Archive for July, 2008

Remove collections from credit report Q & A

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Q:
Hi Mike,
I disputed my credit report through your site. I had some collections on my credit report that are over 7 years old. My question is how long does it normally take to remove the collection that is incorrect? This collection on my credit report is 9 years old, and is still reporting with Equifax credit bureau. This is very aggravating to me and I feel like the credit bureaus don’t stay on top of this stuff like they should. I just want it removed; I believe it is dragging down my credit score.

Shawn Matters

A:
Hi Shawn,
This is a common issue with the credit bureaus. Yes, if there is a collection reporting on your credit report it is dragging down your credit score. Typically after you dispute the inaccuracy, the credit bureaus will remove it in about 30 days. Make sure you only dispute it once, because if you dispute it twice the credit bureaus will put you back in the 30 day window again from the date of dispute. So in essence it could take 60 days to resolve by disputing it twice.

Mike Clover
CreditScoreQuick.com

Credit Score affected by transferring credit card balances.

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

You probably never thought that transferring credit card balances from one credit card to another credit card would affect your credit score. It may sound like a good idea to transfer high credit card balances to lower interest rate credit cards banks. In some cases this is a good idea, but it really depends on some circumstances. When your credit score is determined, one of the factors in the credit scoring process is the amount of debt owed. This accounts for 30% of your credit score. I am going to discuss two scenarios, one that will not affect your credit score and one scenario that will.

Scenario One
Let’s assume you have a credit card with a balance of $6,000 on it. The interest rate on this card is killing you and you have found a better deal to pay off the card quicker. The new card has approved you for $7500 credit limit and 0% interest on balance transfers for 18 months. This sounds like a good idea. So you transfer the balance to the new card for the low interest rate.

Here is the problem:
When you owe more than 30% of the allowed credit limit on a credit card, this will drop your credit score. With this scenario you have almost used up all the credit they gave you. This is not wise at all. The balance you owe compared to the approved credit limit it way too high. You have 80% of the card limit already used up. This will affect your credit core

Scenario Two
Let’s assume you have a credit card with a balance of $6000 on it. Plus you just got approved for a credit card with a credit limit of $25,000. They are offering the same deal on transfers as above, but they gave you a higher credit limit. This is the ideal situation and will not affect your credit score. The reason is the balance owed compared to credit limit is around 24%. This is considered low risk to most credit scoring risk models.

This principal can be applied to all credit card balances. You should not have your credit card balances charged up more than 30% of the allowed credit limit.

CreditScoreQuick.com

CreditScoreQuick.com Now Offers Free Information on Consumer Credit Repair and Assistance

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

As part of a continuing credit education program, CreditScoreQuick.com offers consumers tips on how to minimize credit risk and repair credit history in their online blog.

(PRWEB) July 24, 2008 — CreditScoreQuick.com, created by a professional lender, recently introduced a series of articles dedicated to helping consumers learn how to repair their credit histories and lower credit risk, absolutely free of charge, through an online blog at CreditScoreQuick.com/blogger.htm. Recent topics in the blog include:
* Rental and foreclosure collections and what it means in today’s housing market.
* How consumers can determine their credit score at no cost and what it means for their financial planning.
* How to avoid, or recover from, financial identity theft.

Before the recent housing crunch and increasing foreclosure rates, many consumers were unconcerned about their negative credit history, and banks were eager to get loans approved for customers. In order to receive quick loan approval, customers with negative credit histories were ripe for credit repair company’s assistance. According to CreditScoreQuick.com owner, Mike Clover, “During the real estate boom, credit repair companies were beating down my door for clients that needed credit restoration. We tried all kinds of companies who stated that they could help our clients out.”

Over time, Clover realized these companies were not doing anything except taking clients money. The fees these so-called credit repair companies charged consumers averaged $1,000 or more. “Being lenders during this extremely busy time, we did not have the time to repair our client’s credit reports, so we outsourced it. After exhausting just about every credit repair company in town, we decided to start directly helping clients repair their credit through our new company, CreditScoreQuick.com,” says Clover.

