Mike Clover asked:




Your credit score report can be affect by more than your available credit history. We talk about how credit cards, mortgages, car loans, and any type of loan that reports to all 3 credit bureaus will affect your credit score. We don’t always talk about utility companies and how they can have a negative impact on your credit report. Here are utility companies I like to consider non-creditors. In other words these companies don’t give you a line credit, they just provide a service.

Utility companies

- Phone companies

- Electric companies

- Security companies

- Cell phone companies

- Water companies

- Gas companies

- Cable companies

- Internet Companies

Let’s assume you are having a tough time currently, and you stop paying your cable bill. The cable company will give you a little time to pay off the debt for service rendered, but will eventually turn that debt over to a collection company. The collection company in return will report that obligation to the 3 credit bureaus wanting their money. This is how it works with any of the companies mention. Once this collection reports to the credit bureaus your credit rating just dropped about 100 points. Utility companies on the other hand don’t help your credit when you are in good standing, but will also hurt your credit score if you don’t pay. Once the collection hits your credit report, and you finally decide to pay off the collection, the collection will be on your credit report for 7 years. 7 years of negative information will be on your credit report. If you don’t pay the collection, the collection company can sell the collection repeatedly to different collection companies which will ultimately drive down your credit score even more.

Pay your bills on-time

If you get behind, call your creditors immediately and work out a payment arrangement with them. They will typically work with you, especially during tough economic times. A creditor or utility company would rather get some form of payment versus nothing. If you don’t pay your bills including utility bills it will affect your credit score report. With lending getting extremely tough currently, your credit scores are more important than ever. If you have credit issues, the banks may look at your credit history as too big of a risk for there portfolio.

Don’t assume if you don’t pay utility it will not affect your credit. Because it will affect your credit, and will not go away until you pay it off. If you are unsure what is on your credit report, get a copy of your free credit score report today.

Arlene

Marc Marseille asked:




A 3 credit bureau report can be useful for various reasons. There are 3 key credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and each of them have their own knowledge about your credit, so to obtain a good credit score, you need all three.

Several financial institutions require a good score with all 3 credit agencies before they will approve you. For example, a house loan won’t be approved if you have a bad credit rating from 2 out of the 3 bureaus. You also will not qualify for low cost life insurance, a credit card with a low interest rate, or some cases even an apartment. In essence, knowing your three score can save you time from applying to services which you already know you will not be approve for.

Another advantage about knowing your 3 credit bureau report score is that it can show you if somebody has been defrauding you or hijacking your credit profile. If, for example, somebody has been opening accounts in your good name without your knowledge, that information will show up on your 3 credit score report as derogatory. The knowledge of this information will allow you to take legitimate action to get the derogatory items removed from your credit bureau report.

There are many ways you can enhance your credit rating, but none of these tactics can be implemented if you do not know your credit score. One solution to improving your score is to acquire a couple secured visa cards and pay off your bills before they are due. If you continually pay off your balances in a timely manner, this will affect your credit score in positive way.

In addition to paying your bills on time, maintaining a low balance on your revolving accounts and credit cards are mandatory. High balances reflects someone who is strap for money which creditors tend to stay away from. You may be surprised at how many points your credit can rise by simply reducing your balances.

In the long run, it is worth it for you to keep your credit in good standing, because it means you will be able to qualify the things that are important to you. The ability to stay on top of your finances does not have to be difficult, the main thing is not living beyond your means. The more discipline your are now, the more rewards you will receive in the future.

Theodore

Toddy Martin asked:




Are you credit worthy? If you are, the next question would be, how credit worthy are you? Some companies might not be using the exact wording but at least before they lend you the money, their thoughts revolve on this particular idea.

Just how important is it to be credit worthy? If credit worthiness is defined as a debtor’s willingness to repay a debt, then apparently, it must be of utmost consideration to every debtor. Money lenders are in business because they want to make money, not to lose some. And no lender will take chances in giving loans to a person who does not seem to be credit worthy at all.

