If a person has midscore of 640, what is the minimum length of credit history and the minimum open lines of credit needed to get a homeloan with a fair interest rate? Does having a 10% down payment help?
Same job for 5 years, income verification will be used.

Credit report repair is commonly referred to as the process of disputing negative items in a credit report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers have the right to request an investigation with the credit bureaus for any item on their credit report. The credit bureaus and the original furnisher of the information must investigate the claim within 30 days and report their results back to consumers.

It’s important to point out that the credit bureaus are for-profit organizations and possess no government affiliation. They profit off the sale of your private information and from selling your information to you. Only after the Federal Trade Commission came up with a set of regulations passed in 2003 were consumers able to receive one free credit report a year.

The FCRA also had to regulate how long negative information, such as late payments, bankruptcies, tax liens or judgments may stay on a consumer’s credit report. It’s typically seven years from the date of the delinquency. The exceptions: bankruptcies (10 years) and tax liens (seven years from the time they are paid). Unpaid tax liens can remain for up to 15 years. Although, 7 to 10 years is a long time to stay on a report, the credit bureaus would report it for much longer, if not forever, if it weren’t for the FTC stepping in.

When a consumer makes a dispute with the credit bureaus, the credit bureaus do not interact with information providers (typically creditors) directly. They use a system called E-Oscar. E-Oscar is an automated consumer dispute verification process. The credit bureaus demand that everyone who provides information to them be on this system. If you don’t get on the system, you CAN NOT provide information to a credit bureau.

The E-Oscar system allows credit grantors to resolve disputes in a timely manner; however the results are commonly inaccurate. In fact, a study by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group found that 79% of all credit reports contained errors. With E-Oscar the credit bureaus NEVER send the original creditor the information you provide them. Instead, an employee scans your letter along with hundreds of others.

The employee is given a very short amount of time to figure out what you are trying to dispute and then gives your dispute a code. It is then verified with E-Oscar. Any documentation that you sent which proves the information is erroneous or any information that you provided simply gets filed away, incase you should sue them. It’s rarely ever even looked at.

Under § 602 of the Act, (15 U.S.C. § 1681), a consumer may seek a maximum of $1000 in statutory damages, plus actual damages, punitive damages and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs for willful noncompliance with the FCRA. Any consumer may file suit in state or federal court to enforce the FCRA. Consumer lawsuits against credit bureaus are becoming more and more common and most of the time the consumer wins. Unfortunately, a lawsuit is what it takes to get issues solved with the credit bureaus.



By: Chane Steiner

Normally, credit reporting agencies, which are private companies, sell your credit scores and reports to lenders who request copies in the event that you apply for a loan. The first thing that lenders will check when you apply for credit whether a loan, mortgage, or a credit card is your credit score. That’s because before they decide to lend you money, they want to know what type of risk you will be.

Credit score scales are calculated through a complex mathematical algorithm using factors generally involved in making credit decisions. These factors include payment history, credit history, credit available, existing or current debts, bankruptcies if any, among others.

The most widely applied credit score calculator by United States three major reporting agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, is the one developed by the Fair Isaac Corporation called FICO. Fico is considered very significant because it is among the factors to acquire appraisal in the United States.

Since each of the different credit bureaus use different evaluation systems for their credit score ratings, each based on different factors, it is highly likely that your credit score issued by one bureau is different from those issued by the other two. The cost savings of a non-FICO score are tempting to some banks and credit card companies, who need an accurate risk assessment on millions of accounts every year.

Lenders using your credit score, now base their decisions on facts, not on personal feelings or factors like gender, race, religion, nationality, and marital status, thus reducing discrimination in credit approval processes. Lenders are still allowed to check your score when you apply for a loan or a mortgage with them, but now, you can also see your own score.

If you make your request directly with the credit bureaus, there may be a small fee involved. Checking your credit score regularly will avoid any complications but don’t check more than once a year. When you want to purchase a car or acquire a land through mortgage, it is wise to know your credit score. When you request your free credit report and score, you will need to provide the following information: Name, Address, Social Security Number (usually just the last four digits), and Date of birth. The information will be used to verify your identity and to protect your free credit report and score from would-be identity thieves and con artists.

Once you get your free credit report sit down and figure out what areas need improvement. Having a long credit history will positively impact your credit scores while short credit history usually means you are a risky borrower. Moving the balance to other accounts and closing a previous one can just hurt the points you have. The easiest way to increase credit scores is to pay your bills regularly and always on time. If you open a lot of new accounts in a very short time, this could actually lower your score down and make you appear like a risky borrower. People have been wanting things to be quick but you can’t rush a good credit score. Take the time to make the credit score high.

Knowing how to get your credit score and improve your credit score will help you succeed in today’s world. If you want to succeed financially in today’s society it is almost imperative that you know how use credit wisely.



By: Jim Banks

I just ran my credit report and there are several hits on it to say the least. Is it better to call the collection agencies directly and work out payment arraignments or should I call the credit consolidator people. And what is the best credit consolidator co to call?

When establishing a separate credit history for your business, does your personal credit matter? Does it make a difference whether or not you have good personal credit? As a business owner, why should you be concerned about your personal credit score?

Your Personal Credit and Your Business

As a new entrepreneur, you may need to apply for a loan in order to finance your business. Without business credit, lenders would be looking at your credit history instead to determine whether to approve or decline your application. Thus, having an excellent personal credit or a high FICO score would surely win you an easy approval from your preferred lender. Consequently, if you have a low FICO score or a questionable credit, you may find it more difficult to get approved for a loan.

