Introduction
The credit repair stories you are about to read are true. They are meant to entertain as well as educate. Credit repair is not difficult. But it takes some thought. For those who approach credit repair cautiously success will be certain and satisfying. For those who act hastily the outcome can be less than happy. The good news is that mistakes can be corrected, and with any luck the lessons learned will lead to great success, as you will read below.
Don’t Forget to Rebuild
Jason started out his credit repair program with a lot of enthusiasm. He was thrilled to see the derogatory items come off his report month by month. After almost six months of credit repair he went to MyFICO.com to check out his scores and was disappointed to see that they had risen only marginally. He consulted an expert about the situation. The credit repair professional explained to him that derogatory information had been depressing his scores, but without positive information his scores would not rise satisfactorily. So Jason opened two secured credit cards, making sure to pay on time and keep the balances low. It took some patience, but six months later, Jason checked his scores and was astounded to see that they had risen 150 points. It was a wonderful outcome.
Watch Those Balances
Becky had been in a credit repair program for a few months and her credit scores had risen dramatically. Her goal was to buy a house and she felt that she was almost ready. Several weeks before she was going to apply for her mortgage she bought a new television and paid for it with her credit card. She thought it would be great in her new home. When Becky applied for her mortgage she was shocked that her scores were 100 points lower than they had been only 45 days prior. Her credit repair consultant looked at her report and saw that the purchase of the television had pushed her credit card balance to the limit. At his advice she reduced the balance and a month later she re-applied for her mortgage, this time there was no problem. Her scores were higher than ever and she was approved for a great low rate mortgage.
Check the Statue of Limitation
Ethan was contacted by a collector who offered him a tempting deal of twenty-five percent off the original balance owned. The deal seemed fair, but because it was a significant amount of money Ethan decided to consult a credit repair expert first. The credit repair expert researched the statute of limitation (SOL) and calculated the amount of time that had passed since the original default date. It turned out that the debt was two years beyond the expiration of the SOL and only one year short of the reporting period limit. The credit repair expert explained to Ethan that because the debt was past the SOL the collector did not have legal recourse, which usually makes a debt very negotiable, and because it was only one year short of the reporting period limit he could even opt to ignore it as it would fall off soon enough. Ethan decided to call the collector and make a reduced offer. Once the collector understood that Ethan knew the law he settled for far less than his original offer. The little bit of credit repair homework saved Ethan thousands of dollars.
The Moral of the Story
Jason, Becky, and Ethan ran into obstacles in their path. But the solutions were easy and delivered terrific results. There is never a cause for worry. If you have taken a wrong turn just correct your course and before you know it you will be enjoying the positive results you deserve. Credit repair is not difficult, but it is essential to pay attention to the details. There is nothing wrong with undertaking the task of credit repair on your own, but if any time you feel that you need help, you should reach out and consult a professional. Your credit is important and every detail matters. Good luck, you can do it!
Copyright © 2009 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Credit Repair and Your Credit Cards
Credit Repair and Existing Credit Cards
Credit repair can provide benefits beyond obvious derogatory issues. Increasingly, existing creditors are monitoring your universal payment history and altering their terms accordingly. Over the last two years millions of people have been surprised to get a letter from their credit card companies informing them that their account limits have been reduced. Generally this has been an attempt on the part of credit card companies to mitigate risk. Specifically the lever used to make these decisions has been your credit report. Credit repair has a pervasive reach.
Your Limits and Your Scores
If you want your credit repair project to succeed you must reduce your revolving balances. Credit scores hinge largely on the relationship between your credit card balances and your account limits. No matter how punctual your payments, if you keep your balances near the account limit your scores will suffer. For optimal credit repair success, reduce your balances so that you are only utilizing 20% of the card limit.
