The holidays are a time of giving, and a time for reflection. If you have credit issues credit repair might be the perfect gift to give yourself. But how should you get started? You can manage your own credit repair project, or you can hire a reputable credit repair service to do the work for you. Both options are reasonable, but which is right for you?

Starting Credit Repair on Your Own



Managing your own credit repair project can be very rewarding, but it will take some time and effort. Every single do-it-yourself advocate in the credit repair field will tell you the same thing; don’t do anything until you have done your homework. You may do more damage than good. So pick up a good credit repair book and settle in for a nice mid-winter’s read. Proper preparation will avert problems and insure credit repair success.

Get a New Frame of Mind



If you are going to manage your own credit repair project, it is essential that you embrace a whole new frame of mind about your credit report. In a nutshell, don’t believe your eyes. That’s right; it’s time for you to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to ignore derogatory items on your credit report simply because they look familiar. The vast majority of errors on credit reports are generated by real events and will look familiar, but should not be reported as a matter of law. As you take the time to educate yourself about credit repair you will understand how common these terrible errors are, and what you need to do to correct them.

Get Organized



Another great tip for anyone about to start the credit repair process is to get organized. You will need to dispute your issues with all three credit bureaus individually, so it is essential to treat each bureau as a separate project. Set up three files, one for each bureau and plan on keeping meticulous records of all correspondence. Examine each report individually and you will notice some surprising differences that you must incorporate into your credit repair efforts. You may be surprised to see that the bureaus often report different account numbers for the same accounts, and even different variations of creditor names. For the best results customize each bureau dispute to match the info they report.

Don’t Give Up



A final word of wisdom for your do-it-yourself credit repair project, don’t give up. If the item you disputed is verified you should re-dispute it. You have the legal right to demand that the credit bureau request proper research by the creditor. If you re-dispute an item raise your voice! As your studies continue you will learn all about your legal rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Most good books on credit repair will point out that the credit bureaus won’t do much for you voluntarily. You must become your own advocate. Prepare to stand your ground.

Brush up On Collection Laws



Another tip of value is to familiarize yourself with your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Most decent credit repair books will include a section on dealing with collectors. If you ever had an account charged-off, or currently have any active collections make sure to read carefully. If you know your rights you can deal with collectors from a position of power, and that can make a world of difference in your credit repair project.

Or Hire a Credit Repair Service



If all of this is too much, if you have enough on your mind already, just hire a credit repair service. Just take the time to check them out, look at their Better Business Bureau rating, consider their years in business, and most important give them a call. I suggest you make a list of questions and have a chat. Hire someone you feel comfortable with and let them guide you through the maze to credit repair success. You can do 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:

Check My Credit Report

The first thing you need to do in order to improve your credit score is to find out what information the credit companies have in your account. Once you have all the information you can devise a plan on what to do to increase your score. There is no better place to find out the information from the credit companies than www.creditscoremonster.com.

There is no sure fire way to increase your score quickly but there are things that you can start doing immediately that will help in the long run. One of the main things that you need to do to increase your score is to start paying your bills on time, every time. Remember that some companies have grace periods but they vary and they may report a late payment even though it was only a day late. This is why it is critical to get your payments there on time.

Keeping your account balances low will also help increase your score. One trick that you can do is to move your balances around and spread the debit among all your credit cards. It does not help to have one card almost maxed out and several cards with no balance at all. Evening out your usage is beneficial when calculating your credit score. You are not spending less just spreading the debit out.

There are some common sense ways to improve your credit score. One for instance is to pay down your debt. This does not mean closing out accounts. You do not want to close your accounts, just pay them down. When the score is calculated it looks at how much available credit do you have compared to how much credit you are carrying. If you close accounts it reduces the amount of available credit to you so the same amount of debt effects the calculations differently.

Fix the errors you have found on your credit reports. Look for accounts that aren’t yours, late payments that are not late and debts that you have paid off that were not removed from your account. Some companies are quick to report deficiencies to the credit companies but take their time removing bad marks from your record. It is up to you to watch this and ensure that your information is kept up to date and clean. You do not need to hire a company to help remove bad items from your accounts. Credit Score Monster has links available to start the process of contesting items on your reports.

Remember the first thing you have to do in order to clean up your credit reports is to get that information in your hand. Without know what your scores are there really is no sense in trying to clean up your records. Purchase your three credit reports from Credit Score Monster to get you on your way of increasing your credit scores and ultimately saving you thousands of dollars on your next major purchase.



Thanks to Credit Monster for contributing this article to our Credit Repair blog:

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