But how do these lenders or lending institutions weigh the credit worthiness of a person?

Your credit report will most likely contain the vital information needed by lending institutions to assess whether you are credit worthy or not. Truth be told, not everyone uses the same standards for assessment but at least there are common denominators in the assessment game. You can be assured that payment overdues, whether 30 days or 60 days or even longer, will leave a negative mark on your credit report and will almost certainly taint your record. Because if you are all the more willing to pay back the person or the institution which lent you money, then you should have given much thought about paying it on time.

Another parameter to consider is your monthly income. Most lenders have become quite dependent on this factor because of the simple logic that the person with a higher income has more money to repay his or her loans. Haven’t you noticed how the well-heeled can access more credit, apply for multiple credit cards, and breeze through mortgages? It might sound unintelligent because they are supposedly wealthy and they do not need to go through the process of availing loans because of their status. Someone with a lower monthly income needs it more than they do.

But of course, as the years pass, there have been specific guidelines to accommodate even laborers with meager salaries. There are actually instances that people who have lower income can access more loans compared to their more privileged counterparts. What specific instances are these? When people with more income have become delinquent borrowers and have built a disappointing credit history through the years, that is when creditors become wary of lending them once again.

Philip

Greg Mckeon asked:




One of the biggest threats to consumers is the lack of credit report monitoring. Most of us know that fraud exists but don’t realize just how big the threat is. Con artists prey on the naive and the greedy and they’ve honed their skills for years duping their victims out of money and possessions. It may not be surprising then that identity fraud has become so widespread because consumers still embrace the DIY mode of prevention; but honestly it’s too many avenues to keep abreast of. While you’re watching A, B and C, D, E and F are left vulnerable.

Proactive credit bureau monitoring could minimize the risk of financial and identity theft. The credit bureaus are updated by vendors of your whereabouts all the time. Use a new address and you can be sure that the credit bureau will soon have it listed on your credit report. Apply for a new credit card and the inquiry is listed on your credit report. This is why credit report monitoring is so vital to keeping your identity protected.

Just imagine some imposter posing as you, using your information including your sacred social security number. It becomes life altering when someone is out there posing as you ruining your good name and credit. And while the majority of us request our free yearly credit report, there are a vast number of people who don’t and this group won’t find out that someone has stolen their identity until they happen to come across some peculiar information. Which group are you in? Will it be the protected or un-protected group?

Fraud is the type of crime that keeps on giving; here are a few reasons to consider why credit report monitoring is so important;

The yearly credit report you just reviewed had no suspicious items listed so you’re at ease and feel protected. The following month an imposter opens 3 new credit cards in your name with a new address. You have no idea that this has occurred. The new credit card billing statements began going to the new address and the imposter is paying the minimum payments; it may be a rarity but they have successfully became you and you still have no idea that this is occurring. The imposter feels confident and successfully gets approved for 2 new car loans; this time they have no intention of paying and the imposter disappears. You still are unaware that your identity has been stolen because no one has notified you.

This is nothing new because imposters steal identities everyday for various reasons. In some cases they only want credit and some will even pay the minimum payments; others are just buying time to see how much they can get away with until they completely disappear once the credit limit has been reached.

All of those scenarios has happened and become frequent each year. While all cannot be completed prevented, it certainly can be minimized because if you were utilizing a credit monitoring service they would have alerted you the second a new address or application for a credit card hit your credit report.

Every instance of a request for new credit or a vendor reporting a new address will show up on your report however if you’re not taking advantage of good credit monitoring then an imposter could do damage twice-fold before you find out.

Some of you may be very proactive and keep regular updates on your credit report while others should really invest in a service that specializes in credit report monitoring and quick alerts of fraud. In today’s age of the unknown you need all the help you can find.

Katherine

Marc Marseille asked:




Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. The effects of identity theft can be a very hurtful experience that mostly occurs during the important moments of your life. Many victims of identity theft do not even realize that someone or in some cases several people have been violating them by getting access to their personal credit bureau report. Protecting your credit bureau report can easily be achieved by getting a copy of your free triple score from all three credit bureaus.

