Credit|stellercredit.com
Aug
12
Filed Under (Finance) by credit
Jon Arnold asked:
Other than eating, sleeping, and breathing, one of the most important things you should be doing on a regular basis is ensuring that the data in your credit report is accurate. That is such a simple statement, yet it is ignored by the vast majority of consumers, probably due to several factors, such as:
* Consumers seem to accept the fact that errors will “self correct” in a reasonable period of time, where in reality nothing could be further from the truth.
* Consumers don’t know how to find out if there is wrong information on their credit report, which impacts their total credit score negatively.
* Consumers don’t realize that having a low credit score (lower than what they deserve, if the information maintained by the credit bureaus was accurate) can impact a huge number of factors in their everyday lives.
* Consumers don’t realize that studies have shown that the MAJORITY of credit reports on consumers and businesses have errors and inaccuracies.
Your credit score is used by anyone loaning you money such as credit card companies, home loan lenders, auto loan lenders and finance companies. You need to find out what your credit score is before you talk to any lender in case there is something on your report that they may question. Your credit score is the actual number ranging from 300 to 850 that lenders use to judge your creditworthiness and the interest rate they’ll charge you. Having a credit score lower than what you actually deserve could mean the difference between getting approved for a loan or credit card, or being denied. If you are approved, a lower credit score can mean the difference of the lender assessing a 14% interest rate or a 6% interest rate, which can cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars more at the end of the loan period.
The “big three” credit bureaus are required to give you a free copy of your credit report annually, or any time that you have been denied credit based on information that they provided to a potential lender. It may take some time to get through to the credit bureaus to request a copy of your credit report, but this is well worth your time to do so. Be sure to get a copy of it from all three of them, since some lenders only report to one or two of them. This means that the information on your credit report from one credit bureau is almost certainly not going to be identical to the data from another credit bureau.
If you notice any errors on your report, you should complete a dispute form with the credit bureau. When they send you a copy of your credit report, they will usually include instructions on how to file a dispute for erroneous or inaccurate information. Some experts say that if you are disputing say 5 different items, you should file 5 separate dispute forms so each one can be addressed specifically. There is some merit to that discussion, since the credit bureaus may view a dispute consisting of many items as “frivolous” and not take appropriate action to correct the information.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute information in your credit files with the three credit bureaus, and the creditor is required by law to verify the disputed information. You have the right (and indeed, the obligation) to dispute the completeness and accuracy of information in your credit files. When a credit bureau receives a dispute, they must investigate and record the current status of the disputed items within a “reasonable period of time”, usually defined as 30 days. If the information reported on your credit report cannot be verified by the creditor, the credit bureau is required by law to remove the information.
Check your credit report regularly, at least once per quarter. Even if the creditor misses that 30 day window, they can report the information again later, at which point when you see it appear again, you can (and should) dispute it again. Sometimes, for blatantly wrong information, you may want to contact the creditor directly and find out why they insist on putting inaccurate information on your credit report.
JED
Other than eating, sleeping, and breathing, one of the most important things you should be doing on a regular basis is ensuring that the data in your credit report is accurate. That is such a simple statement, yet it is ignored by the vast majority of consumers, probably due to several factors, such as:
* Consumers seem to accept the fact that errors will “self correct” in a reasonable period of time, where in reality nothing could be further from the truth.
* Consumers don’t know how to find out if there is wrong information on their credit report, which impacts their total credit score negatively.
* Consumers don’t realize that having a low credit score (lower than what they deserve, if the information maintained by the credit bureaus was accurate) can impact a huge number of factors in their everyday lives.
* Consumers don’t realize that studies have shown that the MAJORITY of credit reports on consumers and businesses have errors and inaccuracies.
Your credit score is used by anyone loaning you money such as credit card companies, home loan lenders, auto loan lenders and finance companies. You need to find out what your credit score is before you talk to any lender in case there is something on your report that they may question. Your credit score is the actual number ranging from 300 to 850 that lenders use to judge your creditworthiness and the interest rate they’ll charge you. Having a credit score lower than what you actually deserve could mean the difference between getting approved for a loan or credit card, or being denied. If you are approved, a lower credit score can mean the difference of the lender assessing a 14% interest rate or a 6% interest rate, which can cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars more at the end of the loan period.
