Bryan Hufford asked:




Ever wanted to improve your credit score? Don’t fall for the false internet claims of “raising your score overnight!” I’ve got 3 tips that cost nothing and will help you raise your credit score over time.

1. Make sure your credit report is accurate

Are you sure the information on your credit report is up to date? Small errors on your credit report may affect your credit score. Here’s an easy way to improve your credit score: With the Fair Credit Reporting Act in place, you are entitled to make any changes of errors that appear on your credit report. By identifying the error and submitting proof to any of the 3 credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax), you can get inaccurate items deleted from your credit report! This can help raise that FICO score!

2. Maintain balance on credit cards accounts at 30% of your limit

Credit bureaus do not like seeing your credit card accounts maxed out. It shows financial irresponsibilty. A safe percentage to have circulating each month on your credit card balance is 30% of your credit limit. If your credit card balances are higher than 30% of your credit limit, pay down the balance so it remains at 30% or lower of your credit limit. This will also help raise your FICO score.

3. Make payments on time each month and every month thereafter

Your FICO score is based on the past 2 years of payment history on any credit card or installment accounts. Making one late payment on any account can lower your score significantly. By making timely payments each month, you can increase your credit score over time.

These are just 3 simple tips that cost nothing that can help raise your credit score over time. I hope you’ve found them helpful in your quest in gaining a better credit history.

Teresa

Steve Evans asked:




Yes, it’s possible for you to get free credit reports. You don’t have to pay a dime to anyone to get your credit reports. Sadly many people don’t know this and so end up paying money instead of getting their free credit reports. I wonder who ever said “Ignorance is bliss”. I certainly don’t think it is!

You see, the Federal law – the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)- requires that every American citizen should be provided with a completely free copy of their credit report, anytime they request it. So, if you want your free credit reports, simply get it from the big 3 Major Credit Reporting Agencies. You can get your free credit reports online, from the comfort of your home or office. Anyone who isn’t aware of this fact has obviously not done enough research.

If you need to know more about Free Credit Reports, note that you can use article directories to read very interesting Free Credit Reports articles.

The beauty with the article directories is that you will have the opportunity to read not just one related article, but several that are written by experts who are either very skilled in or passionate about such
issues.

Apart from the article directories, you can also search for forums on the Internet where loads of helpful information can be found about Free Credit Reports. The wonderful thing about such Free Credit Reports related forums is that you can get involved in the discussions and ask specific questions
you have about Free Credit Reports, or any other related issues.

Dozens and even hundreds of people who are either skilled in or passionate about Free Credit Reports issues frequent such forums almost on a daily basis to answer as many related questions as they can, or just to help others get better informed. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have in such forums.

Earl

US Cutie asked:


Hi,
I’m 22 years old and I don’t work (i’m an online student) and I live with my parents. 3 days ago I tried to open a basic bank account online(MyAccess Checking and Regular Saving), and they ask for minimum $25 for each and I paid them by my father’s Credit Card. They said you’ll receive an e-mail withen 1-2 business days. I received an e-mail today saying that “We are unable to open your account(s) at this time. Our decision was based in whole or in part on information obtained in a report from a consumer-reporting agency. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to access the information contained in your credit file at the consumer-reporting agency.”

Why is that? I don’t have anything wrong because that’s my first time to open a bank account and it’s my first time to use my name.

The Federal Trade Commision webside – Facts for Consumers saying that “Under federal law, you’re entitled to a free report if a company takes adverse action against you, such as denying your application for credit, insurance, or employment.”
I’m not applying for anything of these. Why my application was denied?

Thank you!

I forgot to mention that it was Bank of America.

Thank you!

Harold

Thomas Morva asked:




The fair credit-reporting act makes it mandatory for the three organizations (Equifax, Trans Union and Experian) to submit a credit report at least once a year to anyone who requests for the same. Typing ?annual credit report? in a search engine, which provides credit reports online and at free of cost, can give access to the appropriate online site.

A free government credit report is also available by phone or by mail and reaches the concerned person within fifteen days of requesting. The government agency that provides free credit reports is located in Atlanta (Georgia) and can be contacted via mail or telephone.

The prerequisites that are required for obtaining a free credit report are ? the person?s name, address, social security number, and date of birth. There are some other ?imposter? credit reporting companies that try to mimic the actual agency?s website by deliberately misspelling it. This is a common tactic used by companies who try to extract money from unsuspecting credit report mongers.

