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Credit Repair Everything Counts

Credit repair is not complicated. Your credit scores reflect the content of your credit report, both the positive as well as the negative. Many people in credit repair programs are so focused on the negative that they neglect the positive. No matter how effective you are at cleaning up derogatory information on your credit report, unless you take the time to build new positive credit your credit repair effort will languish.

Credit Repair Logic

The logic is easy. Your credit scores are intended to reflect the amount of risk a lender will face when lending you money. In the credit repair process you should think of your credit score as an impartial witness of your life, judging your ability and willingness to meet your obligations. The best way to impress this impartial witness is to offer proof of your willingness each and every month.

Revolving Credit Rules

The most powerful way you can offer proof of your credit worthiness and influence your credit repair progress quickly is with the proper use of revolving credit. If you don’t have any open credit cards, now is the time to open them. If your credit is currently too weak to get regular unsecured credit cards, just get secured cards. It’s easy and will do the trick.

Credit Repair and Secured Credit Cards

Secured credit cards are every bit as helpful for your credit repair as regular unsecured cards. It does not matter if the limit on these new cards is miniscule. Your credit scores will get the same benefit from a little secured card as it will from a high limit unsecured card, as long as you manage it in the right way.

Credit Card Management

Credit card management for score optimization is not difficult, but unless you know what to do mistakes are likely, and your credit repair project may even suffer when it could have easily succeeded. Timely payments are essential of course, but the real trick to credit repair success is to understand the relationship between your balance and the limit on the card.

Your Scores Are In Your Hands

The impact of your credit cards on your credit repair will depend almost entirely on your balances. This is always the case, but is even more important during the first year after a card is open. There are five ratios that will trigger score changes; 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 percent usage. Sixty percent usage of a card will have a neutral effect, the two tiers below will increase your scores, and the two tiers above will reduce your scores. Don’t underestimate the impact; maxing out a new card can knock 150 points from your scores.

Credit Repair with the Right Credit

There are a few other important factors to consider when rebuilding credit. Not all credit cards are equal. Store cards are of little value for your credit repair. For undisclosed reasons, the geniuses behind the credit scoring formula have downgraded the benefit that accrues from store cards, and amplified the harm that can result from having them. Likely reasons include the fact that store cards are easier to get, usually have higher interest rates, and consequently may be an indicator of poor judgment on the part of the consumer. Hey, I’m just reporting the news! Do yourself a favor and stick with MasterCard, Visa, Amex, and Discover.

Your Credit is Alive

When it comes to credit repair there is no good substitute for new revolving debt. A new auto loan is helpful, but will not have the impact that a credit card will have. Credit cards are emphasized because they are open-ended and alive; each month they report they can reflect something new about your financial life. If you keep your balance low and make your payments on time it will tell the credit scoring model that you are living conservatively and within your means. If you max out a card it is interpreted as a warning of budgetary strain and potential default.

You are Not Alone

Credit repair is not a difficult process, but it requires a bit of know-how and even a dash of finesse. If you take your time to plan the credit repair process you will succeed and see your efforts rewarded beyond your expectations. And always remember that help is available. If you are in doubt pick up the phone and call a credit repair professional. You are not alone!

