Tomas Loden asked:


Can you trust online credit report services? That is the question that consumers are asking today, especially with the hundreds of offers that flood your e-mail in-box promising accurate credit reporting scores with just the click of a mouse.

The good news is that most, if not all of these companies, are legitimate and do in fact provide you the necessary information that is directly related to your credit report and your overall score, which depends on whatever particular credit bureau system the company uses to check your background with.

Free credit report services

Just about every credit report organization will offer you some type of “free” background check of your credit score. While this free report may not entail every detail that you would like to know in terms of your debts, there is some valuable information that can be obtained. However, you should know that these introductory offers are merely just to give you a taste of their product so that you can upgrade to the paid credit reporting services they offer.

Is it safe to submit your personal information for a free credit report service?

If you stick with the most popular credit reporting agencies then you should have absolutely no problem worrying about your personal information being delivered over the Internet such as your Social Security number, driver’s license, etc. This information is typically handled by a secure server and there is little need to worry about the credit form being hacked and stolen by an unauthorized user.

What credit bureaus are checked when using a free credit report service?

Since there are three main credit bureaus that most agencies use to locate and filter your debts and credit score information, this free reporting service may use one of these entities or a combination of all three.

The three national credit reporting organizations used by most businesses is Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Remember, the most accurate scoring for your credit and history can only be obtained by having a combination of all three major credit bureaus. In other words, let’s say for example you sign up with a free reporting service and the information comes back only partially accurate. This means that you would need to upgrade to the paid service in order to get 100% up-to-date credit information.

Is it possible to contact the three national credit reporting agencies on your own, instead of relying on a paid service?

While utilizing a credit reporting service is the most efficient way of compiling your information into one easy-to-read scoring system, you can in fact request your credit history from the three major national credit bureaus. Below is the contact information for Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax:

1. Experian: The phone number is 1-888-397-3742 and Experian will send you your report by mail within seven to ten business days.

2. TransUnion: The contact number for TransUnion is 1-800-916-8800 and in most cases you will receive your credit report within seven business days.

3. Equifax: The phone number is 1-800-685-1111. Equifax is faster than most services and usually sends your credit report out to you within 48 hours.



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John Cena asked:


There are a number of legal and effective credit repair techniques that have been used by individuals and credit repair companies to improve credit scores. Number one is removing negative items from credit reports is Credit Repair Software.

Personal credit report repair is a major concern for many people. It can be a long and frustrating process. There is no really quick fix. A leading credit repair company will advise you that it take time. There are techniques used by individuals and professional companies to achieve results. This article briefly covers one of the most frequently asked questions about personal credit report Software which is; how do I repair my credit.

The answer to the question; how Can I repair my credit; seems to depend on who you ask. If you ask Fair Isaac or one of the credit bureaus, they will tell you that it takes time and patience. Some “experts” say that only time can repair bad credit. A leading credit repair company says that bad credit can be deleted. In response to disbelief, they show tens of thousands of deleted listing, including bankruptcies.

When you ask; how Can I repair my credit, the most common answer is review the information on your credit report. Due to a recently enacted law, consumers can view and print copies of their credit reports at no charge by visiting www.creditrepairsoft.com. If information on your credit reports is inaccurate, obsolete, misleading or unverifiable, you can dispute the items with the credit bureau. You can write to the creditor that made the report and ask that the information be removed. You can do this on your own or you can hire a leading credit repair company to do it for you.

Often depending on the products that they sell, different companies will give you different answers to the question; how do I repair my credit. For instance, companies that offer credit cards to people with bad credit tell people that these credit cards will improve their credit. However, this may not be the case. Typical unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit charge fees that are nearly as high as the initial credit limit. According to Fair Isaac, inventors of the FICO credit scoring process, amount of “available” credit is a big determining factor in your credit score. Simply having a credit card will probably not improve your credit score. A leading credit repair company says that removing negative items from your credit reports will have the single biggest impact on your FICO credit score.

Disreputable credit repair companies may advise you to apply for an EIN, if you ask them; how do I repair my credit. This is a technique that is not recommended by a leading credit repair company. An EIN or employer identification number is a number used by the IRS to designate a business. If you do not own a small business, you should not apply for one. Some companies which advertise personal credit report repair recommend that a person apply for an EIN and use that number instead of their social security number when applying for credit. It is illegal to provide false information on a credit application.

So, after you look at the many answers to; how Can I repair my credit, you will probably see that there are many ways. Some work. Some do not. Some are illegal. You can choose to do it yourself or you can hire a leading credit repair company to do it for you. If you wait for bad credit to be removed from your personal credit report, then it will take a long time and you will not improve your credit scores. Even people with the worst credit can obtain a secured credit card, have a friend or family member with good credit list them as a co-applicant and work to achieve personal credit report repair. If you do nothing, your scores will not improve. There are companies that sell software programs, credit repair kits, books, CDs and DVDs on the subject of credit repair. You are not the only person asking; how do I repair my credit. There is also a lot of free information. It will take time and patience if you try to do it on your own, but it can be done. You may see quicker results if you hire a leading credit repair company and for certain problems a credit repair software is best.

Having good credit is important to everyone. People that have good credit may say that there are no effective credit repair techniques. People who have once had bad credit and now have good credit, because of the credit repair techniques used by the credit repair law firms would disagree. Credit repair is possible and it can be effective. Credit repair techniques that are legal and effective do exist.



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Sandra Stammberger asked:


Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act the reporting company and the information provider are responsible for correcting any credit report disputes. However, they must first be made aware that you have credit report disputes. A person can report and correct errors in their credit report by following two easy steps.