“We knew what needed to be done to help out individuals and families who were facing financial trouble so we started posting how to repair your credit articles on our Web site blog,” continues Clover. “Since we had first-hand experience in how to really fix credit reports, we decided to post our first hand experience on the web for free.”

When it comes to learning about credit and making sound financial decisions, may consumers find themselves buried in confusing information that doesn’t make sense, or even contradicts information from other sources. “We found that most people had fallen prey to credit repair scams because they were desperate for help,” Clover says. “Credit repair is just better money management education, and education on what affects your credit worthiness.”

According to CreditScoreQuick.com, no one can completely remove a debt they owe from their credit report. Many people have heard the “100 percent removal” sales pitch from credit repair companies so many times, that they truly believe it. But then they find out it is just a sales pitch designed to get them to register and spend anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000.

The results have been documented all over the Web announcing credit repair companies facing investigation and possible fines by the FTC and the Better Business Bureaus for not delivering what they promised.

So CreditScoreQuick.com took the liberty to show people what it takes to repair their credit report themselves. As part of their ongoing credit repair education series, CreditScoreQuick.com has begun posting better credit management education articles in a series of daily blogs. “Our top priority is to show the American people how important it is to mange your credit so you don’t get in financial trouble. If you have found yourself in trouble with your credit, you can repair your credit report through our site absolutely free, with no strings attached,” states Clover.

For additional information on repairing credit, e-mail CreditScoreQuick.com and they will respond to questions within 24 hours with a post on their company blog. CreditScoreQuick.com offers a full range of credit tools for consumers who wish to lower their credit risk including personal loan and mortgage applications, free credit reports, credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

Your credit score may just been lowered

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

If your credit score was just lowered, how would you find out? There are so many avenues now to get your credit report it’s actually pretty easy. But what if it actually was lowered to the point that it would really cost you on loans? This is where the constant stream of information is flowing about how important your credit score is these days. A credit score is so powerful these days that it has become the driving force of the lending industry. When it comes right down to it, all of this is the result of money. If someone loans you money and your credit score states you are low risk, then there is a pretty good chance that the bank will not need to worry about you defaulting. But in this article I wanted to discuss some matters that would affect your credit score.

Applying for credit
If you are going out applying for a bunch of credit, this will lower your credit score. The reason is the credit score risk models look at this type of activity in a negative way. The reason is it looks like you are applying for too much new credit which could be a risk to a creditor. The reason it look negative at this is because you could be acquiring too much debt too soon

Late payments
If you were just late on a payment that is with a creditor, you credit score was just destroyed. Late payments will affect your credit rating about 100 points.

High credit card balances
If you just went out and charged up your credit cards above 30% of allowed credit limit, you score just dropped. If you charged over the credit limit your credit score just dropped as well.

Closing credit card accounts
If you just closed one of your credit card accounts you just lowered your credit score. You really should not close out good credit unless there is a really good reason. This type of activity will lower your fico score.

Not enough credit
Maybe your credit score is not increasing because you don’t have a mix of credit on your credit report. You should have a couple credit cards and maybe a auto loan. You credit score is calculated by your mix of credit and your activity with this credit.

These are some quick tips on what could lower your credit score. What out for stuff like this, it will cost you.

About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of http://www.creditscorequick.com/. CreditScoreQuick.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score report, fico score, free credit check, identity theft protection, secured credit cards, student credit cards , credit cards, mortgage loans, auto loans, insurance, debt consolidation ,and a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit, and what determines ones credit worthiness

Comparing Bankruptcy to Collections

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

No one wants to run out on a valid debt, but sometimes things happen that make it impossible to make payments. In the best of all worlds, you could go to creditors, explain the situation, and they would let you put off making payments until you got back on your feet.

But while some creditors might be willing to cooperate, given the promise of full payment at a later date, some will not. That leaves you with some tough choices:

• Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
• Filing Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
• Letting your debts go to collection

Prior to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, almost anyone could file Chapter 7 and wipe the slate clean. The bankruptcy put a blot on their credit report and lowered their FICO credit score, but they no longer owed the debt.