The “big three” credit bureaus are required to give you a free copy of your credit report annually, or any time that you have been denied credit based on information that they provided to a potential lender. It may take some time to get through to the credit bureaus to request a copy of your credit report, but this is well worth your time to do so. Be sure to get a copy of it from all three of them, since some lenders only report to one or two of them. This means that the information on your credit report from one credit bureau is almost certainly not going to be identical to the data from another credit bureau.
If you notice any errors on your report, you should complete a dispute form with the credit bureau. When they send you a copy of your credit report, they will usually include instructions on how to file a dispute for erroneous or inaccurate information. Some experts say that if you are disputing say 5 different items, you should file 5 separate dispute forms so each one can be addressed specifically. There is some merit to that discussion, since the credit bureaus may view a dispute consisting of many items as “frivolous” and not take appropriate action to correct the information.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute information in your credit files with the three credit bureaus, and the creditor is required by law to verify the disputed information. You have the right (and indeed, the obligation) to dispute the completeness and accuracy of information in your credit files. When a credit bureau receives a dispute, they must investigate and record the current status of the disputed items within a “reasonable period of time”, usually defined as 30 days. If the information reported on your credit report cannot be verified by the creditor, the credit bureau is required by law to remove the information.
Check your credit report regularly, at least once per quarter. Even if the creditor misses that 30 day window, they can report the information again later, at which point when you see it appear again, you can (and should) dispute it again. Sometimes, for blatantly wrong information, you may want to contact the creditor directly and find out why they insist on putting inaccurate information on your credit report.
JED
Aug
12
Filed Under (Credit) by credit
Ray Eddings asked:
The yearly summary of your annual personal credit report, the report which tells how the consumer is basically paying the companies to which he or she owes money, is a major factor to judge your credit worth. The annual credit report for every person is maintained by the financial institutions and the loan providing companies. The various companies include their outputs in the credit reports. These reports are a collective effort of the creditors or the landlords etc. who are a major part as loan providers. The annual personal credit score and report is the indicator of your borrowing habits throughout the year. The annual credit report for any person influences the creditors and the lenders to extend or cancel your loan.
There are lots of uses for which a personal credit report is maintained. The major uses of these reports are:
-By looking at the report, various companies decide the status of your coming loans. The companies decide whether to continue your loan or not. The report suggests the financial institutions about the risks that are involved if the finance group gives you a loan.
-If your existing lenders move away and do not provide you with the loans then finding other lenders can be a tough job if your annual credit report is not good.
-Credit cards also will turn more expensive for you if you are not able to maintain a good annual report. Sometimes a bad report or score would not allow you to access your credit card and even getting a new card would not be possible.
-Sometimes, renting a house would become even more difficult because some house owners check the credit report of the paying guests.
There are a few factors that you need to know so as to maintain your annual credit report and give it a good shape. Keep in mind that FICO system is considered by many financial banks and institutions. You need to maintain a good FICO score. To maintain a good credit score, these scores are required to maintain a good annual report. Keeping a regular check of your annual report can help you maintain a good report and scores.
Many financial institutions provide free credit check for your credit reports. These are provided to any person by these institutions so they can easily maintain their credit scores to a good level.
The importance of annual reports and scores are clear and these are required to you in stages when you need money the most, so also keep your payments on time. Never delay your payments to the lenders. Even your monthly installments and your loan repayments, be it monthly, yearly or quarterly must be paid well in time just to maintain goodwill and also a good annual credit report by a person.
So try and consult financial institutions and maintain a good credit report for your benefit.
LONNIE
The yearly summary of your annual personal credit report, the report which tells how the consumer is basically paying the companies to which he or she owes money, is a major factor to judge your credit worth. The annual credit report for every person is maintained by the financial institutions and the loan providing companies. The various companies include their outputs in the credit reports. These reports are a collective effort of the creditors or the landlords etc. who are a major part as loan providers. The annual personal credit score and report is the indicator of your borrowing habits throughout the year. The annual credit report for any person influences the creditors and the lenders to extend or cancel your loan.
