Archive for the ‘Finance’ Category

The Importance of a Free Credit Report

April 19th, 2010 admin
Peter Nisbet asked:


The importance of getting your free credit report cannot be overemphasized. In the current economic climate, with such a strong squeeze on credit, everybody’s credit rating is at risk, and even if you think you have a premium credit score, you might be in for an unpleasant shock. People are getting such shocks not only daily, but hourly throughout the USA.

However, before we discuss that, let’s have a look at what a credit report is and what information it gives you. It contains four parts basically: your personal details, your credit history, public records appertaining to your financial stability and finally, inquiries made by third parties as to your credit record. While you might not understand the need for this information, they are carefully examined by potential lenders.

To put it in general terms, your credit report is a record of your credit history and your financial stability. It contains financial details such as mortgages, loans, mail order agreements, credit cards, banking facilities and so on, and includes your repayment history, any late payments, missed payments, defaults and so on. It also includes any details of credit or loan applications you have made, and whether any have been turned down.

If your credit report is bad, you will either not be offered credit or will have to pay a higher interest rate than those with a good credit report. In some cases you will be refused credit. Hence the importance of knowing what your credit record is like. The same is true of your credit score that lenders use to assess your credit-worthiness.

The implications of a bad credit report include you being refused a credit card application, a loan, a mortgage, a car loan and any other form of credit. You could even be refused a mail order agreement or even a car hire. That is not the end of it, because the same could apply to your partner and your children if they reside at the same address as you. When your kids look for a mortgage of their own before being married, or seek a loan for their first car, they could be refused because of your poor credit record.

That is fine if the record is correct, because although it is bad for you, at least it will have been deserved. However, it has been estimated that up to 90% of credit records are inaccurate, and that a large proportion of people are being wrongly refused credit. Not an entire 90%, obviously, but a lot of people are being unfairly refused credit, and that could be you or your kids. You won’t know till you apply.

Why wait till then? Why not just get a credit report now, so that you know where you stand. It makes sense, and since it is free what are you waiting for? Did you know that anybody can see your credit report? In the USA, the Fair credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows employers, creditors, landlords, insurers and any other business to have access to your credit report for purposes of credit, renting a home, employment or any other reason where your financial situation could be of interest.

These reports are available in the USA from three agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and each has to provide you with a free copy of your credit report annually on request. Once you have a bad record on your report you have to wait 7 years to have it removed.

However, there are companies that help you to check up on your report and have any inaccurate data removed. You could easily have your next credit request refused due to inaccurate or false information. Identity theft or even mistaken identity is no longer uncommon. Nor is it uncommon for office staff to make typing errors and you to have something on your credit record that never occurred.

In today’s economic climate your credit is the one thing you must do all that you can to protect, so make sure you implement your right to a free credit report. There are companies that can get your free report from all three agencies, and then check it with you to make sure that nothing is untoward. With 90% containing inaccurate information, that might be highly likely. If so they can help you to get these false records removed.

It’s your credit, and it affects everybody living in your home. Get it checked out now with a free triple credit report. Also check up on your credit score at the same time.



Judy
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Free Credit Report and Credit Score

April 5th, 2010 admin
Isabel asked:


Free Credit Report and Credit Score indicate the creditworthiness or financial position of a person. Initially there was strict prohibition to disclose the credit report and score. But due to development in business skills and policies many retailers and lenders extend credit facilities to their customers. In order to secure the credit transaction they demand for credit report and score to know whether the borrower is financially sound or not.

It is quite obvious that bad credit can affect one’s credit flexibility but good credit report can help to get better credit extension. The credit report and score has long-lasting impact in all the ways of your life. So it is better to check your credit report and score and try to improve it. You may also repair your credit report and score periodically as repairing can eliminate many bad remarks that exist in it.

There are credit bureaus that maintain the credit report of every person. These credit bureaus collect the information from various sources like department stores, collection agency, lenders, financial institutions, etc. But now due to development in online services one can easily get free credit report and have a glance look at his/her credit records.

