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Bad Credit Archives | Ovation Credit Repair Services

Feb 06
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Women Curb Spending Habits

3 Easy Ways to Curb Your Spending Habits

By | Credit Cards

Spending less on your day-to-day life can help you put extra savings away, whether for an emergency account, a retirement fund, or even a vacation. But when it comes to actually saying no to swiping your card or hitting a purchase button online, you may have a harder time sticking to your savings goal.

Before you give up, try out these three easy ways to curb your spending habits. They’re not difficult to implement and you’ll notice a major difference in your bank account when you keep up with them each week and month.

1. Purge What You Already Have

It may seem counter-intuitive, but having a ton of stuff in your home can actually lead to buying more stuff. For starters, you probably don’t know everything you have. Think you’re out of shampoo or conditioner? You very well may have a brand-new bottle crammed at the back of your bathroom vanity. Spend a couple of hours to clear your space of clutter and take inventory of what you already have. You may be surprised by what you find. Plus, you won’t be tempted to buy tons of organizing containers and other supplies because you don’t have any clutter. It can be an incredibly freeing experience while simultaneously leading to better long-term spending habits.

2. Reduce Your Food Spending

Another way to curb your spending is to be mindful of what you’re spending on food and make a concerted effort to slash that number. Start off by adding up everything you spent on food and dining out last month. Even if you reduce that number by 10 to 20 percent, you’ll notice huge savings over the course of a year. You don’t have to be a crazy couponer. Instead, try these simple hacks to reduce your food spending.

Prep Your Breakfast and Lunch

The Internet is brimming with easy, budget-friendly breakfast and lunch ideas that are designed to help you avoid picking something up, no matter how busy you are. You can go all out, making and freezing breakfast burritos for a week, or do something as simple as getting a bag of bagels rather than stopping at the bakery on your way to work.

Leftovers for lunch are always easy (and prevent you from growing a mold experiment in the back of your refrigerator) and it’s simple to keep some sandwich materials on hand. With so many grocery delivery services available, you can do your shopping in 15 minutes online, see how much you’re spending before you check out, and avoid last-minute impulse buys.

Preplan How Often You’ll Eat Out

Depending on your financial situation, you likely don’t need to deprive yourself of ever going out to eat again. If you’re regularly struggling to make ends meet, you may want to take a total hiatus until you regain your financial footing. But if you just want to curb your spending in general, all you need to do is set guidelines for yourself and follow them.

Maybe that means allowing yourself one happy hour a week and one night out with friends. Or perhaps you commit to a single family date night twice a month. Figure out how much you want to save each month and use that number to create your social calendar.

Shop Your Pantry

Chances are, you have some kind of pantry space holding non-perishable food items. Before you do your weekly grocery shopping (remember, online makes it easy!), first figure out what food you already have and use it to inspire your grocery list. Also note what may be going bad in your refrigerator soon, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables. See how low you can get your grocery list by shopping your own kitchen first.

3. Hide Your Credit Cards

Credit cards make it all too tempting to buy things we don’t need or can’t afford. If you’re really having trouble curbing your spending, hide your credit cards. Stick them in a drawer or go the extra mile and freeze them in a bowl of water. To really do this well, however, you also have to go to your online accounts and delete your saved credit cards (Amazon Prime, we’re looking at you!). That way there’s no temptation whatsoever to mindlessly shop from your sofa while watching Netflix.

Have debt and overspending affected your credit score? Ovation Credit may be able to help. Reach out for a free consultation today.

Oct 03
0

Can You Buy a House With Bad Credit?

By | Home Buying, Mortgage

Buying a house is a dream many people have, but it can seem out of reach when you have bad credit. While it’s certainly easier to qualify for a mortgage loan with a credit score of at least 620, it’s not impossible if your score is lower. You just have to prove to lenders that you’ll pay your mortgage on time every month for years, and having a good credit score is only one way to do this. If you’re hoping to become a homeowner without first having to spend years improving your score, take a look at some of your options.