Step one is to report your error to the consumer reporting company in writing and make them aware that you have a credit report dispute. Make sure you include all your personal information like your name, address, and a list of each credit report dispute that have. Remember to send your letter by certified mail to prove that you have initiated a credit report dispute. The consumer reporting company will then investigate your credit report disputes and respond in 30 days. If they find there is an error and the credit report dispute can be resolved by correcting it then they will forward the information to the other credit bureaus and your credit report will be revised.

After reviewing your credit report dispute the consumer reporting company may decide that they disagree with the items raised in your credit report dispute and decline to pursue the matter any further. They will send you all of the evidence that they have and the reasons for not pursuing your credit report dispute, along with a copy of your credit report.

Another way to handle a credit report dispute is to contact the particular creditor directly. Again, send the creditor a list of your credit report disputes in writing. Be sure to call your creditor and ask for the specific address of where credit report dispute issues need to be sent to ensure that there is no unnecessary delay in the credit report dispute being investigated. Many companies have a separate address for handling credit report disputes and it can take time for it to be forwarded to the correct address if you do not send it there initially. If you are correct in your credit report dispute and there is an error they will report the error to the credit bureaus and send you notification of the change.

Below is a sample credit report dispute letter :

Date

Your Name

Your Address, City, State, Zip Code

Complaint Department

Name of Company

Address

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. I have circled the items I dispute on the attached copy of the report I received.

This item (identify item(s) disputed by name of source, such as creditors or tax court, and identify type of item, such as credit account, judgment, etc.) is (inaccurate or incomplete) because (describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the item be removed (or request another specific change) to correct the information.

Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records, court documents) supporting my position. Please reinvestigate this (these) matter(s) and (delete or correct) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Your name

Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing.)



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Lisa Nichols asked:


Your credit report and your credit score are used by a variety of businesses to help them learn more about you. Anyone with a business need and your permission is allowed to see your credit report or credit score. In some cases, your permission isn’t even needed for someone to view your credit history.

When Your Permission Isn’t Needed to View Your Credit Report

Lenders and credit card companies partner with the credit bureaus to be able to send customers promotional offers. These companies don’t need your permission to view your credit report. You’ve already provided them with tacit permission to review your credit history by not submitting a request to be taken off their mailing lists. This request form is available from each of the three credit bureaus.

Prospective Landlords Can See Your Credit Report

Landlords are allowed to run credit reports and background checks on prospective tenants. Landlords use this information to decide if they want to rent to applicants. If a credit report has issues or problems, a landlord may still choose to rent to the applicant, but he or she is legally allowed to charge an additional fee or increased security deposit.

Hiring Companies and Insurance Companies Can See Credit Reports and Scores

Hiring companies and insurance companies can see your credit score or credit report. Hiring companies use the information contained in a credit report to get a big picture view of prospective employees. Insurance companies use information they see on a credit score or credit report to help determine rates and eligibility for insurance. Both types of businesses must request permission in writing before reviewing a credit report; this is usually part of a job application or an application for insurance.

Lenders and Creditors Can Review Credit Scores

Lenders and credit card companies can review credit scores and credit reports to determine credit worthiness when you’ve applied for a loan or a credit card. In addition, if you have open loans or credit card accounts, those lenders and creditors can also review your credit to monitor changes.

Experian Triple Advantage Allows You to Review Credit Report

See what others are seeing when they review your credit report with Experian Triple Advantage. Order a copy of your credit report and credit score online. Then, use customized tips provided by Experian Triple Advantage to improve your credit score.



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John Mcfadden asked:


A consumer credit report is the annual assessment of each person’s credit standing. By knowing what is on your you can get a lot of benefits when you go to get credit based services like loans, credit cards and even rent and phones.

Each year, by law, American citizens are entitled to obtain a free copy of their annual consumer credit report which basically details their credit risk profile. This allows companies who are considering extending some type of credit to the consumer to make an educated decision on the risk of that transaction. The better the credit of the consumer, then the better chance that company has of being paid back by the consumer.

By having a good credit report, a consumer can gain advantages such as cheaper loans and credit cards and avoid the embarrassment of being rejected for things like rental apartments and telephone contracts.

There are three companies which can offer a free consumer credit report (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) and are legally obliged to offer that annually.

By knowing what is in your credit report, you can negotiate for better credit condition (if you’re report is good) or you can strive to repair your credit by challenging inaccurate or false items on your report.

To do that, you simply need to obtain a copy, unfortunately you need to actually a report from all three credit bureaus. Why, because lenders don’t report to each bureaus, they just report to one with your past financial information - so if you only obtain a copy of one report then you will not have your complete financial position and history, it is recommended that you get all three reports - they way you know where you stand and you start improving nay negative information, it is common for your personal information to be old or incorrect.

Make sure you update them with your correct address. Be sure not to use companies that claim they can quickly improve your credit score, they are most likely to be scammers.

Assess the items on it that are negatively affecting your credit score and challenge those items to the relevant consumer reporting company. That company is then legally obliged to pursue the matter.

The thing is that challenging your credit report takes knowledge and time and so it may often be a better option to hire a credit reporting company to do the leg work on your behalf.

It’s essential you know how lenders will read and give weight to different parts of your Credit Report:

The American company FiCO has a tool that helps credit bureaus determine your credit score - below is the matrix that is used:

Payment History 35%

Amount Owed 30%

Length of Credit History 15%

New Credit 10%

Types of Credit Used 10%

Such companies know exactly what can be challenged as well as how to do it and who to contact about your credit.

By having a good credit report, you can make your own life a lot easier and cheaper in the long run.

Hopefully this article has been helpful for you and you will now know exactly what yours says.



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