A list of ten credit repair tips follows. This is by no means a complete list, maybe just enough to get you started.
Credit Repair Tip #1
Look for free information before you buy anything. Did you know that the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, are required to provide consumers with one free copy of their credit report every year? If not, you are not alone. Companies which sell credit reports and other credit repair tips are betting that most people do not.
Credit Repair Tip #2
Visit www.annualcreditreport.com. At this site consumers can view and print the information accumulated by the credit report agencies or credit bureaus. There is no charge for these reports, but the credit bureaus are allowed to promote the products that they sell, such as credit repair tips, on this site.
Credit Repair Tip #3
There may be a lot of information on your credit report or just a little, depending on the types of credit that you have and the length of time that you have been using credit. Print the reports out and begin the process of reviewing the information that the credit bureaus have been accumulating about you. Use a yellow highlighter to highlight information that you believe may be inaccurate, misleading or unverifiable. This is information that you will dispute.
Credit Repair Tip #4
One of the credit bureaus has an on-line dispute system, but it is not very user friendly. The window is tiny and in order to read a sentence, you have to scroll from left to right. The best way to notify the credit bureaus of your disputes is to send them a letter. Letter writing suggestions are included in many books with credit repair tips, but you can view a perfectly usable example of a dispute letter at the Federal Trade Commission’s credit website.
Credit Repair Tip #5
Wait.
Credit Repair Tip #6
If you have not received a response from the credit bureau or bureaus within thirty days, send a follow-up letter: “Please remove these items from my credit report immediately. I have waited a reasonable amount of time.”
Credit Repair Tip #7
Wait.
Credit Repair Tip #8
If you receive no response from the follow-up letter, you will need to contact a lawyer, preferably one that specializes in credit repair issues. The credit bureaus are allowed to disregard disputes that they consider frivolous. There are no guidelines for disputes which might be considered frivolous.
Credit Repair Tip #9
Sometimes options are recommended which are illegal, such as file segregation. Do not create more problems for yourself.
Credit Repair Tip #10
Visit myfico.com for more credit repair tips. This site also shows how different actions affect your credit score.
There are several sources on the internet for credit repair tips. As with most information, there are hundreds of books full of credit repair tips, software programs with credit repair tips and credit repair specialists that charge for their credit repair tips, but there is a lot of free information as well. For more credit repair tips, visit the Credit Repair Blog. |
