People who have been through a financial crisis—bankruptcy, repossession, foreclosure, history of late payments, IRS lien or levy or something similar—may think they won’t ever get credit again. This is certainly not true. By following some simple steps, you can rebuild your credit in just a couple of years. After you’ve cleaned up your credit […]

If you find mistakes in your credit report, immediately complete the “request for reinvestigation” form that the credit bureau sent you or send a letter listing each incorrect item and explain exactly what is wrong. Once the credit bureau receives your request, it must complete an investigation of your disputed items within 30 days and […]

What should you do if you find mistakes in your credit report? As you read through your report, make a list of everything out-of-date. These may include such things as lawsuits, paid tax liens, accounts sent out for collection, criminal records, late payments and any other adverse information older than seven years. Credit bureaus often […]

Each consumer should check his or her credit report and make sure it is correct. It makes sense to check it about once a year or three to four months prior to the time you know you’ll be applying for a major loan, which will give you time to clean it up. With recent changes, […]

Credit scores range from 400 to 900, with the average around 700. According to the model, as your score increases, your risk of default decreases. Industry experience shows a direct correlation between low scores and high default rates. This means that you may have a hard time convincing a creditor to make you an affordable […]