Bad Credit Buy House

Bad Credit? Check Your Credit Report for Errors

Your first step is to get a copy of your credit report. You might be surprised by your score, as it could be higher or lower than you assumed. Be sure to look over the entire credit report, because you might find an error, such as a bill in collections that you actually paid. If you do find an error, report it right away to the creditor so you can get it removed from your credit report before you get a mortgage.

If your score is low and you are getting ready to look at houses, you have a chance of improving your bad credit at least a little in the next few months. Start by making every payment on time, and then pay down any credit cards that have high balances. If you have a late payment on your credit report, try contacting your creditor to see if you can get it removed, as this is a possibility if you’re a loyal customer and are not normally late.

Similarly, if you have collections on your report, ask the creditor if you can pay the amount past due in exchange for the collections being removed from your credit report. In some cases, even boosting your score by as little as 10 or 20 points can make a difference, since it might take your score from poor to fair.

Make a Big Down Payment

If your credit score still falls into the bad or poor category when you’re ready to buy a house, rest assured you can likely still get a mortgage loan. You just might have to pay more upfront. Making a big down payment can help you get a loan, because it reduces the amount of money you need to borrow. This makes it more likely that you’ll be approved.

In addition, if you put down 20 percent or more, you should be able to avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI), as you typically have to pay this monthly if you put down less than 20 percent. And of course, the more money you put down on the house now, the less you’ll end up paying in interest over time. So there are benefits to saving up a good down payment, regardless of what your credit score is.

Look for a Loan That Doesn’t Require Good Credit

Typically, mortgage loans require you to have a credit score of about 620 or more, which is why buying a house when you have a lower score can be challenging. However, it’s not impossible, in part because there are loans that don’t require a score of 620 and up. They don’t require a large down payment, either.

FHA loans are a good example of this type of loan. This loan is backed by the Federal Housing Administration, which makes lenders more willing to offer money to borrowers with bad credit, as the loan will be repaid either way. With an FHA loan, your credit score can be as low as about 580. You just have to have a down payment of 3.5 percent, which is still much lower than the typically recommended 20 percent. This is why FHA loans are usually appealing to homebuyers who have bad credit.

Show Lenders Why You Should Get a Mortgage Loan

Typically, lenders use computer systems with algorithms to determine which homebuyers are eligible for mortgage loans. This is why it’s easier to get a mortgage loan when your credit score is high. However, it’s not all about the algorithm. Many lenders are willing to overlook low credit scores if you have something else to offer as a borrower.

For example, if you have a great rental payment history, let your lender know, since this shows you’re likely to make your mortgage payments on time. And if you have a lot of money in savings, such as enough to pay your bills for about six months, show proof of this to your lender. This suggests that even if you lose your job or suffer other financial setbacks, you’ll still be able to pay your mortgage, and that’s what’s most important to lenders considering letting you borrow money for a house.

As you can see, you definitely have options when it comes to buying a house with bad credit. But if you’re not in a rush to buy right now, it’s a good idea to spend some time and effort improving your credit score. You can even contact a credit repair company for help getting started. After all, the higher your score is, the more options you’ll have when it’s time to buy a house.

Source:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/five-reasons-make-large-down-payment.html

https://www.credit.com/credit-repair/credit-repair-content/dispute-credit-report-error/

https://www.hud.gov/buying/loans

Feb 02
0

Repair Credit: Results in Months Not Years

By | Credit Repair, Credit Reports

repair credit now

Full credit repair is no seven-year journey; with the right efforts, you could increase your FICO score by more than 100 points in just six to eight months.

If you’re trying to repair credit problems, don’t turn to bankruptcy. In fact, even if you’re unsure how to repair credit, the best route is debt management.

Take a look below for more details on what actions you should take, which include: using secured credit cards to repair credit, fixing credit report errors to remove penalties, shifting away from heavy revolving debts and taking credit limit increases when possible.

How to Improve My Credit Score

In less than a year, you can go from bad to great credit. It’s just going to take some work. That means building new credit, paying old debts and fixing any delinquent accounts. But if you have bad credit, how exactly will you do this?

The best thing you can do is forget everything you thought about secured credit cards. It’s never a good route if you have other options – but a secured card works wonders when you’re trying to repair credit.