Now it’s a bit tougher. If your income is greater than the state median income, your motion to file Chapter 7 will be dismissed and you will have to file Chapter 13. That means you’ll have to repay the debts over time.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy dissolves all debts that legally qualify for the process – meaning that almost all liabilities are erased. You can’t erase a debt to the IRS – so don’t count on this system to get rid of overdue income taxes.

Chapter 7 filings remain on your credit report for 10 years, so this move is not one to take without due consideration.

Under Chapter 13, you must pay off at least a portion of your debts over time. For 5 years you’ll pay money to a court appointed Trustee, who will disperse the funds to your creditors. This option is usually for people who have a steady income.

Be aware that certain restrictions will apply to your life. You won’t be able to go out and buy a new car, that’s for sure! This stays on your credit report for 7 years.

The third option might be the best in some cases: Letting your debts go to collection.

When your original creditor decides that collecting from you is a lost cause, it will sell your debt to a collection agency for pennies on the dollar. The collection agency will, of course, attempt to get the full balance from you, but you can negotiate a lesser balance agreement. Even when you pay far less than the original debt, the collection agency makes money because they paid so little for the debt.

The future will see fewer people filing Chapter 7, if for no other reason than the income limitations. It should see fewer people overall filing, because of the life restrictions imposed under Chapter 13.

Always pay your debts if you can, but if you can’t, consider letting them go to collection as an alternative to bankruptcy.

CreditScoreQuick.com

Free Credit Reports Without Credit Scores are Only Worth What You Paid

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

You’ll see plenty of companies on line, in the newspapers, on the radio, and on TV who are shouting out offers for their Free Credit Reports. And they are telling the truth – they’ll give you a credit report.

The trouble is, it won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on, because it won’t contain the number you need most to see: your credit score.

The folks who think they need to know all about your financial life will definitely look at the history portrayed in your credit report, but they also want your score. They don’t have the time or the expertise to weigh each segment of your financial history, so they count on the 3 major credit bureaus to tell them about your credit worthiness.

After all, when Bill Fair and Earl Isaac created the FICO scoring system, they’d been studying the statistics for years – figuring out what financial traits marked the difference between a good credit risk and a poor one. No system can predict the future with 100% accuracy, but their system predicts it well enough to cause almost everyone to rely on credit scores generated from it.

Who wants to know about your money management history? Seems like almost everyone:
• Mortgage companies
• Banks
• Car loan companies
• Credit Card Companies
• Credit Unions
• Department stores
• Potential employers
• Potential landlords
• Insurance Companies
• Cell phone companies
• Satellite Television providers
• And even your soon-to-be spouse!

Our finances used to be a private matter, and now almost everyone knows your business!

When you get your free “scoreless” credit report you’ll be able to see what has been reported about you, and you’ll be able to check for mistakes and signs of identity theft, but you still won’t know how a potential creditor views you. And you won’t know if you need to begin taking steps to rebuild poor credit.

But there’s a second reason why you need to know your own score. Sad to say, some potential creditors will ask if you know your score – and use that lack of knowledge against you if you don’t.

If you have a good score and don’t know it, those creditors can fool you into thinking your score is poor, giving them a reason to charge you higher interest. They make millions every year from people who simply don’t realize that they qualify for lower rates.

The good news is, when you request your free credit score reports from Credit Score Quick.com, you’ll get all you need – including the scores you need to know.

CreditScoreQuick.com

Medical Billing Errors Can Ruin Your Credit

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

You pay plenty for medical insurance and you count on it to pay your medical bills so you don’t have to worry about them should you get hurt or become ill. Once you’ve covered the co-pay you should be home free.

And you should. But unfortunately that’s not the way it works.

All it takes is for a data entry person to code your claim incorrectly, and your insurer will disallow the claim. In other words, the bills won’t be paid.

