Credit Rehabilitation

Your credit report contains a significant bit of information about your financial history as it pertains to credit. The information on your credit report is used to determine whether or not a company should extend credit to you. Several pieces of information are included in your credit report.

Personal identifying information such as your name, address, telephone number, social security number, and employer is included on your credit report. Your credit report will contain current and previous addresses and employers. When you receive a copy of your own credit report, your spouse's name may be included.

Your credit history makes up the bulk of your credit report. This includes all accounts you have with banks, finance companies, mortgage companies, retail stores and any other company that has granted credit to you. Information about each of these accounts is included: when the account was opened, the type of account it is, the credit limit or amount of loan, the current balance, and your monthly payment amount. Late payments and missed payments appear in this section of your credit report.

Public records that pertain to your credit worthiness are listed on your credit report: tax liens, court judgments, and bankruptcies are in this section.

Inquiries made to your credit report are listed. Whenever a company requests a copy of your credit report, an inquiry is added. Some companies receive your name and address to offer you credit or some other product; for example, the companies that send pre-approved credit card offers. These companies are included in the inquiry section of your credit report.

Should you find any inaccurate information on your credit report, you can dispute it. These dispute statements are included on your report.

The following pieces of information are not included on your credit report: race, health, criminal records, driving records, income, bank account balances, religion, and driving records.

Depending on who is requesting your credit report, different versions are given. When you request your own credit report, your version, known as the consumer version, includes all the above-mentioned information and a full listing of inquiries made for your credit report. A business version of the credit report exists that includes only inquiries that have been made with a permissible purpose. Usually permissible purpose defines a business that you initiated business with, rather than unsolicited pre-approval companies. Only inquiries that are made in response to you requesting credit from a company count in calculating your credit score.

For information on how your credit score is calculated, go to the article What Makes Up A Credit Score.

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Credit Rehabilitation: Debt Counseling

Those who get themselves into financially turbulent waters will sometimes seek a life preserver wherever they can. Sometimes, they reach out to a debt counselor. That can definitely be a wise move.

A skilled debt counselor can offer specialized knowledge gained through experience about which programs are effective and which are bogus. They have seen a variety of fool's gold offers come and go and know how to separate the real from the merely shiny.

Beyond practical guidance, one of the best values a good debt counselor has to offer is that helping hand. Incurring excessive debt over a long period is often more a psychological issue than one of practical skill. Difficulty resisting a debt settlement plan that looks too good to be true is hard for some people. A third party can be an objective eye.

People deep in debt sometimes have trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In the midst of a financial crisis, it can be hard to focus on the long term - especially when willpower may be the one weak area that led to accumulating all that debt in the first place.

A debt counselor can help keep such a person's eyes focused on the prize. Helping to develop a workable program is as much about setting realistic goals, and providing incentives and reminders of the worth of sticking to them, as it is about numbers in a spreadsheet.

But a debt counselor can be a hindrance if the person isn't prepared to commit to resolving his or her problem. Relying on just one more crutch to avoid accepting responsibility isn't an effective long term strategy. Short term help, for a period of readjustment, is perfectly healthy. But in the long run, it's up to each individual to manage his or her own affairs.

Many people are not naturally good at managing money. But it's a skill that can be learned. Balancing a checkbook requires only simple arithmetic or minor skill with a calculator. More often, the difficulty isn't technical, it's emotional.

Good advice is only worthwhile if it's followed. No debt counselor can ensure that. They can make a program sensible, and therefore feasible. But a person has to be willing to follow a sensible strategy and that often means changing long standing self-destructive habits. That comes harder to some than others.

When a person is willing to follow good advice, but also willing to strengthen their own inner reserves, the road may be long, but it is sure.

Outlining a realistic program for consolidation, debt forgiveness, interest rate or loan terms renegotiation is just one of the practical benefits a counselor can offer.

Helping keep you on track is part of the total package. But, ultimately it's up to each person to recognize their actual situation and meet it bravely.