Rebuild With Secured Cards
If you do not have any open accounts you must start to rebuild right now. Credit repair can clean up derogatory information on your report, but without open credit cards your scores will languish. In today’s credit environment you may not be able to qualify for regular credit cards. Don’t worry; just get a couple of secured cards. They are the perfect credit repair tool. Keep your balances low, make your payments on time, and watch your scores climb.
Credit Card Timing Issues
If you are planning a significant transaction in the immediate future and need your scores to be their best you should be aware of credit card timing issues. If you plan to pay down your balances to boost your scores make sure to do it at least 60 days in advance; the credit bureaus can take this long to reflect the new balance information. And if you are going to open new credit cards as part of your credit repair effort, be careful. New credit cards will lower your scores for the first couple of months they report. In the long term the score benefits of these new cards will be impressive, but watch your timing.
Avoid Store Cards
Store cards are not good for your credit repair project. Fair Isaac, the creator of the FICO scoring model, has a bias against high cost consumer debt. Some store cards may offer great benefits, but nevertheless should be avoided when you are trying to boost your scores. For real score benefits stick with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover.
How Many Credit Cards?
Don’t go crazy with credit cards. For optimal credit repair results, when you are trying to rebuild your credit, you only need two active accounts. In the long run, as your scores improve, you will receive offers for more cards. If you go over 5 cards you will start to lose points as FICO will start to see you as a potential risk.
Get a Professional Evaluation
Most credit repair services offer a free consultation and should be happy to review your credit report to help you map out a plan. There may be many opportunities to restructure the content of your report. Even small adjustments can translate into significant credit score gains. It’s your credit, and it matters!
Copyright © 2009 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Credit repair can provide benefits beyond obvious derogatory issues. Increasingly, existing creditors are monitoring your universal payment history and altering their terms accordingly. Over the last two years millions of people have been surprised to get a letter from their credit card companies informing them that their account limits have been reduced. Generally this has been an attempt on the part of credit card companies to mitigate risk. Specifically the lever used to make these decisions has been your credit report. Credit repair has a pervasive reach.
Your Limits and Your Scores
If you want your credit repair project to succeed you must reduce your revolving balances. Credit scores hinge largely on the relationship between your credit card balances and your account limits. No matter how punctual your payments, if you keep your balances near the account limit your scores will suffer. For optimal credit repair success, reduce your balances so that you are only utilizing 20% of the card limit.
Rebuild With Secured Cards
If you do not have any open accounts you must start to rebuild right now. Credit repair can clean up derogatory information on your report, but without open credit cards your scores will languish. In today’s credit environment you may not be able to qualify for regular credit cards. Don’t worry; just get a couple of secured cards. They are the perfect credit repair tool. Keep your balances low, make your payments on time, and watch your scores climb.
Credit Card Timing Issues
If you are planning a significant transaction in the immediate future and need your scores to be their best you should be aware of credit card timing issues. If you plan to pay down your balances to boost your scores make sure to do it at least 60 days in advance; the credit bureaus can take this long to reflect the new balance information. And if you are going to open new credit cards as part of your credit repair effort, be careful. New credit cards will lower your scores for the first couple of months they report. In the long term the score benefits of these new cards will be impressive, but watch your timing.
Avoid Store Cards
Store cards are not good for your credit repair project. Fair Isaac, the creator of the FICO scoring model, has a bias against high cost consumer debt. Some store cards may offer great benefits, but nevertheless should be avoided when you are trying to boost your scores. For real score benefits stick with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover.
How Many Credit Cards?
Don’t go crazy with credit cards. For optimal credit repair results, when you are trying to rebuild your credit, you only need two active accounts. In the long run, as your scores improve, you will receive offers for more cards. If you go over 5 cards you will start to lose points as FICO will start to see you as a potential risk.
Get a Professional Evaluation
Most credit repair services offer a free consultation and should be happy to review your credit report to help you map out a plan. There may be many opportunities to restructure the content of your report. Even small adjustments can translate into significant credit score gains. It’s your credit, and it matters!
Copyright © 2009 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
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