Copyright © 2008 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Credit Repair Done RightIf you want your credit repair effort to succeed you need the right credit scores and credit reports. The wrong approach can put you on the path to lower credit scores and frustration. The information you are about to read may shock and amaze you. But if you do it right you will have a great advantage and avoid some serious frustration.The Scores You NeedDo you know what your credit scores are? Are you sure? If you are going to begin a credit repair effort and want to benchmark your starting point you should do it right. Here’s the problem. The credit scores sold by the credit bureaus are not the same scores lenders use. Huh? That’s right; the credit bureaus created their own credit scores to cash in on the market opportunity. If you muddle through the fine print at the credit bureau websites you will discover the disclaimer.Avoid Those Imitation ScoresThis unfortunate fact applies to the army of credit resellers on the web as well. There is another problem with bureau scores. You may think that even an imitation score will serve your credit repair purposes, believing that your progress should be reflected in some way. I’m sorry to say that these scores do not behave the same as your real lender scores and are almost sure to result in disappointment.MyFICO, the Right Score for Credit RepairIf you want your real scores you have to go to MyFICO.com the website of Fair Isaac Corp, the creator of the FICO score. The current cost of scores is about $50 for all three combined. A bit pricy, but it’s the only game in town. And for those intrepid credit repair warriors that want more detail, Equifax does in fact sell a FICO score. Unfortunately, they only make it available for your Equifax report, and you definitely want all three scores for your credit repair effort. Also, they use an older release of the formula, so the results will vary.But Nix on their Credit ReportsSo, head on over to MyFICO and get your scores right from the source. It’s the right credit repair choice. But there is another twist. Although MyFICO is the only way to get your scores, the credit reports they provide are the pits. For some strange reason MyFICO blocks out virtually all of the account numbers and offers only about half of the information that your credit repair effort will need. So get your wallet out again because you will have to buy your reports elsewhere. It takes few bucks to get your credit repair underway, but it’s worth doing it right.The Right ReportsAlthough the credit bureaus peddle poor credit score products, they offer excellent tri-merged reports, full of all of the detail you need for your credit repair project, and when it comes to credit repair every detail matters. I’ve taken you down a twisty road so far, and I’m sorry to say that there is one more twist on this journey before we arrive at our goal.Credit Repair and the Right DealHere is the final twist. The credit bureaus want to sign you up for monthly membership, hence the offers of free credit reports in exchange for joining this or that service. If you are not careful your free credit report will end up costing you hundreds of dollars. If you want to join a monthly service, that’s another story. There are benefits. But if you just want to get your credit repair underway and want a good cheap tri-merged report you have to look very carefully.Hiding in Plain SightTrueCredit.com offers the best cheap one shot tri-merged report on the web. But it’s not easy to find, so don’t just run off to TrueCredit and think you’re going to find it clearly advertised. In fact, it’s about the last thing that they want you to buy. But it’s there, hiding in plain sight. Well, almost. Scroll down the home page. Look under the main picture for small print in light gray that says that coverage is not available for residents of New York.Credit Repair Treasure Hunt SuccessRight under that line you will find another line that says that you can also get your 3-bureau credit report without the free score. Click on the words, without the free score. It’s a credit repair treasure hunt. How hard can they make it? Wow. Make sure to uncheck the two boxes where they try to sell you two other ridiculous items that have no use for your life, not to mention your credit repair efforts. Now you have the tools you need to get started. Good luck!

Copyright © 2008 Ian Webber. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Build New Credit NowThe most common credit repair mistake people make is putting off building new credit. If bad financial times have left you without open accounts you must start the rebuilding process now. No matter how successful you are in correcting derogatory items on your credit report if you do not have any open accounts your credit score will not get off the ground. Your credit score is based on both the positive and the negative information on your credit reports. Removing the negative is essential, but without open accounts in good standing the credit scoring formula has nothing to grade you on.No Excuse for DelayThe logic most people apply in delaying the opening of new accounts as part of a credit repair program is the belief that it would be better to wait. No one wants to get denied. The problem with postponing the task of opening new credit is that it takes time for the new accounts to be an asset. The first few months your new accounts are open will be a drag on your scores. It is best to get started today and to let those new accounts become seasoned. Your credit repair efforts can be very satisfying if you do it right.Get the Right Type of CreditIf the quality of your credit is not sufficient to be approved for regular credit cards, just get secured cards, they are every bit as valuable for your credit repair efforts. If you are rebuilding your credit from scratch you should get two new secured cards. While we are on the subject it is worth mentioning that not all types of credit are equally beneficial. Focus on building your credit with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Avoid store cards and consumer credit like furniture store loans at all costs when your credit repair project is getting underway. These forms of credit are of questionable benefit and may even depress the scores of those with little credit depth.Managing Your New CreditOnce you have opened your new credit cards you can pump up your credit repair efforts significantly or you can become your own worst enemy. These new little credit cards can easily make a difference of one hundred points in your scores, in either direction, depending on how you manage them. The FICO scoring formula to a surprising extent hinges on the balances you maintain on your cards. Specifically FICO recognizes card usage in 20% increments. It is handy to be aware that if you want the largest credit repair benefit you should use less than 20% of your available limit. And if you max out one of your new cards you can expect a precipitous breathtaking drop in your scores. If this should happen to you, here is a bit of good news. All you need to do is pay your balances back down again and your score will pop right back up, just as quickly as the creditor reports the new balance to the credit bureaus.Credit Repair and Installment DebtGenerally speaking, in the long term it is very good for your credit repair efforts to have a balanced mix of credit types. As mentioned above store cards and consumer debt, such as furniture store loans are the exception; if you are making a credit repair effort I suggest you steer clear of these debt types altogether. Once your credit is well established you can feel free to use consumer debt and enjoy the discounts that often come with these new accounts. Automobile loans and mortgages are a healthy counterpoint to well managed revolving debt. From a credit repair perspective both of these credit types should be part of a long term credit building strategy. Unlike revolving debt, which can influence your scores dramatically from month to month in either direction based on your balances, the real impact of these installment loans builds over time as the FICO scoring model give you credit for longevity.Get Some Credit Repair HelpThere are a lot of little details that can make a significant difference in your credit repair success. Unfortunately, not all of these details are a matter of common sense. You need to study up a bit. The credit reporting system and the FICO credit scoring model have evolved into densely complex systems. It is no longer enough to just pay your bills on time and hope for the best. It is not a perfect world and you need to look out for yourself, and it may take some work. Buy a book on credit repair or contact a legitimate credit repair service to light the path for you. You can do it. Good Luck!Copyright © 2008 Ian Webber. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Too Many ErrorsCredit repair serves a real purpose. Credit reporting errors are much more prevalent and costly than most people realize. Over half of all credit reports have errors on them that are serious enough to cause the victim to pay higher interest rates and even to be denied for financing. Credit repair is about finding and correcting these errors, and there is more to it than most people realize.Too Hard to FindMany people dismiss credit repair as a process that requires no more than a cursory scan of their credit reports. Unfortunately, a quick scan of your credit reports will almost certainly leave almost all of the score-damaging errors undiscovered. To tap the real potential of credit repair requires an exploration of the credit reporting guidelines embodied by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). An understanding of the FCRA is certain to reveal a number of surprising and correctable errors. And every error caught and corrected is money in the bank.Why Credit Repair MattersYou might be shocked at the potential cost of impaired credit. You pay interest on the money you borrow, and your interest rates are based on your credit. And it adds up. If you have a mortgage, an auto loan, and a couple of credit cards a damaged credit report could be costing you thousands of dollars each year. A small investment of time today can repay you in a tangible way for many years to come.Sneaky Defensive Credit BureausIf you are going to launch a credit repair project you must adopt a somewhat skeptical attitude towards the credit bureaus. It might be handy to understand that the credit bureaus are not government agencies, nor do they have any status other than for-profit businesses. They each manage billions of pieces of data for over 200 million Americans, and they are not perfect. They are interested in maintaining accuracy, but only to the extent that it is not an economic detriment. You should also keep in mind that they often take a stand against credit repair only because it is in their best financial interest to do so.The Problem with the FTCThe FTC in very justified in their campaign against crooked credit repair operations. The only real caveat here is that the FTC operations and press campaigns against scams can be heavy handed and unhappily omit the fact that, as in every industry, there are good guys and bad guys, and there are many excellent credit repair companies capable of significantly transforming your life.How the Bureaus Manage DisputesOnce you decide to get your credit repair project underway you need to be conscious of the fact that you need to work thoughtfully, and even respectfully, within the credit bureau system. It is essential to understand the FCRA and to focus your disputes in areas that you have leverage, but it is equally important to understand that you will face some resistance. The credit bureaus receive mountains of disputes every day and have the right to refuse to process any request they feel is frivolous. They use this right liberally, and you need to be patient; determined, but patient.Collectors and Credit RepairAnother somewhat recalcitrant group of participants in the credit reporting process is collectors. They are governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and in their interaction with the bureaus by the FCRA, but there are so few repercussions for failure to comply that an amazing number of errors, intentional and otherwise, slip through the cracks. And the unwary consumer pays the price.Winning the Credit Repair Battle with CollectorsWhen it comes to collectors appearing on your credit report, doubt your eyes. Take the time to understand how reporting period limits work, and how collectors reset them causing collections to report many years past their legal reporting limit. And to defend yourself against any active collectors you will also need to understand how statutes of limitation work. When it comes to credit repair a little homework really pays.Professional Credit Repair Services WorkNot everyone has the time available to master the details involved in credit repair success. Nothing can affect your financial life like your credit. You simply cannot afford to do half the job. It’s your credit, and you owe it to yourself to make sure the job is done right. Either invest in a couple of good books and put in some serious study time, or hire someone to do the job for you. Credit repair is all about the details. It’s not hard to get the results if you do it right. Good luck!Copyright © 2009 Ian Webber. All Content. All Rights Reserved.