How to Repair Credit with a Secured Card

It’s simple – get a secured credit card in your name and start using it. After 12 to 18 months of responsible paying, the card issuer will upgrade you. Some cards only increase in security funds and others switch to unsecured cards.

Aim for the latter and shoot for the highest credit limit you can get – the bigger the collateral you can provide, the better. The best convertible secured credit cards allow for a $5,000 to $10,000 secured credit limit.

The only other thing is to avoid using the secured card for all your monthly expenses. It’s not good to be that active – after all, the more debt you carry on the card, the worse your credit utilization rate will be. This is an important variable to keep under control; your outstanding debt levels amount for 30 percent of your FICO score calculation.

Building Credit by Fixing Errors

Another way to see a fast increase in points is by fixing errors on your credit file. If there’s an inaccurate entry, it could plague your score by 100 points or more. In fact, a FTC study from 2013 found that 1 in 250 consumers have a 100 point or higher deficit due to reporting errors. Beyond that, another 1 in 20 files contain errors amounting to lower scores by 25 points or more.

You can request a copy of your credit report from each bureau individually, or through the AnnualCreditReport.com website. Take a look at it for any signs of inaccurate or missing information. If anything is spotted, when the bureau acts on it your new FICO score will be higher.

You can report errors on your file through the credit bureau websites. TransUnion also lets you send your report by mail. It’s best to contact all three, but once you notify a single bureau they’re obligated to tell the others. If the issue is due to identity fraud, and not a recording error, then an FTC affidavit and police report might be required.

Consolidating Your Revolving Debts

Revolving debts weigh more on your credit score than installment debts. This means short-term loans can help. If your credit card debts are high, you could use a consolidation loan to lower your debt-to-credit ratio. The installment debt created by your loan won’t drag your score as much, so your score will go up once your file updates with the change.

This is why debt repair services are actually a hidden gem. You can avoid bankruptcy and pay back what you owe on your own schedule. In the end, you might be able to repair your credit score within six months to a year. It’s just a matter of organizing your debts and optimizing your file based on how FICO calculates your score.

Take Any Limit Increase You Can Get

When you are offered a higher credit limit it means you’re given the chance to take on even more debt. This shows that you’re trusted with a higher amount; until you spend it, your debt-to-credit ratio will be improved.

Therefore, taking on credit limit increases as they come is a fantastic idea. It’s just a matter of having the willpower to not blow all the new funds. Long story short, if you can manage this, then the greater credit limits will help boost your credit score.

Conclusion

Credit repair is a scary subject – where the only happy ending seems to come after you go through bankruptcy or if you win the lottery. This doesn’t have to be the case, and there are ways around bankruptcy, but it will take a real commitment.

The journey begins with figuring out what you’re doing wrong as a borrower. In most cases, it’s carrying too large of a debt on credit cards. Deleverage this by getting access to loans and by consolidating your high-interest debts.

Then work on sustaining the best credit utilization rate you can manage. Your FICO score will show real changes after only three to six months of good stats getting reported to the credit bureaus.

Sources:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2013/02/ftc-study-five-percent-consumers-had-errors-their-credit-reports

http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/amounts-owed.aspx

Jan 19
0

Getting a Mortgage With Bad Credit

By | Mortgage

Mortgage with Bad Credit

Is it possible to get a mortgage with bad credit? The answer is yes, but attempting to do so can pose unnecessary financial hazards. A far more effective plan would be to improve your credit score first and then seek real estate.

Get an FHA Loan

When your credit report is less than stellar, you could try taking out a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, which the government insures. The FHA, by the way, is a division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The requirements for such a loan are relatively lenient. If you’ve experienced a foreclosure or if you’ve filed for bankruptcy, you still might be eligible.

The down payment of an FHA loan amounts to just 3.5 percent of a new home’s total cost. Private lenders often ask for larger down payments, sometimes at rates of 20 percent or more.

FHA loans do have drawbacks, though. To secure one, you’ll need to take out an insurance policy, and its premiums can be more expensive than conventional loan insurance premiums. For an FHA loan, you’ll have to pay an upfront premium as well. A private lender probably wouldn’t require you to make such a payment.

