Credit Report Mistakes
Did you know that a good credit score is your ticket to a good life? A good credit score is your key to buying any large ticket item, getting insurance or even getting a new job.
The sad fact is that many people either don't bother to check their credit report for mistakes.
They just assume that it is OK because they always pay bills on time and don't have any credit card debt.
Did you know that many companies will not hire you if you have bad credit score? Many insurance companies will not issue you insurance if you have a bad credit score.
In today's market, it will be almost impossible to get a mortgage company or car dealership to loan you money if you have bad credit score.
How would you like to be one of the thousands of people every year that are turned down for a job, life insurance or a loan because their credit score was too low? It can and does happen every day.
Some customers are aware that their credit may not be so great but other customers are shocked and embarrassed when they learn that they have been denied credit.
You may be reading this saying "I take care of my credit and I'm sure my credit score is fine.
" Do you actually know what your credit score is? Have you actually pulled your credit reports this year? Have you reviewed them and determined that they are error free? I bet you would be surprised to know that there may be items listed on your credit report that don't belong to you.
You may have been the victim of identity theft and not even know it.
If you find mistakes on your credit report, don't wait.
Take action immediately!! Your first step is to get copies of your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies.
You are allowed to obtain one a year for free.
One place you can try is: http://www.
annualcreditreport.
com.
It is very important to contact all three agencies because different companies report to different credit reporting agencies.
Once you get them, you need to print them out, get out the highlighter and carefully review every line, including your social security number, your full name, any phone numbers provided, etc.
You need to review them more than once to make absolutely sure that no one has stolen your identity or that there are no mistakes in your credit history.
The next step is to write down all mistakes and any negative items.
Be aware that just because you say a negative item is incorrect or not yours, it will not automatically be removed.
You will be required to provide proof that a negative item is actually a mistake.
Some mistakes can be easily corrected.
For example, if you notice that an address is incorrect, that can be fixed without a lot of trouble.
Some credit agencies have a link that will allow you to register a dispute.
The credit reporting agencies have 30 - 45 days to respond to your complaint.
If you are able to get something removed from your credit report, you need to print it out again and keep a copy of it.
If a response is not issued within that time frame, then the claim has to be removed from your credit report.
The bottom line is that you can't take credit for granted.
If you have good credit, you must protect it at all costs.
Once it is blemished, it is very difficult to get it back into good shape.
The sad fact is that many people either don't bother to check their credit report for mistakes.
They just assume that it is OK because they always pay bills on time and don't have any credit card debt.
Did you know that many companies will not hire you if you have bad credit score? Many insurance companies will not issue you insurance if you have a bad credit score.
In today's market, it will be almost impossible to get a mortgage company or car dealership to loan you money if you have bad credit score.
How would you like to be one of the thousands of people every year that are turned down for a job, life insurance or a loan because their credit score was too low? It can and does happen every day.
Some customers are aware that their credit may not be so great but other customers are shocked and embarrassed when they learn that they have been denied credit.
You may be reading this saying "I take care of my credit and I'm sure my credit score is fine.
" Do you actually know what your credit score is? Have you actually pulled your credit reports this year? Have you reviewed them and determined that they are error free? I bet you would be surprised to know that there may be items listed on your credit report that don't belong to you.
You may have been the victim of identity theft and not even know it.
If you find mistakes on your credit report, don't wait.
Take action immediately!! Your first step is to get copies of your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies.
You are allowed to obtain one a year for free.
One place you can try is: http://www.
annualcreditreport.
com.
It is very important to contact all three agencies because different companies report to different credit reporting agencies.
Once you get them, you need to print them out, get out the highlighter and carefully review every line, including your social security number, your full name, any phone numbers provided, etc.
You need to review them more than once to make absolutely sure that no one has stolen your identity or that there are no mistakes in your credit history.
The next step is to write down all mistakes and any negative items.
Be aware that just because you say a negative item is incorrect or not yours, it will not automatically be removed.
You will be required to provide proof that a negative item is actually a mistake.
Some mistakes can be easily corrected.
For example, if you notice that an address is incorrect, that can be fixed without a lot of trouble.
Some credit agencies have a link that will allow you to register a dispute.
The credit reporting agencies have 30 - 45 days to respond to your complaint.
If you are able to get something removed from your credit report, you need to print it out again and keep a copy of it.
If a response is not issued within that time frame, then the claim has to be removed from your credit report.
The bottom line is that you can't take credit for granted.
If you have good credit, you must protect it at all costs.
Once it is blemished, it is very difficult to get it back into good shape.