Understand your Credit Report

One should thoroughly understand his/her credit report so as credit score. If it is not possible to understand it personally take the vital help from and credit report service agency. Once you understand your credit report maintain a well-structured record, as it can be used as future references.

What is Credit Score?

Credit Score is the statistical data that clearly show your financial position. It not only indicates your financial position but it also indicates your bankruptcy and many other negative remarks. It is generally 3-digit number, which is based on your credit report. In fact there is not so much difference between credit report and score.

Usually the credit score ranges from 300-750 but the average credit score lies within 600-750 which is regarded as good credit score. Person below this average range must try to increase their credit score.

Considering its vital importance one must always try to improve his/her credit report and score. Now day’s credit bureaus provide credit report and score through online service. With the help of online services one can easily get the free copy of credit report and check credit report rating, which can act as an obstacle if not favorable. So it is advisable to order credit report instantly.

Isabella Rodrigues writes for free-instant-credit-report.info,

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Visit today: http://www.free-instant-credit-report.info



Shannon
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How To Get Your Free Credit Report

March 9th, 2010 admin
John Rasor asked:


current state of the economy, your credit report and credit score has become increasingly significant when it comes to borrowing money. Mortgage companies in particular, in an effort to reduce risk are scrutinizing credit scores to the point that getting a home loan is about as easy as building a rocket. We recently discovered that Fannie Mae has created a new set of guidelines regarding your credit score. If you have a score below 680 you will pay a higher rate on your mortgage. For the past decade they set the standard at 620. According to the credit bureaus, the average score is just below 680. What do you think is the most important factor in getting a home loan? Most people don\’t realize it, but your credit score tops the list as the most important factor. There are a few other things that you must have as well. A down payment is now mandatory. In the past you could have the seller pay all of your closing costs and get 100% financing meaning that you got in without a dime out of pocket. Not any more. You will also need verifiable income. Another big change from the days of \”stated income\” mortgages. It takes a combination of all three of these things but credit score carries the most weight. Beyond being approved for a mortgage loan, your credit score will determine the rate you get on a car loan, the interest rate you pay on credit card balances and which type of cards you qualify for. These days, it may just be the determining factor in why you don\’t get that car loan or credit card. Looking for job? Better hope you have a decent FICO score. These days potential employers are obtaining your score in an effort to predict what kind of worker you will be. Apartment managers and land lords will also use this number to gauge whether or not you will pay the rent on time. Getting your free credit report is actually quite simple. http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ will give you your report from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion once each year. You will get access to everything contained in your credit report except the credit scores. This makes the service pretty useless. There isn\’t much benefit in getting your free credit report unless it comes with your credit scores. Everyone knows that nothing in life is free. It seems that there is a catch to everything these days. Through various affiliates of the credit bureaus you are able to obtain all three of your credit scores, but in order to do so you are required to enroll for a free 30-day trial of credit monitoring service and required to give your credit card number. If you choose to opt out within the trial period, you will not be charged. Technically, you just got a free credit report with credit scores. Most of these services allow you to obtain unlimited updates to your credit scores along with identity theft protection and various other valuable features. You\’ll be able to see who has been looking at your credit as well as get contact information for all of your creditors. If you haven\’t seen your credit scores lately, take the time soon to find out what they are.

Pedro
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Free Credit Report

January 1st, 2010 admin
Money Only asked:


We live in a credit oriented world. We all get credit at some point, so it’s hardly surprising to learn that we all have a credit history. If you are curious about your credit rating, and you should be, you can obtain a free credit report from a number of sources. This will let you see what the credit companies see when you apply for a loan or a mortgage.

Applying for a free credit report can actually save you money, if used properly. It is important that your electoral role details are up to date, for example. There are other public re\cord that will be compiled to create your credit history, any CCJ’s against you, for example. You can also discover who has been conducting credit searches on you. In short, a free credit report will let you know everything a lender will discover about you if you apply for credit of any kind.

Whenever you apply for credit that information is passed to a credit agency and kept in your personal credit file. That becomes a kind of footprint that other credit lenders can check up on to see how many others you have sought credit from. If you have made a lot of applications in a short period of time, it will look bad for you; especially if there have been an equally high amount of refusals.