Also, it’s possible that you could obtain an FHA loan only to realize later that you’re unable to make your payments. In the end, it’s better to get rejected for a loan than to get a loan you can’t repay.

Find a Cosigner

Another option is to locate someone who’d be willing to cosign your mortgage. If this person’s finances are sound, he or she should be able to help you procure a lower rate of interest and other favorable terms.

However, this course of action ought to be your last resort. If someone were to cosign your loan, that person would be assuming a major risk. If you failed to make a payment on time or if you were to default, your cosigner’s credit score would be damaged severely.

For that reason, don’t be surprised or offended if those who are close to you decline to cosign. Likewise, if people ever ask you to cosign for them, you should turn them down no matter how much you’d like to be of assistance.

Use Your Negotiating Skills

If you have bad credit, you might still be capable of persuading a lender to grant you a mortgage. Most likely, you’d have to demonstrate that you currently make a lot of money, have substantial savings and aren’t in debt. Furthermore, it may help if you can prove that you’ve paid your rent punctually for the past 12 months or longer.

All of these factors would indicate that you’re financially responsible, and they might convince lenders to overlook your credit score, especially if it dropped due to circumstances beyond your control or because of a one-time mistake that you vow never to repeat.

On the other hand, you might create a financing plan with the person who’s selling the house. That is, you could make a significant down payment and agree in writing to give him or her a certain amount each month. However, many sellers simply have no interest in such deals.

 


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Whipping That Credit Score Into Shape

Given the serious drawbacks to all of the home financing methods mentioned above, there is only one conclusion to draw here. Before you even start looking for a home to buy, you really should make sure that your credit report is impressive enough.

Different credit reporting agencies have somewhat different credit score ranges. But, roughly speaking, those scores extend from 300 to 850. If you want to take out a conventional home loan, you should have a score of at least 650, and 700 or higher is preferable. Don’t panic if yours is less than 650, however.

Rather, there are a variety of ways in which you could raise that number fairly quickly. For one, you could obtain copies of your credit reports, look for errors that aren’t in your favor and tell the agencies about them. In addition, pay off all of your credit card balances. Likewise, if you haven’t always been doing so, start consistently paying your credit card bills on time and in full.

Moreover, with each of your credit cards, don’t utilize more than 30 percent of your credit line during any given month. In fact, to keep your utilization rate down, you might request higher credit lines if you’re eligible for them.

Finally, an outstanding credit repair service can review your specific financial circumstances and find ingenious and highly efficient techniques for boosting your score.

In the end, the strongest reason to avoid taking out a mortgage with bad credit is that you’d most likely get stuck with an extremely high interest rate. Because of that rate, you’d spend thousands of dollars more over the life of your loan. By contrast, you could invest perhaps a couple hundred dollars in improving your credit score. Consequently, you’ll not only obtain a much more affordable mortgage, but you’ll have the ability to work out many other advantageous financial contracts in the future.

Sources:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-10/how-to-raise-your-credit-score-fast

http://www.forbes.com/sites/trulia/2015/02/04/the-pros-and-cons-of-seller-financing/#4ba516f7e822

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/buy-house-down-payment-bad-credit-7377.html

http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2015/01/30/how-to-get-a-home-loan-with-less-than-stellar-credit

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/realestate/the-downside-to-fha-loans.html

http://time.com/money/3086800/qualify-mortgage-bad-credit-low-credit-score/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-ways-buy-house-bad-152456987.html

Jan 31
0

How Much is Your Bad Credit Costing You?

By | Credit Scores

There are many motivations for improving your credit score: lower interest rates, the ability to secure a loan or mortgage, higher credit limits and more credit card reward options. In the world of credit, the best deals go to the people with the best credit scores. But what is a good credit score actually worth in dollars?

More than $5,000 on a Loan

Whether the money is used to go to college or to buy a new car, almost everyone applies for private loans (from a bank) at least once. However, if you squeak by – meeting the lending requirements with the lowest acceptable credit score – it’s going to cost you. Compare the interest rates on a $25,000 loan that is to be paid off in six years (or 72 monthly payments).

