Posts Tagged ‘Reputation’

Facts About Credit Reports

Marcus Peter asked:


art to enter the world of financing your personal needs, credit reports will inevitably arise. First of all, a credit report gives detailed information on all the financial transactions you have made. Usually, it involves a track of the expenses you have on your credit cards including the amounts you left unpaid and those which you have already managed to cover. But aside from your credit card billing statement, credit reports will also show your loan history. If you have entered into one before and whether or not you were able to pay it up already, it will be included on your credit report.

What Credit Reports are All About

So who benefits from credit reports? Financial institutions such as banks and other investment companies are the primary personalities who benefit from a 3 in 1 credit report. They use this to evaluate a person’s eligibility to do business with them. Some people actually have issues against a credit report being made to be public property, but in spite of these they are still being given easily to institutions who wish to obtain them. Anything that is related to your current financial state may be shown on the credit report. This is also why people find it a difficult task to succumb to filing their bankruptcies. They often get worried that it would forever leave a bad mark on their credit report despite being able to get back on track.

Under the regulations of the law, people are all given the right to obtain their own credit report. In this way, you can easily track your financial performance and steer clear of things and issues that might taint your financial reputation. There are many ways in which you can actually obtain your own credit report. You can either file it on your local agency or try to retrieve it online. Most people opt for the latter because it is more convenient and not to mention cost-friendly. Credit reports are usually being offered for free, although some may charge for any other details you may want to obtain.

Taking Care of Your Credit Report

Most financial experts advise that a credit report be retrieved every month. But if you are heavily connected within the financial business, it is better to have your credit report analyzed on a quarterly basis. In this way, you can track your progress much better and make sure that you are not going to face any pending disadvantages in the long run. There are also many ways in which you can help protect your credit report. Here are some of the most useful ways you can do so:

1. Check all of the information on your credit report – Since it gets regularly updated, you should not simply assume that everything you see on the report is right. Do some proofreading from your own end. Make sure that you have all the details right especially when it comes to financial declarations and the figures involved. Should there be problems with the information, you should immediately report it to the source of your credit report so they can easily change their database.

2. Keep track of your payment dues – Bad credit reports usually start from fees left unpaid beyond their due date. As those debts increase in number, what makes the amount a lot heavier to bear is the interest rate which also shoots up depending on how long it was left unpaid. Even if you cannot pay in full, try your best to pay even a part of your dues. Some financial institutions accept these installment payments anyway. Make sure you do not totally disregard payment obligations especially if there are deadlines to be followed.



WALTER
 

Should You Obtain a Copy of Your Credit Report?

Allison May asked:


The answer to the above question is yes. You definitely should obtain a copy of your credit report. If you’re asking why, let’s talk about some important points about your credit report.

What is in your credit report?

Your credit report contains significant information about your accounts and finances. In your credit report, you can find your employment history, your salary history, your past and present credit with all your creditors and other legal information.

Also included in your credit report is your complete name, Social Security Number, date of birth, driver’s license number, your past and current home address, telephone number and other personal details. All transactions that you have with lending companies, credit card companies, insurance companies and other financial institutions are all reflected on your credit report.

How much you owe a certain creditor is listed in detail. Also, whether you’re paying your bills on time or not can be traced by looking at your credit report. All these information are included on your credit report.

Who Checks On Your Credit Report?

You may now have an idea why it is important for you to obtain a copy of your own personal credit report. Landlord, potential employers, insurance companies, government agencies, lending companies, credit card companies – all these organizations check on your credit report to know your background and reputation.

A single false information or an incorrect transaction on your credit report can damage your credit worthiness. You can get denied by potential employers just because your credit report seems bad. Creditors can refuse your applications on account that you have bad account on your credit report. Thus, it is your responsibility to check and ensure that there isn’t any false information or derogatory records that can affect your reputation.

Check Your Credit Report

You have the right to know if all the information contained on your credit report is true and accurate. As a consumer, you have the right to dispute information which you think are false, erroneous or fraudulent.

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act protects consumers from such inaccuracy or possible fraudulent accounts contained in their credit report. In fact, if a credit reporting agency or a credit bureau refuses to give you the appropriate service you need, you may also report it to The Federal Trade Commission.

Every year, all consumers are allowed to obtain a copy of their report from the three major credit bureaus for free. Thus, after making a careful examination on your credit report, you can inform the credit bureaus if you find any disputable records on your credit report. Below are the contact numbers of the three major credit bureaus.

Equifax Options P.O. Box 740123 Atlanta, GA 30374-0123 www.equifax.com

Experian Consumer Opt Out P.O. Box 919 Allen, TX 75013 www.experian.com

Trans Union Name Removal Option P.O. Box 97328 Jackson, MS 39288-7328 www.transunion.com

For a more in-depth discussion on credit report and your rights as a consumer, you may visit the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov.



WILBUR