Under the federal law, a person is permitted to obtain a free credit report if a company takes unfavorable action against him, such as rejecting his application for credit, insurance, or employment then the person can demand a free credit report within sixty days of receiving the notice. The notice will give the name, address, and telephone number of the consumer reporting company. A person is also entitled to one free report a year if he is unemployed and plans to search for a job within 60 days if he is on welfare or if his report is inaccurate as a result of swindling, including identity theft.

A credit report can make or break a company or a person because all the financial data and history of the report holder is clearly mentioned in this report. The most important fact to be noted about a credit report is that any negative comment or remark on the report will literally leave an indelible mark on the person?s financial record. This is because a bad credit remark is not removed from a credit report for at least ten years.

Mark

Bart Newman asked:




Equifax, TransUnion and Experian are nationwide consumer reporting companies required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act or FCRA to provide consumers a copy of their free credit report with score each year. This Act is implemented by the Federal Trade Commission, a consumer protection agency that also promotes privacy and accuracy of information from these three companies.

In general, a credit score is the measure of credit risk computed from a collection of credit reports using a standardized formula. It includes information of your address, how you pay your bills, and whether you have filed for bankruptcy or have been sued or arrested. The scale for credit score ranges from 349 to 849; indicative, for example, that a 640 rating will most likely give you difficulty getting a good loan. This kind of information are sold by consumer reporting companies to insurers, creditors, employers and businesses for evaluation of your credit, employment, insurance and home rental.

So why would you want to have a copy of your credit report? Because it contains information whether you can get a loan and how much you will have to pay; to make sure that it is up-to-date, accurate, and complete before doing a major purchase for car, insurance, house or even to apply for a job. Getting your report on a regular basis makes you manage your accounts well and lets you venture on possible ways to improve or raise your score. This is also one of the many ways to combat identity theft which has been widespread today especially to internet-related transactions.

To get a free credit report with score, you need to provide your name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number. You may also need to indicate previous addresses if you have moved in the last two years. To ensure your security, every nationwide consumer reporting company asks for information that is exclusive to you.

Along with the credit report, it is also advisable to request for credit monitoring to be updated of any strange transaction or activity on your accounts such as change of account information and opening and closing of investments and bank accounts.

Usually a free credit report with score can be accessed immediately although it may even take longer if the nationwide consumer reporting company requires more information to verify your identity.

Under a state law, consumers living in Vermont, Georgia, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland have access to free credit report with score.

Kelly

babies_happen asked:


I went to walmart today to cash a $80 payroll check and was declined. I normally just deposit in my checking account but i recently closed it because i am moving in a couple days. Any way, they wouldnt cash it. they gave me a piece of paper with blah about check transaction file, free credit reporting act, call this #, the usual runaround. So i called the number and could not get ANY useful information in the 2 hours i was on the phone with them. I know what certegy does but i am trying to find out why they wont allow me to cash the check. The people at certegy couldnt/woulndnt tell me what reason 3 is. Anyone here know?

Laurie

Thomas Morva asked:




A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) obligates the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and Trans Union – to provide a free credit report to any consumer who requests it.

The importance of a credit report cannot be ignored. An accurate report can help you obtain loans for major purchases, or even help you rent an apartment. All this, and more, becomes difficult if you have negative errors in your report.

A negative report can prove to be an obstacle if you are job hunting. This is because most employers will go through your credit history before offering employment. If you are actually employed, then a negative report can reduce your chances for further promotion. And, what if the end of it you realize that these errors were because of no fault of yours and that they could have been sorted out in the first place. You can avoid this situation by ordering a free credit report.

Once you get it, make sure the information provided in it is correct. This means that you must verify that your personal details such as your name, address, date of birth, and also the name of your current employer are correct. When this is done, do a check on your financial status. This is because your report will also contain information of your bank accounts, loans, credit payments. In other words, your credit card is also in a way your financial statement on which your future transactions will depend.

If you find any discrepancies, file a report in writing, with any one of the consumer reporting companies, for action. Apart from providing you with the opportunity to verify your accounts and check your credit score, these reports also provide a listing of the companies who have made enquiries on your reports.

These consumer reporting companies sell this information to bankers, creditors, insurers, employers and other business houses. It is imperative to order a free copy to ensure that there are no inaccuracies or errors in your report.