Interest Rate Total Interest Paid Monthly Payment
5.5% $4,460 $413
7.5% $6,200 $437
12.5% $10,800 $501

The difference between the highest rate and the lowest rate is more than $5,000! However, there are still significant financial gains if you are able to improve your credit enough to shave off a few interest points – the difference between 7.5 percent and 12.5 percent is $4,600.

More than $500 per year on Credit Cards

Without a decent credit score, it can be difficult to secure a credit card. Many lenders have tightened their application requirements, and the best interest rate (after any promotional period) is 10.99 percent. If you are able to get your hands on a credit card with less-than-perfect credit, you will likely have an APR of 20.99 percent. How much in interest does that cost you? With an average balance of $8,000, the higher interest rate will cost about $60 more per month, or $720 annually.

More than $50, 000 on a Mortgage

Buying a home may be the most expensive purchase you will ever make, and with bad credit, it can cost you even more (if you can even qualify for a home loan). While the best rates go to the people with the best credit scores, the difference of even a few interest points can add up to big money over the life of a mortgage. Here is an example of three different mortgage rates, the resulting monthly payments and the total interest paid over the life of a 30-year mortgage:

Interest Rate Total Interest Paid Monthly Payment
2.75 % $140,005.67 $1,222.25
4.75 % $260,364.46 $1,556.58
5.66 % $319,621.06 $1,721.18

The difference between the best rate and the poorest highest rate is nearly $180,000 in total interest costs. However, improving your credit score from a rate of 5.66 percent to 4.75 percent can save you almost $60,000.

Having bad credit is expensive. Improving your score can mean huge interest savings over the life of your borrowing, as well as significant savings on a monthly basis. If you combine the three examples above, the difference between good credit and bad credit amounts to $645 in monthly payments, or a cost of $7,740 per year.

How much is good credit worth to you?

May 24
0

Who’s Spying On Your Credit?

By | Ask a Credit Expert, Consumer Rights, Credit Reports, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Your Credit

If you are not regularly monitoring your credit report, you might be surprised to learn who is making credit inquiries. Even more surprising is the decisions these people are making based on that information.

If you have filled out an application for a job, a rental property or a mobile phone, or if you need utility service, your credit report may have been reviewed as part of that application process.  When you supply your name, birth date and Social Security number on any type of application, you may be unknowingly subjecting yourself to a credit report inquiry. Insurance companies use your credit history to decide the premium you will pay, landlords may check your credit to determine if you would be a good tenant, utility companies may pull your credit report to set your payment terms, and employers may decide to hire or promote you based on your credit rating.  Government agencies, including state or local child support enforcement, also have the right to pull your credit report for license or benefit applications.

Your credit report contains private information and includes not only your name, but your address and previous addresses, telephone number, Social Security number, year and month of your birth, and your employment information. Your report may also include public record information, such as civil judgements, tax liens and bankruptcies. This is information that you may not want certain people to know. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, however, anyone with a “legitimate business need” can access your credit report. Each inquiry can drop your credit score from two to five points. While these inquiries stay on your credit report for two years, they will only affect your score for one year.

The good news is that you have a right to obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three reporting agencies each year, and you have the right to know who else is looking at it.  When you order a copy of your report, it will include information about anyone who has inquired about your credit or has requested a report. It is a good idea to regularly monitor your report, because many credit reports contain serious errors that can jeopardize your credit rating and financial well-being.

Credit inquiries are not only carried out by financial institutions when you are applying for a credit card or rate-shopping for a loan or mortgage. Many companies are using credit reports more and more often to make any number of decisions. This is all the more reason to frequently check the accuracy of your credit reports.  Otherwise, you may be denied your ideal apartment, lower insurance premiums, or even your dream job or hard-earned promotion at work.

Nov 28
0

3 Credit Myths Debunked

By | Credit Repair, Credit Reports, Credit Scores, Your Credit

There have been a lot of great movies in recent years based on mythological characters: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010), Immortals (2011), and Thor (2011). Myth-based movies are great entertainment, but myths about your credit score can be expensive. The following three myths about your credit score can end up being very costly.