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Your credit score is a numerical indication of your credit worthiness.  It is the primary factor that creditors and lenders use to decide whether or not they should extend credit to you.  You may also hear the credit score called the FICO score.  This name comes from the Fair Isaac Corporation, the company who is credited with developing the system that comes up with the credit score. If you have ever applied for a credit card, personal loan or insurance, there is a file on you and your credit history and financial history. This report contains very detailed information about you - where you live, where you have lived in the past, how you pay your bills, whether you've filed for bankruptcy, and whether you've been involved in a lawsuit or been arrested for any reason.

Having a good credit score is essential in getting credit and better credit terms. It will not only be easier for you to obtain credit, but you will be offered lower interest rates. Lower interest rates mean lower monthly payments and lower cost overall of the loan. Therefore, having a good credit score is desirable if you wish to finance a purchase of any kind.

To calculate your credit score, a formula is used.  This formula takes into account all the information on your credit report then comes up with the numerical summary known as your credit score. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness and privacy of the information in the files of the credit agencies. You have a right to know what information is contained in the report, but you have to request the information. Not all the information will be correct and it's your responsibility to correct any errors. You can obtain a free credit report every 12 months, but you must request it.

The credit scoring system was developed as a way for creditors to assess whether or not you are a good credit risk. It allows them to determine whether or not to lend you money, and under what terms. Your information is compared to other consumers with similar profiles to predict how credit-worthy you are; in other words, how likely you are to repay the loan according to the terms of the lender.

Credit scores can range anywhere from 300 to 850.  Most people have a credit score falling between 600 and 800.  Higher scores are deemed better by creditors and lenders.

There are five key factors about your credit history that make up your credit score.  These factors include the way you pay your bills, the way you use your credit, the age of your credit history, the number of times you ask for credit, and the types of credit you have.

Different types of lenders and creditors look at your credit score differently to determine whether or not you are credit worthy.  If you are applying for a credit card, the credit card company will pay closer attention to the part of your credit history that pertains to credit cards.  An automobile lender will look at your total amount of debt versus the total amount of income you have as well as the amount of your down payment.  Should you apply for a mortgage, your total credit score will be used to determine whether or not you qualify for the loan and the amount of your interest rate.

You can find out your credit score by contacting any of the three credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, or Experian.  The cost of the credit score will vary among the bureaus.  If you plan to apply for a credit card or loan, it is useful to obtain your credit score from each of the credit bureaus so you are aware of your standing before making the application for credit. If there are errors on your report, you should take the time to resolve them. This may improve your credit score, making it easier to obtain credit and better terms for that credit.

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Have you ever wondered how you can be pre-approved for a credit card or receive an online approval within a matter of seconds? Or why some people are denied for credit while others aren't? These things are based on a credit score, a three-digit number that creditors use to determine how likely you are to pay your bills on time.

Payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. Since most lenders want to know how timely you are at paying your bills, if you pay them at all, it makes sense that payment history would account for so much of the score. Late payments, collections, and bankruptcies are included in this part of your credit score. More recent occurrences affect your credit score more adversely than older ones.

Outstanding debt accounts for 30% of your credit score. This is the amount of money you owe on credit cards, auto loans, and home loans. Also included in this part of the credit score is how close your credit cards are to the credit limit. Having credit cards close to or over your credit limit lowers your credit score; having a balance over 30% of your credit limit also lowers your credit score.

The length of your credit history is 15% of your credit score. The longer your credit history, the better your score will be. Having a longer credit history gives a more accurate view of your payment patterns. This makes it easier to predict what you will do in the future.

Inquiries made on your credit report account for 10% of your credit score. Each time you make a credit-based application, an inquiry is placed on your credit report. If you make several applications for credit or loans within a short period of time, you will have several inquiries on your credit report. This makes it seem as if you are either in financial trouble or are accumulating a lot of debt. The good thing is that only those inquiries made within the past year are included in your credit report.

The types of credit you have make up the final 10% of your credit score. Having different kinds of credit, i.e. loans and credit cards, looks better than having only one kind of credit. There is no ideal mix of credit that you should have. In fact, this factor might not be included in your credit score, if there enough other information on your credit report to compute your credit score.

Your credit score can be used for a number of things, from applying for automobile loan to getting utilities turned on and getting hired with some employers. Knowing the factors that make up the credit score equips you with the information necessary to maintain a good score.

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