Susan

Vincent Dail asked:




Your credit report contains information about where you work, live and how you pay your bills (On time or not). It also may show whether you’ve been sued, arrested or have filed for bankruptcy with in the last 10 years. Companies called consumer reporting agencies (cra) or credit bureaus compile and sell your credit report to businesses all over the world.

Many financial advisors suggest that you periodically review your credit report for inaccuracies or omissions. This could be especially important if you’re considering making a major purchase, such as buying a home. Checking in advance on the accuracy of information in your credit file could speed the credit-granting process, clean credit is a must.

Because businesses use this information to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and other purposes allowed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), it’s important that the information in your report is complete and accurate.

Whenever you apply for any type of credit or financing, a credit report is pulled from at least one of the three major credit bureaus. You want a clean credit report to be pulled. While there are hundreds of smaller credit bureaus around the country, virtually every credit bureau is affiliated with either Experian, Trans Union, or Equifax.

Getting Your Clean Credit Report

If you’ve been denied credit, insurance, or employment because of information supplied by a credit reporting agency, the FCRA says the company you applied to must give you the agency`s name, address, and telephone number. If you contact the agency for a copy of your report within 60 days of receiving a denial notice, the report is free. In addition, you’re entitled to one free copy of your report a year.

If you simply want a copy of your report, call each credit bureau listed since more than one agency may have a file on you, some with different information.

The three major national credit bureaus are:

Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; (800) 685-1111.

Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742).

Trans Union, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; (800) 916-8800.

Correcting Errors For Clean Credit.

To protect all your rights under the law and to keep your credit clean contact both the CRA and the information provider.

First to get clean credit reports, tell the credit reporting agency in writing what information you believe is inaccurate. Include copies (please keep your originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request deletion or correction. Always keep copies of your dispute letter.

They must reinvestigate the items in question, usually within 30 days, unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all relevant data you provide about the dispute to the information provider. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the CRA, it must investigate, review all relevant information provided by the CRA, and report the results to the CRA. If the information provider finds the disputed information to be inaccurate, it must notify all nationwide CRAs so they can correct this information in your file. Disputed information that cannot be verified must be deleted from your file, then you will recieve a clean credit report, with that item removed.

If your report contains erroneous information, the CRA must correct it(clean credit).

If an item is incomplete, the CRA must complete it. For example, if your file showed that you were late making payments ( 30 days or more), but failed to show that you were no longer delinquent, the CRA must show that you’re current.

If your file shows an account that belongs only to another person, the CRA must delete it.

When the reinvestigation is complete, they must give you the written results and a free copy of your clean credit report, if the dispute results in a change. If an item is changed or removed, they cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies its accuracy and completeness.

Also, if you request, they must send notices of clean credit report corrections to anyone who received your report in the past six months. Job applicants can have a corrected copy of their clean credit report sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes. If a reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, ask the CRA to include your statement of the dispute in your file and in future reports.

Second, in addition to writing to the credit agency, tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Again, include copies (please not originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider then reports the item to any credit reporting angency, it must include a notice of your dispute. In addition, if you are correct that is, if the disputed information is not accurate the information provider may not use it again, thus you will have a clean credit report.

When negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. Accurate negative information can generally stay on your report for 7 years.

Clean Credit: There are certain exceptions:

Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years.

Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitation.

Credit information reported in response to an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limit.

Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Criminal convictions can be reported without any time limit.

Credit information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit.

Adding clean credit accounts to your file:

Your credit file may not reflect all your clean credit accounts. Although most national department stores and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in your file, not all creditors supply information: Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those creditors that don’t report clean credit.

If you’ve been told you were denied clean credit because of an insufficient credit file or no credit file and you have accounts with creditors that don’t appear in your credit file, ask the CRA to add this information to future reports. This will help get you on the road to a clean credit report. Although they are not required to do so, many CRAs will add verifiable accounts for a fee. You should, however, understand that if these creditors do not report to the CRA on a regular basis, these added items will not be updated in your file.

Terri

Thomas Morva asked:




The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates the quality of a credit report and any errors occurring in the report should be corrected immediately so that future financial disasters can be avoided. Under the FCRA, the credit reporting companies as well as the person concerned are responsible for correcting the mistakes in a credit report.

Proactive action is the best method for disputing any of the items in a credit report. A letter should be sent to the consumer reporting company stating the inaccuracies or discrepancies in a credit report. A copy of the documents that prove the inaccuracies in a report should also be attached to the letter. It is important to keep receipts of the certified mail in case it is required as a proof in further investigations.