Unfortunately, the people doing data entry are generally minimum wage workers who are only “putting in their time” and don’t really care if they make errors, as long as they can get through the day and go home. It really doesn’t concern them if your insurer disallows the claim – or if the doctor or hospital ever gets paid.

So, what happens? There you are, doing your best to recover from illness or injury, and these bills keep arriving. The medical field is notorious for sending garbled bills that require some kind of degree to decipher – and they send them in little spurts, so it’s difficult to see if they’re all different, or duplicates. It’s even hard to figure out if you actually got the treatments they’ve itemized, because they have strange names and codes.

So you set them aside, assuming that eventually all the bills will find their way to your insurance company and will be paid.

Then, after several months or even a couple of years, you begin getting collection letters – and you realize that your credit score is in the basement because of bills you assumed had been paid.

Here’s what to do:
• Get the medical claim number from the collection company
• Call your insurance provider and discuss what the problem was
• Get something in writing from the collections company to delete collection from all 3 credit bureaus after you’ve verified there was a code entered incorrectly.
• Once you receive this letter, mail it via certified mail, along with a dispute letter, to each of the credit reporting agencies listed below. Then be patient, because it takes about 30 days to delete misinformation.
• After 60 days, pull your credit report to make sure all 3 credit reporting agencies have removed the collections.

It’s true that certain lenders disregard medical collections – just as some disregard collections from health clubs because of their unethical practices. However, some creditors will look only at the overall score – and those medical collections will definitely lower your FICO score.

The three major credit reporting agencies:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian
NCAC
P.O. Box 9595
Allen, TX 75013

Trans Union
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000

CreditScoreQuick.com

Think it Can’t Happen to You? It Can.

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

What is “It?”

Identity theft. It happens every single day, and you could easily be its next victim. Now that almost all of our personal information is somewhere on line, talented hackers can learn almost anything they might want to know, about anyone.

Just a few months ago the Veteran’s Administration announced that thousands of names had been compromised due to carelessness on the part of one employee.

It seems crazy to want someone else’s identity, but these thieves have some pretty strong reasons for doing it – almost all of them having to do with money.

With your identity, the thieves can drain your bank account, use your credit cards, and even open new credit card accounts in your name – so the bills will be reported in your name, not theirs. Some of them steal multiple identities, so they can make a big haul and then disappear.

Think about it – Using your identity, they can check “their” credit, identify accounts you aren’t using, send a change of address to them, and request new credit cards. You wouldn’t even know a charge had been made, because the bill would be going to a bogus address. And since you weren’t using the account, you wouldn’t miss the bill.

These people are without conscience – they don’t care what kind of havoc they wreak in your life. They don’t care if they leave you destitute, destroy your credit, and leave you in legal entanglements for the next few years.

So what to do?

One precaution is to freeze your credit report, but that isn’t a practical solution for everyone. The next best thing is to keep a constant watch on your credit report, so you can know right away if someone is trying to obtain credit using your name.

You can do this by checking your credit report regularly, watching for new account activity, address changes, collection accounts, credit increases or inquiries, etc. It’s a tedious job, and one you must perform regularly, because early detection is the key to stopping a financial loss before it becomes devastating.

The more convenient alternative is to sign up for a monitoring service. But even then, be careful. Check to see that the service you choose monitors all 3 of the major credit reporting companies, and that they do it frequently enough to nip trouble in the bud. Some even provide identity theft insurance – to protect you in the event that they make a mistake and overlook the early warning signs of a thief.

As with all services, some are better than others, and some are downright scams. Ask questions, read the fine print, and then choose a company to set your mind at rest. Not only will you be able to get on with your own life, a good credit report monitoring service will get you in the right direction. This is one of those do-it-yourself projects that’s better left to the experts.

CreditScoreQuick.com

Good Credit Saves You Money in More Ways than One

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

When you think of needing a good credit score, the first thing that comes to mind is buying a home. Next is buying a car, and third is probably the ability to get a credit card.

It’s true, a good score will help you in all those areas. Not only will it make you eligible for a home, a car, or a new credit card, it will mean that you will be granted a lower interest rate than someone with poor credit. Your buying power will be larger, because less of your money will be drained off to pay interest.