The advantage of this system is that credit lenders can access your entire credit history with one single request. They do not have to ask several different places for the information. There are advantages to you to. You can also apply for a free credit report from a single agency, rather than having to chase all over the place to try and find out what information is kept on your credit history.

The information you will receive in your free credit report includes things like, who is living in your home in addition to you, if you have any financial affiliation with them, or they with you. Because of this, another person’s past credit history may affect your present credit standing. For this reason you should be very careful whom you do business with, or have a financial link with.

If you want to have a free credit report of your own credit history, court history and government agency involvement, you can apply through the terms laid down in the Data Protection Act. This states the terms under which the free credit report reference agencies can supply you with a copy. There will be probably be an administrative fee, but it should be quite small and only necessary to cover their costs.

There are many agencies willing to supply you with a free credit report. A search in any of the major Internet search engines will yield positive results. You should be careful, however, as there are always identity fraudsters who are out to take your personal details and use them to your detriment wherever they can get the chance.



Clara
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What Exactly Do you Get in a Free Credit Report ?

November 7th, 2009 admin
Mike Clover asked:


In this article we will discuss the misconception of free credit reports. There are lots of advertisements out there saying get your free credit report. But what exactly does a free credit report come with? I have personally seen about 3 different types of credit reports being advertised out there.

The first type of credit report is the credit report where you only get a credit report from one of the bureaus. There are 3 bureaus, and they are Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian. Typically the offer includes a report only from one of these bureaus. You might ask yourself how does this help me, and the answer is it does not help very much. The reason is since there are 3 bureaus, and they all report somewhat different information; you might want to get a credit report from all three bureaus. This is called a tri-merge, or a 3-1 credit report. In other words you get one report with all three bureaus and what they are currently reporting about you in regards to loans outstanding with your creditors.

The second type of credit report is the 3-1 credit report with credit score. This is somewhat better; you get all three bureaus reporting your information along with only one of the agencies giving a score. Well you might ask yourself again, what is the advantage and disadvantages of this type of credit report? Since there are 3 bureaus reporting your credit, it would only make sense to get all 3 scores since that is what most lenders look at. Mortgage companies pull your 3-1 credit report with all three scores and typically use the middle score for qualifying purposes. If this is the industry standard in the qualifying process, shouldn?t you see the same report? I would have to say yes.

The third type of credit report is the 3-1 credit report with all 3 scores. This is the best type of credit report, because it is what lenders look at. Most people out there getting a free copy of there credit reports are not really sure what they are getting. Annualcreditreport.com advertises that you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report once a year, but fail to mention you don?t get your scores. It is in your best interest to get your credit report with all 3 bureaus and all 3 scores, especially since this is what most creditors look at in the determining process for lending you money.

Here is the break down for credit scores and how they are classified for mortgage:

? 780-850 ? Low Risk

? 740-780 – Medium ?Low Risk

? 690-740- Medium Risk

? 620-690- Medium High Risk

? 620 and Below ? High Risk or ?Sub-Prime.?

With all of this being said, it obviously makes more sense to get your 3-1 credit report with all 3 credit scores. Especially since that is what creditors are looking at. When pulling a consumer credit report it does not affect your credit scores.



Juan
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Your Access to Free Credit Reports

October 28th, 2009 admin
Mike Clover asked:


Free Credit Reports; have you wondered where to get one? There are so many different web sites out there offering this service, since it is so important these days to know what’s being reported about you. Everyone knows you can go once a year to annualcredit report.com to get a free one, but there are limitations that most don’t know. Here are the issues with this service.

1. No Credit Score

2. You only get access once a year.

Just about every lending institution that looks at your creditworthiness looks at your score, so shouldn’t you get your free credit score report as well? Every 3 seconds identity theft takes places, so do you think checking your report once a year is good enough? I have discussed in previous articles about the importance of checking your report every 60 days, because it does not affect your score and a lot of negativity can be reported about you. Lets assume you are getting ready to make a big purchase, or you have just have been denied for a credit application, if you were better prepared you could of done the following.

