Posts Tagged Credit Checks

Free Credit Reports – Take Full Advantage Of The Free Credit Report!

Abhishek Agarwal asked:




When a company is deciding whether or not to give you a loan, a mortgage or a credit card it checks your credit report. Your credit report contains information about every credit transaction you have made. If you failed to make a payment or defaulted on a loan then it will be on your credit report.

Until the US government brought in legislation to make this information freely available to you only finance companies, banks and mortgage lenders could see it. Now you are entitled to see it too.

The FACT Act made it possible to see your credit record for free every year for the first time. You need no longer be in the dark about what the finance companies know about you.

This is information about you and it is your right to see it. You should make use of that right because it affects your ability to get loans, credit cards and mortgages. If you are refused credit is probably because of something in your credit report.

There may be mistakes in your credit report that are stopping you from getting a loan. Someone may have fraudulently used your identity to take out a credit card or loan which they have not paid. You will then be left with a bad credit report that is not your fault.

There are three companies that compile credit reports. You can only get to see one of those reports for free. But if there are mistakes in that one then it will be worth your while to pay for the other two.

Not all the credit reporting companies have exactly the same information. They compile their data in slightly different ways.

Once you have seen the report and checked it against your own records you can correct inaccuracies any inaccuracies it may contain. There is a facility on the websites of the credit reporting companies for you to inform them of mistakes in your report. You will have to produce written evidence such as bank statements or credit card statements. But the process is quite simple.

By correcting inaccuracies in your credit report you are protecting your credit score. Even one mistake can make the difference between getting a loan and being refused credit.

All Americans can now get a free credit report every year. It is a responsible financial practice to take advantage of this opportunity. By doing so you are taking control of your own finances.

You can guard against identity theft, you can correct errors, and you can see if your credit score is falling because you have a pattern of late payments. It is in your interests to maintain a good credit score. If you check your credit record every year you can address problems as they arise.

Virginia

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Do Credit Inquires Hurt Your Credit Score?

Mike Clover asked:




A credit inquiry is an item on your credit report that shows with permission a creditor requested your free credit score report.

Not all credit inquiries affect your credit score:

You may notice when you pull your credit report there are inquiries on there from a business you are not familiar with. The only inquiry that affects your credit score is the one where you are applying for credit. This is considered a hard pull on your report.

Inquiries that affect your credit score:

There is only one type of inquiry that affects your score. This type of inquiry is applications for a mortgage, auto loan and other credit, by you authorizing these creditors to access your credit report. This type of inquiry prompted by your own actions ends up on your personal credit report and affects your score.

An inquiry that does not affect your credit score: Checking your own personal credit report or any business that offers goods and services that requests your report. A business that you already have a account with that requests a check. A potential employer that does credit checks. Some of these types of inquiries might show up on your report but do not affect your credit score.

Checking your credit report does not affect your score:

Checking your credit report on a regular basis to ensure it is accurate and error free is recommended by Fair Isaac the inventor of the FICO Score. Maintaining a error free report is part of credit management which will improve your credit rating over time. Ordering your credit report at CreditScoreQuick.com does not hurt your credit score.

How credit inquiries are factored in your Credit Score:

There are five types of information used to calculate your credit score. Each category accounts towards a percentage of your score.

Payment History – 35%

Amounts Owed – 30%

Length of Credit History – 15%

Types of Credit in use – 10%

New Credit – 10%

Don’t let inquires scare you. There is nothing wrong with shopping for a better rate, or better terms on a loan. As you can see in the about chart, payment history is the biggest factor in calculation process of your credit score. The second biggest factor is how much of your approved credit limits are charged up. But of course you don’t want to go out and start applying for every credit offer out there either. Be responsible and have a good mix of credit, but stay away from too much credit as well You really on need 3 lines of credit reporting on your report.

Example:

1. credit card

2. car note

3. installment loan

This type of credit mix accounts for 10% of your score.

Keith

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Free Online Credit Checks Can Be Beneficial to Your Credit Score and Overall Credit Rating

Tim Gorman asked:




The three big credit agencies offer free online credit checks and will help you to resolve any problems. For customers who sign up online, as opposed to time-consuming paper-based sign-ups, there is usually a big time savings and reports that contain errors can be resolved faster. The three big agencies are: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies are where you will get your free online credit checks.

Businesses can use the information contained in your credit report to evaluate your application for credit, insurance or employment. Also, they may show whether you have had a civil judgment filed or may have filed for bankruptcy. Businesses that supply information about you to credit reporting agencies and those that use consumer reports also have new responsibilities under the law. You must check with your state agencies as well as federal agencies that govern credit and credit reporting, to find out what those requirements are for your free online credit checks.

People who have the very highest FICO credit scores tend to use their credit sparingly and always pay their bills on time. You don’t have to carry debt in order to have a good credit score, you just need to have a good track record of past credit management. People with perfect and good credit will get low interest rate used car loans.

When you obtain your free online credit checks, should you find erroneous reports in your credit history, you will have to file a report in writing and send all documents of proof to each reporting agency. Be sure to make a copy of all documents and communications with the credit agencies. The credit reporting agencies have a prescribed time limit to respond to your inquiry, again, check with your state about time limits.

If you need to repair your credit, the best thing to do is to consult with your lending institution as to the best methods of increasing your credit score to reach the minimum score required to obtain the loan. Usually it will entail paying off loans and keeping payments on time for a few months. So, this would be a big advantage to you and a great reason to obtain your free online credit check. We need all the advantages we can get in this credit driven world we live in. Use your favorite search engine to find the free online credit checks you want. There are many places online that offer this service. The big three reporting agencies are the best places to go to get your free online credit checks.

I hope this helps you view your credit as reported by the credit reporting agencies, and helps further your journey to better credit and to obtain the loans you desire for the things you want and need!

Jane

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