Myth One: If I Pay Off the Debt, They’ll Report It

One of the biggest myths about your credit score is believing that the company to whom you’ve paid a debt will properly report it to the credit agencies. People often believe that as soon as they’ve paid off a debt, the company will immediately report that to the credit agencies and their score will improve. Unfortunately, depending on the company’s reporting practices, they may wait three months to report the payoff, or they may never report it at all.

What you actually owe a lender and what’s reporting on your credit report are often two different things. It’s crucial to review your credit report regularly and take charge of making sure it stays up to date if you really want to improve your credit rating.

Myth Two: If It’s Not on the Report, I Don’t Owe the Debt

Another myth that hurts consumers is the assumption that if something does get removed from your credit report that you no longer owe the money. For example, let’s say you really do owe $4,000 on a charge off, but we’re able to get it removed from your credit report because it isn’t being accurately reported. That doesn’t mean you don’t still owe the money.

Myth Three: Paying Off Debt Fixes Everything

Many consumers believe that the minute they pay off their debts that their credit rating will increase significantly. But if you’ve had a history of late payments and delinquencies, companies can still report all the late and missed payments for seven years. It can take that long for your credit to fully recover.

Paying off your debts and bringing payments current will help your overall credit score. Making the debt go away, especially if it is in collection, helps in two ways: one, it shows paid instead of still owed. Two, it stops the date of last activity, which means seven years from that date it goes away. Otherwise, it just keeps being a current reporting, and the seven years keeps being seven years in the future.

Nov 03
0

“No Reason” Is No Excuse

By | Credit Laws, Credit Repair, Credit Reports

Looking at your credit report is a bit like being in an episode of CSI. You’ll need to carefully pick apart the scene of the credit crime looking for the right clues. “No reason” really means “I don’t know” when it comes to credit score drops, and it usually takes nothing more than a little old-fashioned sleuthing to discover the no-reason reason.

The first step in your CSI Credit Crime adventure is to request copies of your credit report, which are available free to you once per year by law. The first crime you should eliminate is length of credit history. Not having enough of a credit history is an often hidden clue. In the industry this is called a thin credit file.

Have you closed a credit card lately? Recently closed accounts also provide a reason for “no reason” credit drops. Solve this credit crime by opening new accounts and being careful about what accounts you close in the future.

To get away with a credit crime or two, you need to know how to close accounts when you need to. As with all things in credit, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Keeping between four and six accounts open allows you to show companies you are using credit regularly and responsibly. Use one, pay it off in full every month and pay down on the rest. This is what creditors and credit-reporting bureaus want to see.

Don’t, however, close the oldest account you have. This is one of the most serious credit crimes you can commit. It makes your credit history appear shorter than it is and can cause your credit score to take a hit. Definitely don’t cancel several accounts all at once and don’t over-consolidate your cards so that you have too much debt in one place. Another reason your credit score can drop for “no reason” is when you use too much of a single available line of credit. Keep your credit balance below 30% of the total available credit.

Many no-reason credit crimes are committed unintentionally. While it’s often stated that your credit score takes a hit due to inquiries, this is largely overstated. You credit rating likely receives several inquiries per month from people wanting to issue you credit. These have a negligible effect on your credit. Even an inquiry into your credit rating from an employer or credit card application has a minor effect on your credit rating. Don’t spend too many crime scene investigation resources looking into inquiries.

When your credit score takes a dive for “no reason,” chances are it’s taken a dive for a reason – just not one you understand. Investigating your credit report with the attention of a CSI unit allows you to better appraise what “no reason” is the reason for your credit score’s recent dip so you can make the necessary repairs.

Oct 25
0

Somebody’s Watching You…

By | Consumer Rights, Credit Laws, Credit Repair, Credit Reports, Credit Scores

No, we’re not reminiscing about the 80’s hit by Rockwell…this is more sinister. From hacking computer systems to trapping codes at ATM machines, identity theft is rampant and can have a devastating impact on your life. It can affect your ability to buy a car or a home, it can prevent you from getting a job, and there have been (albeit rare) cases of innocent people being arrested for crimes committed by an identity thief. Keeping a close eye on credit reports is an excellent way to detect fraudulent activity, and credit monitoring can be a helpful tool to do just that.