Just think, if you borrow $30,000 for a new car and pay just 1% more interest than your neighbor, you’ll spend an extra $300 per year – $25 per month that you could be using for other things – just on interest. If you pay 2% more, that’s an extra $50 per month. Of course, the lender will probably let you stretch your payments over more years, so your payment might be the same as your neighbors, but you’ll pay it for an extra one, two, or three years.

That doesn’t sound like fun at all, does it?

But that’s not all. Your credit score could mean the difference between having and not having a cell phone, or satellite TV service. It could also mean the difference between an affordable insurance rate and one that makes you want to sell your home and your car just to avoid the premiums.

Not buying a house? Prospective landlords also check credit before deciding if they’ll rent to you. After all, if you’ve got good credit you’re more apt to pay your rent on time. When your credit report shows late payments or defaults, they’ll form the opinion that you don’t care much about paying your bills. So naturally they’ll choose a tenant with good credit over a tenant with bad or even marginal credit.

But that’s still not all. Professional employers check credit before hiring employees. When your credit is good it indicates trustworthiness and responsibility. When it’s poor, the prospective employer suspects that you’re disorganized, irresponsible with money, and just might not be conscientious in caring for the company’s best interests.

This practice is especially prevalent in employment fields tied to financial practices – banks, accounting firms, and treasuries.

The first step you need to take is to learn about your current score. Get a free credit report from an online provider, read it carefully to make sure it has no errors, and then begin working to make it as good as you possibly can.

About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of http://www.creditscorequick.com/. CreditScoreQuick.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score report, fico score, free credit check, identity theft protection, secured credit cards, student credit cards , credit cards, mortgage loans, auto loans, insurance, debt consolidation ,and a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit, and what determines ones credit worthiness

Denied for a FHA loan because of Credit Score.

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Getting denied for a mortgage can be humiliating but there is life afterwards. If your credit score is too low because of the current restrictions in the lending industry, I can tell you what you need to do. In this article I will give some tips in regards to better preparing yourself for a mortgage when you credit report may not look too good. With FHA being the most attractive loan in this market, here are some key points lenders are looking for.

• 580 middle credit score
• 12 months clean credit report history
• No foreclosures during the last 3 years
• No Chapter 7 bankruptcies during the last 2 years.
• Must have 2 year work history
• Must have provable income with either two years w2’s or two years tax returns with provable income on Schedule C of tax return.
• Must meet max FHA loan limits in your area. Go here.
• Underwriters look at 24 month credit report history with most infuses on the last 12 months. So make sure your credit report does not look like you have had total disregard for your obligations.
• Good 12 month rental history
• 3 lines of good credit reporting on your credit report for the last 12 months. Alternate lines of credit will work. Example: Letter stating you have been on time with any of your utility bills, car insurance, internet bill, etc…….. for the last 12 months as well.
• Save at least 3% of the amount of house you are buying.

These are some key points to getting a FHA mortgage loan in today’s market. If you credit scores are low, here are some key tips to increase your credit score.

• Make sure you have at least 3 lines of credit reporting on your credit report. These lines of credit should be at least 2 credit cards, and maybe a car note.
• Keep your credit balances below 30% of allowed credit limit
• Don’t be late on anything
• Remove any information that has expired, or is inaccurate.

If you follow this simple process you will be buying a house before you know it. If you don’t know what is on your free credit score report find out today !

About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of http://www.creditscorequick.com/. CreditScoreQuick.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score report, fico score, free credit check, identity theft protection, secured credit cards, student credit cards , credit cards, mortgage loans, auto loans, insurance, debt consolidation ,and a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit, and what determines ones credit worthiness

Disclaimer: This information has been compiled and provided by CreditScoreQuick.com as an informational service to the public. While our goal is to provide information that will help consumers to manage their credit and debt, this information should not be considered legal advice. Such advice must be specific to the various circumstances of each person's situation, and the general information provided on these pages should not be used as a substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel.