A credit report will include credit accounts, public records, credit inquiries and any statements of dispute. You should check your credit history at least once a year to keep tabs on your finances and make sure no one has stolen your identity. Everyone is entitled to one free report a year from each of the three credit reporting agencies. (You can get your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.) Learn more about what your credit report says about you.
Dispute Credit Report Errors
Have you checked your credit report recently? If you haven't, you might want to sooner rather than later. A new report says nearly 80 percent of all credit reports contain mistakes.
Late Payments On Credit Card Means Trouble
Late credit card statements can change your credit score, and not for the better. There are many online resources to help shop for a lower interest rate, help you budget, and help make payments on time.
Old Unpaid Bill Ruins Credit Score
Old bills, no matter how small, can ruin your credit if they're reported to a collection agency. If it's an error, you can try fighting the charges to correct your credit history. If fighting a bill doesn't work, then negotiate a payoff in which you pay the bill in full but they agree (in writing) to simply report the sum is "paid in full" on your credit history.
Student Loans Not Forgiven In Bankruptcy
Student loans are not usually forgiven through bankruptcy. Even after filing for bankruptcy, you are obligated to pay off educational loans. By not paying off student loans, you are risking ruining your credit history. Check your credit score to see what kind of affect student loans and bankruptcy have had on the credit report.
Mistakes In My Credit Report
What do you do if you find a mistake in your credit report? If there has been a mistake reported as fact by the credit reporting bureaus, you can file a complaint and ask for an investigation of your account. It might not be easy, but there are ways to clean up your credit report.
Documentation Required For Mortgage Loan
When you apply for a mortgage loan a lender is going to need to verify that you have a job, what you earn, how much you have saved, what kind of assets you have, and assess what kind of credit risk you're likely to be. If you're going to be shopping around for your mortgage, it's a good idea to make a few complete copies of all the documents, and keep them in a separate mortgage loan file.
Credit Counseling To Understand Credit Report
Reading your credit report can be confusing. Ilyce suggests a good place to find a reputable non-profit credit counseling service and decipher their credit report is through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC.org) or through Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS.org). They provide budget counseling that should be free, or very nearly free to help you understand your credit report.
Student Loan Lender Doesn’t Report Credit History
A key sign of a predatory lender is that it doesn't report your on-time payments to credit reporting bureaus that keep track of your credit history and score. Is student loan lender Sallie Mae becoming a predatory lender by neglecting to report on-time payments to the three credit reporting bureaus? Learn about how on-time payments can help you build good credit.
Checking Your Credit History
Checking your credit history can be one of the easiest ways to stay on top of your personal finances. We use credit almost every day for all kinds of financial transactions. Having bad credit can hinder you ability to buy a house, refinance it at the best terms, purchase a car. Good credit gives you access to the best interest rates and terms on all sorts of loans, from credit cards to mortgages. Take responsibility to check your credit report on a yearly basis from one of the three major credit reporting bureaus.
Credit History, Credit Score Determine Best Credit Card Deals
Your credit history and credit score determines the best credit card deals a consumer can get. Lenders treat your credit report and credit history as a running score of your financial life, and use that to decide whether you're worth the risk for a credit card, car loan or mortgage. Clean up your credit score and build a good credit history in order to get the best credit card deals for you.