Get a copy of your Tri-merge Credit Report – there are three credit bureaus
(TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian), to which all of your credit information
gets reported – but not all information gets reported to every company equally,
so to get an exact picture of what lenders see, invest in getting a report that
shows you how each of the companies are reporting on you.
DID YOU KNOW YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A FREE CREDIT REPORT EVERY TWELVE MONTHS? GO
TO
Annual Credit Report.com
If there is anything questionable about a given creditor,
use the information on the report to write them a letter of
dispute
There are companies who will do this for you for a fee; they know precisely what
letters to send to whom and get results generally within six to eighteen months,
not a bad turnaround for a credit makeover. One company we have worked with is:
Quest Credit Group: (our personal experience is with
Alan Scivally, who has done tremendous work on behalf of one of our clients)
BEWARE of credit repair scams… a company looking to scam you might
suggest one or all of the following:o
The company wants you to pay for credit repair services before
they provide any services.
Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, credit
repair companies cannot require you to pay until they have completed the
services they have promised. The company doesn’t tell you your rights and what you can do for
yourself for free. The company recommends that you do not contact any of the three
major national credit reporting companies directly.
The company tells you they can get rid of most or all
the negative credit information in your credit report, even if that information
is accurate and current.
The company suggests that you try to invent a “new”
credit identity — and then, a new credit report — by applying for an Employer
Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number.
The company advises you to dispute all the information
in your credit report, regardless of its accuracy or timeliness.
Pay your bills on time
If you don’t have a lot of credit, get some by applying
for a credit card with a low monthly limit and pay it off
every month. |