There are lots of uses for which a personal credit report is maintained. The major uses of these reports are:
-By looking at the report, various companies decide the status of your coming loans. The companies decide whether to continue your loan or not. The report suggests the financial institutions about the risks that are involved if the finance group gives you a loan.
-If your existing lenders move away and do not provide you with the loans then finding other lenders can be a tough job if your annual credit report is not good.
-Credit cards also will turn more expensive for you if you are not able to maintain a good annual report. Sometimes a bad report or score would not allow you to access your credit card and even getting a new card would not be possible.
-Sometimes, renting a house would become even more difficult because some house owners check the credit report of the paying guests.
There are a few factors that you need to know so as to maintain your annual credit report and give it a good shape. Keep in mind that FICO system is considered by many financial banks and institutions. You need to maintain a good FICO score. To maintain a good credit score, these scores are required to maintain a good annual report. Keeping a regular check of your annual report can help you maintain a good report and scores.
Many financial institutions provide free credit check for your credit reports. These are provided to any person by these institutions so they can easily maintain their credit scores to a good level.
The importance of annual reports and scores are clear and these are required to you in stages when you need money the most, so also keep your payments on time. Never delay your payments to the lenders. Even your monthly installments and your loan repayments, be it monthly, yearly or quarterly must be paid well in time just to maintain goodwill and also a good annual credit report by a person.
So try and consult financial institutions and maintain a good credit report for your benefit.
LONNIE
Aug
11
Filed Under (Credit) by credit
Screaming Llama asked:
I just applied for my first credit card ever yesterday, and I am hoping to get a credit limit of at least $1,500. I have no credit history whatsoever, I don’t have to make a house payment, no dependents, and I make $12.10 an hour working 35-40 hours a week. Would all those factors contribute to a higher or lower credit limit, and do you think I’d be eligible for the $1,500 limit?
JARVIS
I just applied for my first credit card ever yesterday, and I am hoping to get a credit limit of at least $1,500. I have no credit history whatsoever, I don’t have to make a house payment, no dependents, and I make $12.10 an hour working 35-40 hours a week. Would all those factors contribute to a higher or lower credit limit, and do you think I’d be eligible for the $1,500 limit?
JARVIS
Aug
07
Filed Under (Credit) by credit
Dave Joa asked:
Today you can easily get instant access to a free copy of your UK credit report online.
But what are the benefits of being able to see this record of your credit history and the other details that the credit reference agencies hold about you on your personal credit file.
In order to look at every potential benefit that your credit report could give you, we need to look at what your credit report is used for.
Who Uses Your Credit Report And How?
Your UK credit report will be used by financial institutions whenever you apply to them for credit cards, loans or mortgages and by other companies when you apply for any product or service that requires you to sign up for some form of credit, such as a mobile phone contract.
All these companies want to know your current credit rating and they will determine this using your credit score, which they calculate with their own company formula using information on your credit history and current credit status from a copy of your credit report.
This credit check will involve checking your credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies in the UK all of which gather relevant credit and personal ID information about you to create your credit file.
Failed A Credit Check?
If you fail a credit check and don’t get the loan or credit you applied for, you usually will not be told why or which credit reference agency was used.
However, the details held on your credit report can help you find out what is causing your application to be refused.
The reason may not even be a valid one as it is very easy for a mistake, typing error or old inaccurate information to be held on one of your three credit reports.
Such errors may relate to your credit history or the other personal data on your credit record, which is used to confirm your identification and what you put on your application form.
Major Benefit
A higher credit score will help ensure that you get the loans or credit you want and that you will get a better rate of interest than if your credit rating were lower.
To ensure that your credit score and therefore your credit rating is as high as it can be you need to make sure that everything on all three of your credit reports is accurate and up to date.
You therefore need to get a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 credit reference agencies. Never assume that if one is correct that the others will be!
Fortunately you can get instant online access your credit report at each agency for free as all agencies are currently offering a free trial of their UK credit report service.