1. Negotiated a better interest rate

2. Instead of being told no, you were told yes, because you were on top of your credit situation.

3. Maybe you got the job, because your credit showed you were a responsible person.

4. Your insurance premium is lower

Do you see how not properly managing your credit can sneak into all aspects of your personal life? It’s amazing how your credit is the determining factor for a job these days, but with the internet now, you can get access to your profile within a few key strokes securely on-line.

I am sure you are still wondering which report to get, well you should get a 3-1Free Credit Score Report with all 3 scores. This way you get the entire picture, just like the creditors do. You also should sign up for monitoring, that way you are notified when critical changes take place to your personal report. This is absolutely so important I would recommend getting starting as soon as you are done reading this article. I have also mentioned before that some individual may not even marry you, because of your bad credit, wow, this credit stuff is really serious business these days. The need to know is so strong that you need not wait. I would get your Free Credit Score Report now.



Dale
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First Time Home Buyer: Get a Free Credit Report

August 30th, 2009 admin
Mike Trudeau asked:


You’ve probably seen the many advertisements that promise, a free credit report. You may have asked yourself, how is it possible for all these companies to offer these attractive free services? The answer is, like a lot of things; there is a catch. The catch, of course, isn’t an obvious one, when it comes time to sign up for a free credit report. What many of these unscrupulous companies do is they get you signed up for a free credit report first. Many consumers are finding out the hard way that they have been taken with things like recurring billing and the like. This is how a large number of companies offering free credit reports make their money.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this. Due to numerous consumer complaints the government has provided a resource that allows you to get a truly free credit report. By going to annualcreditreport dot com you can get a free credit report, thanks to our government. The only drawback, however, is that you can only get one free credit report once a year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus.

So, you may be asking, why is it important first time home buyer to get a free credit report? Your credit report shows a complete history of your credit. In some cases, this is gratifying, and others it is disturbing. Regardless of how great you think your credit is it’s always a good idea to check your credit. With identity theft on the rise, checking your credit regularly is more importance than ever. Getting a free credit report, the right way, doesn’t cost you a thing. What it does for you is allow you to see if there are any issues on your credit history. This can be particularly important for the first time home buyer. If you have unresolved issues looming on your credit report it could negatively affect your credit score, resulting in a higher mortgage rate. And assuming that getting the lowest rate on your mortgage is important, you’ll want to make sure your credit is squeaky clean.

It is not at all uncommon for individuals to find mistakes on their credit report. These mistakes can be cleared up, relatively easily with your creditors. You may have an unresolved bill that’s holding your credit down. Even the smallest of unpaid bills can have a negative affect on your credit. All these things can go unresolved if you’re not on top or credit report. Discovering these issues helps in the process of improving your credit so that you get the lowest interest rate possible on your home loan.

Things are hard enough the first time home buyer. You have to come up with a large down payment. You have two get approved for a loan. You have to cover closing costs. The list goes on. Getting your credit straightened out is one of the easiest ways to get on track for the first time home buyer.

After you make sure you have no credit issues, or you get any unresolved issues straightened out, you’ve taken the all-important first step. There are many first time home buyer programs available. Some allow for lower down payments or lower interest rates when it comes to buying your first home. You can withdraw money from qualified plans early if you’re a first time home buyer. There are even some grants in specific states available. Do some homework and be sure to take advantage of these programs, it can save you substantially. And with the cost of real estate, and just how hard it is to be a first time home buyer, you’ll need every advantage you can get.



Rhonda
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Why You Should Apply for a Free Credit Report And What To Do If It Is Bad

July 2nd, 2009 admin
Emanuele Allenti asked:


A free credit report is exactly what you need if you are unsure about your credit rating. It will allow you to find out exactly what is improving or diminishing your credit rating-and also help you to determine how best to react. There are hundreds of companies that say they can offer you a free credit report, but they will usually have a hidden charge that you won’t know about until you realize that some money has been drafted from one of your accounts. Other companies, however, are totally legit and will give you your free credit report without any additional charge.