Your free triple score report will provide you with all the information you have reporting with all three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. Once you have received your credit bureau report, it is crucial that you do a thorough investigation to make sure that all your information is reporting correctly. If you find that you have been a victim of identity fraud, the best thing to do in that situation is to seek professional legal help through a reputable credit attorney.

It is unfortunate if you find yourself dealing with the situation of having your identity stolen, but there several steps you can take to prevent identity theft before it happens. The first step is to arm yourself with identity protection. Many credit card companies offer identity protection through a small monthly fee on your credit card, but if you have several credit cards, you may want to consider getting a more universal identity protection policy. Getting a universal identity protection policy includes using a company that works hand in hand with the 3 credit bureaus to create a lock on your credit bureau report.

Once you’ve create a lock on your credit report, no one can make any purchases using your information without having to verify some very vital information. To secure yourself even further, it is important to shred all important personal information before disposing of them. Information that should be shredded is bank statements, credit card statements, and anything that shows your Social Security Number.

Another precaution you can take is to never give your Social Security Number over the internet through an unsecured server. One way to find out if the website you are viewing is insecure is by looking at your browser window. All secure internet websites start with https: and not just http:. To make it even safer to surf the internet, you should get virus protection, spyware and a reliable internet explorer like Firefox.

My last recommendation to protection your free triple score report sounds simple enough, but a lot of people fall victim to it everyday; you should never give your Social Security Number over the telephone to a company you do not trust. Unless you have a long lasting relationship with a certain company, it is better to deal in person. If you must give sensitive information over the phone such as banking, try to establish a relationship with one particular individual in that department before you do so.

Jeremy

Conleth Onu asked:




Disputing negative entries on your credit report is the most effective method to delete unfavorable information and improve your credit rating.

Many people in America have negative information on their credit report. These derogatory items can be detrimental to your ability to obtain loans, credit cards and other financial services.

You have the right to dispute any inaccurate or incomplete information that is contained in your credit report. There is no charge for this.

If an account is not being reported 100% accurately, by law the credit bureau must remove it from your report.

Here’s How The Process Works.

1. You get a copy of your credit report from the credit bureaus.

2. When you get your reports you carefully review them and note any negative accounts and inaccuracies.

3. You then dispute the negative accounts. Submit the dispute in writing, along with any supporting documentation. If the credit bureau cannot verify the accuracy of any item you dispute, they must remove the item within the alloted time.

4. When the investigation is complete, the credit bureau must send you a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change.

You can continue this process until you are satisfied with the outcome. Remember, if the negative item is not 100% accurate the credit bureau must remove it from your file.

Before you begin the process, it is essential that you have good information on how to go about restoring your credit.

Do you want to learn more about how to do it? I have written the ultimate guide to credit repair, “How To Clean Up Bad Credit And Establish AAA-1 credit Rating.” For free details, click the link below to visit my website.

Leroy

Casey Watkins asked:




Bad credit is a big problem here in the United States. Almost every American has more than ten thousand dollars in credit card debt. We are going to talk about three easy ways to help you credit score. Each of the three tips can help you on all three of the credit bureaus.

1. Dispute Negative Credit on your Report

This is one of most important steps you can do to better your credit. Each negative or incorrect item that is on your account can be disputed. When you dispute an item with the credit Bureau and win they have to remove it from your record thus improving your score.

2. Pay Down your Debit Cards

Go thru all your credit cards and get each ones bill. Once you have there bills pay a little extra on each one until they are at 25% of the available credit line that you have for that card. Doing this will drastically raise your score. You can also use what some people call the snowball effect to pay them off. It works really well.

3. Get a Secure Credit Card with a Bank

Most banks will open a secured credit card with you. This type of card is in the banks favor, but helps your numbers out too. Basically you add a deposit of $500 to a secure bank account and the bank gives you a credit card with that amount as your credit line. Once you buy something then you pay the bank until the account is back up to the initial $500.