The three credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian – are required by the federal government to provide an annual copy of your credit report at no charge. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com to order it and monitor your own credit by reviewing it carefully to ensure all information is accurate. Doing this once a year is the first step toward thwarting thieves.

The next step would be to hire a company to monitor the credit reports real time and inform you, probably via email, of any changes. Most notices would regard changes in account balances on credit cards or an inquiry for a line of credit at a retail store. In an identity theft scenario though, a thief might use your social security number, stolen while dumpster diving at a local bank, to apply for a new credit card. The timely credit monitoring service notification of this fraudulent application for credit could mean the difference between a small hassle and full-blown, financially crippling identity theft.

Sadly though, not all credit monitoring services are created equal. The ones managed by the three credit reporting agencies are typically pretty good, and the timeliness of the information is excellent – which is the most important element in the detection of fraud. Some of the second tier services though report outdated information since they have to pay for the data and retrieve it periodically from the primary agencies. Another potential problem with the second tier services is that they may offer a free credit report (mimicking the government-mandated service), but once the consumer accepts the free report, they are unwittingly enrolled in a potentially expensive service. What a sneaky and underhanded thing to do – it sure doesn’t make us want to trust them with our financial information.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a program called “Deter, Detect, Defend: Avoid ID Theft.” It is a good program, especially in its education about how to protect personal information (and thereby deter ID theft). Combine this with credit monitoring by a high quality provider and good financial decision-making, and we will stop letting the identity thieves bully us.

Jun 15
0

How Long Can Information Be Reported On Your Credit Reports?

By | Bankruptcy, Collections, Consumer Rights, Credit Cards, Credit Laws, Credit Repair, Credit Reports, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Your Credit

One of the first credit repair steps involves removing information that is outdated.  The problem is that many consumers cannot tell when information is outdated.   On the surface, it seems like a simple exercise – just compare some dates.  While that is correct, the more difficult part involves determining which dates to compare.  The answers are provided in The Fair Credit Reporting Act, section 605.  According to section 605, the following items may not be reported on your credit reports:

  1. Bankruptcy: Cases under title 11 [United States Code] or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years.
  2. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest:  Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period.
  3. Paid tax liens: Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years.
  4. Collections and Chare Offs: Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years.
  5. Other Adverse Items: Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.

So What Are The Exceptions?

There are exceptions to these general rules.  Most of the exceptions are based upon the use of the report.  The general rules are not applicable in the case of any consumer credit report to be used in connection with the following:

  1. Credit transactions involving, or which may reasonably be expected to involve, a principal amount of $150,000 or more;
  2. Underwriting of life insurance involving, or which may reasonably be expected to involve, a face amount of $150,000 or more; or
  3. Employment of any individual at an annual salary which equals, or which may reasonably be expected to equal $75,000, or more.

If you have ever wondered why there are so many different credit scoring models, this is one of the primary reasons.  The information that is permitted to be included on the credit report can vary depending on what the credit report is being used for.

So When Does The Time Period Start?

In regards to bankruptcy, the 10 year period starts at the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication.   In regards to the other items, the 7 year period begins, with respect to any delinquent account that is placed for collection (internally or by referral to a third party, whichever is earlier), charged to profit and loss, or subjected to any similar action, upon the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the commencement of the delinquency which immediately preceded the collection activity, charge to profit and loss, or similar action.   Clear as mud, right?

So What Does This Mean?

In order to understand if items on your credit report are outdated, you need to understand how the dates are calculated.  Remember, you should review your credit reports frequently for errors and signs of identity theft.  It is not uncommon that dates are incorrect.  In fact, in the case of debt collection, errors in the proper dates are very common.  These errors may result in negative items being reported longer than necessary.  Check the dates on your reports and verify that the information is correct.  If you need help, give us a call – we would be happy to assist you.

 

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