Your free credit report will let you know why credit card companies keep turning you away. A bad credit rating will mean that you are not suitable for a credit card from that company. They will more than likely require a certain credit score for you to obtain a credit card. A free credit report will let you know where you stand in other companies’ eyes; it will also let you know your chance of being approved for a credit card.

If you have taken out a loan within the past year and had some trouble paying it off, then your credit score would have taken a bit of a knock; and you won’t know how bad it could be. So applying for a free credit report will let you know where you stand. There are two ways to apply for your free credit report. One way is through the Internet, which will allow you to have instant access to your credit report; the other way is via telephone and you will receive your credit report within two weeks through the mail.

It is a good idea to keep an eye on your credit score so that you know how bad or good it is. You will then know how likely you will get accepted for a credit card. Or how likely you are to get accepted for renting a property.

If you have just received your credit report and it wasn’t what you expected, then you will want to know which steps you should now take to correct your problems. There are a few ways to clean up your credit report and to make your credit score hit the right side of the bar. If you are wondering how to clean up your credit report, then it would be a good idea to ask yourself what got you the bad report in the first place. If it was not paying your credit card bills, then you have to convince yourself to finish paying off your debts-and to determine how best to do it. You have to sit down and write yourself a sensible budget plan and then follow through with it. That is just one sensible way on how to clean up your credit report.

Upon seeing a bad credit score, you will immediately want to know how to clean up your credit report. The best thing to do is to cut off all the things that are making it bad. Late payments are usually part of the problem; and if you don’t have a lot of money to begin with, it is probably a good idea to limit your spending to your bills. Another somewhat unorthodox approach to cleaning up your credit report is to apply for more credit from companies that you know you can pay back. You borrow small sums of money that you can pay off quickly and without any problems; this will show that you can pay off your borrowings, and that will impress the next person you seek to get credit from.

Cleaning up your credit report is a learning process. You will need to find out effective ways to restore your credit-and then you will have to consistently apply them to your life to alter your spending, saving, and bill-paying habits.



Gene
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Free Credit Report; is it Necessary During Today’s Times?

April 13th, 2009 admin
Mike Clover asked:


Credit Worthiness

Free Credit Reports are plastered all over the place, internet, TV, radio, and mail. The need to know is so important these days because everyone wants to know your credit. The current credit crunch that is taking place is making it tough to get loans, jobs, credit cards, and / or new place to rent. We all know things come up and cause credit issues, but if your credit shows a pattern of credit problems creditors want to know your risk. The foreclosure boom that is taking place now has almost put some of the biggest banks out of business. Fair Isaacs’s new software Next Gen is so precise in determining your risk, it will be the standard for calculating your score. With this new software it will soon be adopted with Freddie and Fannie in the underwriting decision process. Call me silly, but it looks like having your free credit report during today’s times is a must.

Identity Theft

The digital age has also has made your information accessible, and if there is some kind of security breach you would never know unless you signed up for credit monitoring services. The 3 credit bureaus now offer credit report monitoring services. Since this is a huge problem, this is another reason to have a copy of your free credit report to see if there is anything on there that may not be yours. Identity theft is such a huge problem that you cannot take any risks. According to statistics, once you have been robbed of your good name, you will be out of pocket somewhere in the range of $8,000. Identity Theft does not care who you are, they will steal you blind and destroy your credit.

Save Money

Having a copy of your Free Credit Report will save you money on credit cards, bank installments, mortgage rates, and just about any loan you apply for. In past articles we have discussed how you would end up paying thousands of dollars more because either you were not educated about your report, or you just had bad credit period. The result was creditors charged high interest rates on borrowed money. Just imagine if you could save an extra $200.00 dollars a month because you knew your credit scores and what was being reported about you. $200.00 dollars a month over 15 yrs is $36,000 dollars saved not including interest earned. If you start to really get down to the nuts and bolts of your personal creditworthiness and how it can affect your life I would say it’s pretty darn important. I would not wait any longer, get your report today and be an educated and protected consumer.



Katherine
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