Martin

Gressly Stevens asked:




When it comes right down to it you already know that there are many reasons that you are judged by your credit every single time you try to make a financial decision and even for employment anymore. This is why you have to check your credit rating at least twice a year. There are many things that you have to understand about credit and why you have to keep yours under control and check it from time to time. Here are some helpful credit tips for you.

1. Understanding your Report

It would do you very little good to pull your credit report twice a year if you have no idea what it means and how to read it. There are two basic categories that will consume the majority of your report, the paid on time side, and the not paid on time side. The paid on time side will be listed first and it will have all the different debts, credit cards, and loans that you are currently paying on and you are on time with. The not paid on time side will be all the different debts that you have ever paid on late, even if it was just one payment.

2. What to look for when you check your credit rating

Your actual rating is also known as your FICO score. This is what you are judged on and when you check your credit rating you need to be looking to see what is on your report. You need to make sure that your report is correct and all the debts listed are yours. If there are debts on your report that do not belong to you, then you need to contact the credit bureau and get these debts off your report.

3. Changing your Rating

The best way to change your rating when it comes to credit is to pay off debts on the not paid on time or delinquent side of your report. You do not have to pay off the largest debts to get your rating to go up. If you have any smaller debts on this side of your report you can pay them off one by one and this will help you to raise your FICO score and get to the point where getting financing is easier.

Tim

Helen Hecker asked:




Of course you don’t want to make any late payments on your credit cards or loans and affect your credit report and score unless you absolutely have to, but what happens if you’re unable to avoid it? It all depends on whether you’re 30, 60 or 90 days past due. If it’s only one late payment you may be able to dispute it and get it removed from your credit report but if it’s more than one that may be difficult to do. And it depends on whether it’s currently past due or long term past due, and other factors.

Understanding how FICO credit scoring works for late payments will help you avoid late payments and understand which late payments will show up for the long term and which payments won’t.

Put simply, FICO credit scores are used by credit card companies, loan and mortgage companies, utility and insurance companies etc., to predict how reliable you’ll be as a customer and how much they can trust you make the payments.

If you’re 30 days late on a payment it will affect your credit score only when it’s reported to the credit bureau. The same applies to 60-day late payments. However these are considered short term and may not cause any lasting damage to your scores. If this happens over and over then this will not be the case. Also a one time late payment of 30-60 days may never be reported to the credit reporting agency. You can avoid a lot of worry by finding out if the creditor reports a currently 30 or 60-day late payment or not. Many do not.

If you’re 90 days late it’s another matter. This can damage your credit report and score for seven years, unless you can get it removed. If it was in error or you had some special circumstances and your credit history has been good then it is worth a try by writing a letter to the credit report company. The three main credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax and Trans Union.

Credit card companies and other creditors look at 90-day or 120-day late payments as a red flag. They can no longer trust you to make your payments on time so your credit score will go down. Their purpose is to determine whether you’ll be able to make your payments on time or at least before 90 days have passed. It doesn’t matter if the payment was for $25 or $1000, they will look at it the same way.

Also sometimes late payments may cause a rise in the interest rates on your credit cards.

If you can avoid making any late payments you’ll dramatically improve the scores on your credit report. And if you haven’t gotten your copy of your personal, annual, free credit report online yet then get one now. Study it and then find out how your current creditors look at late payments. Call them up and find out if they report a 30 or 60-day late payment to the credit reporting agency.

Best of all find some emergency ways to completely avoid making any late payments. Try making your payments online a few days early to avoid payments getting lost in the mail. If at all possible find things you can sell or do some small part-time work from home and try to make a small emergency fund.

Do anything you can to avoid making a late payment. But if it happens, make it as soon a possible so it doesn’t go into a 90-day problem. Ninety days is the point where it’ll be difficult to turn things around and seriously affect your credit report and score and future borrowing opportunities. It’s best to spend a little time learning about credit reports, how you can fix or repair your credit report and scores now and how you can raise your credit scores fast. You may be doing some things you had no idea would cause your scores to drop.

Marcus