You should take advantage of this to check all three of our credit reports and fix them if you find any problems. Just talk to the relevant agency about how to get issues with your credit report resolved.
Remember that this could take time so start as soon as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for a loan or other credit some time soon.
Other Benefits
Your credit reports are a great asset and should be checked and maintained just like you check you bank statements. If you do not check them they could easily become your greatest liability.
Effective management of your credit report could save you a lot of money over time and ensure that you are not refused credit when you need it.
If you are going to apply for a loan or mortgage then it makes sense to check you credit reports before applying as failed applications will be recorded on your credit file and can lower your credit score making your next credit application even more likely to fail.
When you fix your credit reports and get your credit score to be as high as possible you will be able to borrow more money from lenders and get more credit and all at lower interest rates.
Checking you credit report regularly is a great way of making sure that your identity has not been stolen and used in fraud to steal money or pay for products and services using your personal details and your money.
Compare reports from different credit agencies to make sure that they are all the same because when you apply for credit you have no way of knowing which credit reference agency your potential lender will use.
What Next?
It is very easy to check your UK credit reports and you can do this online for free.
So do it now before you forget to make the most of this opportunity.
JAMEY
Today you can easily get instant access to a free copy of your UK credit report online.
But what are the benefits of being able to see this record of your credit history and the other details that the credit reference agencies hold about you on your personal credit file.
In order to look at every potential benefit that your credit report could give you, we need to look at what your credit report is used for.
Who Uses Your Credit Report And How?
Your UK credit report will be used by financial institutions whenever you apply to them for credit cards, loans or mortgages and by other companies when you apply for any product or service that requires you to sign up for some form of credit, such as a mobile phone contract.
All these companies want to know your current credit rating and they will determine this using your credit score, which they calculate with their own company formula using information on your credit history and current credit status from a copy of your credit report.
This credit check will involve checking your credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies in the UK all of which gather relevant credit and personal ID information about you to create your credit file.
Failed A Credit Check?
If you fail a credit check and don’t get the loan or credit you applied for, you usually will not be told why or which credit reference agency was used.
However, the details held on your credit report can help you find out what is causing your application to be refused.
The reason may not even be a valid one as it is very easy for a mistake, typing error or old inaccurate information to be held on one of your three credit reports.
Such errors may relate to your credit history or the other personal data on your credit record, which is used to confirm your identification and what you put on your application form.
Major Benefit
A higher credit score will help ensure that you get the loans or credit you want and that you will get a better rate of interest than if your credit rating were lower.
To ensure that your credit score and therefore your credit rating is as high as it can be you need to make sure that everything on all three of your credit reports is accurate and up to date.
You therefore need to get a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 credit reference agencies. Never assume that if one is correct that the others will be!
Fortunately you can get instant online access your credit report at each agency for free as all agencies are currently offering a free trial of their UK credit report service.
You should take advantage of this to check all three of our credit reports and fix them if you find any problems. Just talk to the relevant agency about how to get issues with your credit report resolved.
Remember that this could take time so start as soon as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for a loan or other credit some time soon.
Other Benefits
Your credit reports are a great asset and should be checked and maintained just like you check you bank statements. If you do not check them they could easily become your greatest liability.
Effective management of your credit report could save you a lot of money over time and ensure that you are not refused credit when you need it.
If you are going to apply for a loan or mortgage then it makes sense to check you credit reports before applying as failed applications will be recorded on your credit file and can lower your credit score making your next credit application even more likely to fail.
When you fix your credit reports and get your credit score to be as high as possible you will be able to borrow more money from lenders and get more credit and all at lower interest rates.
Checking you credit report regularly is a great way of making sure that your identity has not been stolen and used in fraud to steal money or pay for products and services using your personal details and your money.
Compare reports from different credit agencies to make sure that they are all the same because when you apply for credit you have no way of knowing which credit reference agency your potential lender will use.
What Next?
It is very easy to check your UK credit reports and you can do this online for free.
So do it now before you forget to make the most of this opportunity.
JAMEY