The consumer reporting company must oblige within a month and correct the inaccuracies present in the report. If there are no inaccuracies then a letter intimating the concerned person ought to be sent. However, if the consumer reporting company does find any mistakes then a written notice must be sent to all three consumer reporting companies stating the exact inaccuracies in a report.

If the disputed items are corrected then the company is legally bound to send a corrected copy of the report to the consumer. This free report does not count as a person?s annual free report. If an item is changed or erased, the consumer reporting company cannot put the disputed information back in the file unless the information provider verifies that it is precise and comprehensive. The consumer reporting company must also send a written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.

If an investigation does not resolve the dispute with the consumer reporting company, then a person can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in the consumer?s file and in future reports. The consumer can also ask the consumer reporting company to provide your statement to any party who received a copy of the report in the recent past.

Eugene

Tristan Dunston asked:


Consumers in the US, UK and Australia can all get their hands on a free copy of their credit report to do a credit check on themselves. The systems in each country are different, and this article explains how consumers can go about getting a free credit report if they live in one of these countries.

In the United States:

Consumers have had the legal right to a free copy of their credit report, annually, for a number of years now. The Fair Credit Reporting Act granted consumers a free credit report from each of the three US credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and Transunion.

There is only one authorised website in the US from which American consumers can obtain their free report under their legal entitlement, and that is annualcreditreport.com. There is also a free toll number, 1-877-322-8228 where US citizen’s can order their annual credit report. A report can also be ordered by filling out the Annual Credit Report Request Form and posting it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Online, the service is instant, but security questions will be asked to verify identity. By telephone and post, it takes about 15 days for a credit report to arrive, but it may take longer if the agency needs to verify an identity.

The Federal Trade Commission, which protects US consumers, has warned people to be on the look out for what it calls ‘imposter’ sites. At one point it was estimated there were more than one hundred such websites in existence, some of which included domains that used misspellings of the authorised free credit report website.

There are other online services offering free credit reports, using subscription free trial period schemes. With these credit report services consumers need to be aware that if they fail to cancel the subscription within the free trial period they are likely to have their plastic charged. The trial period schemes usually require consumers to cancel the subscription within the trial period, usually 30 days, or the company may start to charge a fee.

Also, in the United States, consumers can get a free credit report if they have been turned down for credit, insurance or employment and they apply within 60 days of receiving notice from the company involved. The unemployed who are looking for work, those on welfare and people whose reports are inaccurate, because of fraud, can all get a free credit check.

In the UK:

There is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report from the credit reference agencies in the UK, unlike the US. But you can go directly to the websites of the three credit reference agencies, Callcredit, Equifax and Experian to get one without having to pay a fee. All offer a free trial subscription service that provides a free credit report as part of the free trial. To avoid incurring a charge, the consumer must remember to cancel the subscription with the credit reference agency within the free trial period, usually 30 days. Failure to do so may lead to the agency charging fees.

One website in the UK, annualcreditreport.co.uk, provides UK consumers with free yearly access to their credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies. This service doesn’t require people to provide their credit card details to get a free credit report.

While there is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report in the UK, there is a right under Data Protection laws for consumers to get a credit report for £2. This is known as a statutory credit report. A statutory credit report can be obtained by writing to the credit reference agencies and sending a cheque or postal order for £2, with details such as name, full current and previous address, and date of birth to: Callcredit Ltd Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds LS3 1WZ; Experian Ltd Consumer Help Service, PO Box 8000, Nottingham NG80 7WF and Equifax Credit Report Advice Centre PO Box 1140 Bradford BD1 5US. It usually takes around 7 days for a statutory credit report to arrive.

In Australia:

Australian consumers have a right to a free copy of their credit report under the Privacy Act. Veda Advantage and Dun and Bradstreet, Australia’s largest credit reporting agencies, will both provide a free credit report to consumers within 10 days of receiving a request. The Tasmanian Collection Service, which covers the citizens of Tasmania, provides consumers with a free credit report if they have been refused credit or an application is to do with the management of an individual’s credit commitments.

Australian consumers keen to keep an eye on their credit rating can get a free copy of their credit report by writing to: Veda Advantage Public Access, PO Box 964, North Sydney NSW 2059. Dun and Bradstreet at Public Access Centre, Dun and Bradstreet (Australia) PL, PO box 7405, St Kilda Road, VIC 3004. Tasmanian Collection Service can be contacted at GPO Box 814H, Hobart, TAS 7001.



Jamie