On the other hand, you may also be able to obtain the loan you need by applying for a bad credit business loan. Lenders who offer poor credit business loans always approve clients regardless of the status of their credit. However, these loans are expectedly more expensive than loans that require good credit.

Clearly, the status of your credit score makes a difference in getting the financing you need for your business. But what happens after your loan has been approved? What’s the next step in building your business credit? Why should you establish a separate credit history for your business?

Establishing Your Business Credit

As soon as your loan has been granted, you should take the necessary steps to establish a separate credit for your business. Make sure that you’ve obtained all the necessary permit, licences, tax id numbers, and registration numbers that are required for businesses. Afterwards, register your business with a business credit reporting agency like Dun & Bradstreet or Experian Business.

Remember to submit your monthly loan payments on time to build good credit. At the start, any delays or misses on your payments will also reflect on your personal credit report. Why is this? Since your credit history was used on opening up the loan, your credit report acts like a co-signer for your business. Therefore, it is crucial to keep up with your payments not only to build a good business credit but to protect your personal credit as well.

After some time of consistent payments, you should have already established your corporate credit. You may need to wait a year or more before you can completely separate your business credit report from your personal credit report.

New businesses are just like a teenager who’s just starting to build a credit history for himself. At first, a student may need a co-signer to get a loan but once approved, a student can slowly build his own credit history and after a while, he can easily apply for new credit without relying on other people’s credit. Clearly, if you plan to venture in business, preparing your credit is a must. Although a good personal credit history isn’t necessary required to start a business, it is definitely an advantage.



By: Pamela Williams

Like most other UK borrowers do you also wish for a debt-free life this Christmas? So what do you do? You hang a bigger pair of stockings and then pray really hard! Guess what! You don’t have to rely on Santa Claus anymore to get rid of your debts. You can do it yourself too.

All it takes is a bit of planning and you are all set to start life afresh. Just chalk down a budget and draw an estimate of the amount you will need to pay off all your outstanding bills. Thereafter, apply for a debt consolidation loan and then keep your fingers crossed.

What happened? Your loan application got turned down and your low credit score was considered responsible for it! Well then you can count yourself among those countless UK borrowers who are refused loans for the same reason.

Now let us give you a low down on what credit score is and how it can affect your chances of getting a debt consolidation loan.

Credit score is a numerical figure that is a measure of a person’s creditworthiness. It is calculated after taking into account several factors like your repayment ability, your outstanding loans and even the length of your credit history. If you have ever missed any payments or have had arrears, CCJs, or bankruptcy reported against you then your credit history is likely to be blacklisted. This credit report is compiled and maintained by three major credit bureaus namely Equifax, Experian and Transunion. So, arrears in your credit record mean a low credit score, which in turn implies an unimpressive credit history.

What makes things even worse is that now banks are going to run a more extensive background check than ever before. The British Banker’s Association is pushing banks to share all kinds of information about customer’s indebtedness including the amount of time that they have been holding credit and how aggressively they are pursuing new lines of credit. In other words, a person who has had no defaults against his name but carries four or five credit cards, all maxed out will also come under the bankers’ scanner.

What heightens the pressure on UK borrowers is that most remain unaware of their credit status until their application gets turned down. Moreover, most often these credit liabilities are incurred under unavoidable circumstances like unemployment, divorce or redundancy etc.
Every now and then you hear of people being refused loans on account of their bad credit scores. However, you must take heart in the fact that there are a lot of lenders who specialise in lending to people with unimpressive credit reports. These lenders see in you the earnestness to settle your debts and hence extend to you their offers on debt consolidation loans.



By: Robert Parker

Your credit history is very important for you because when it comes to big loans your credit report will determine if you can get the loan and what rates you’ll have to pay. The credit report will matter a lot when you apply for a mortgage loan, for a car loan or for getting insurance on your house, your car or your life. If your credit report does not look so good it is possible that you’ll not get the loan or insurance or if you get it the interest will be higher than normal because you represent a risk for the loaner. On the other hand, if your credit report has a good score it will be much easier for you to obtain the necessary loan or insurance and the interest rates will be much smaller. In case you think that you fit into the first category, people with a bad credit report, rebuilding your credit history should be a top priority for you. I said a top priority because rebuilding your credit history is a difficult and long process that will take you several years but at the end you’ll be satisfied because then you’ll be able to get any credit you need.

Having a poor credit history will bring you only disadvantages: will be harder for you to get a loan or if you manage to qualify for a loan the interest rates will most probably be much higher. Apart from this loan connected disadvantages you’ll also face other problems like: you might be turned down for a job or, worse, you’ll not be able to rent an apartment. If you have faced this type of problems you already know how important is to start rebuilding your credit history as early as possible.

As we already mentioned, repairing or rebuilding your credit history is a scary but necessary task for people with bad credit reports. For starting you need to know how your credit report looks like and what lenders will see when they ask for your credit report. You can get your report for free from http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ This is a true free credit report site set up by the US Government to provide consumers access to their credit information once per year, free of charge. Study it and look at it from the perspective of a lender. This way will sooner realize what your mistakes are and try to repair them and make sure you don’t repeat them. The next step would be to make a list of all your income sources, fixed expenses like mortgage or rent or car payments, and variable expenses like clothing or holiday expenses. Writing them down will help you a lot because you’ll see your spending patterns and all your sources of income all together. This will help you better understand and see what changes should be done in order to save some money.

The next step on the way to rebuilding your credit history is applying for a credit card. If you can not get approved for a standard credit card, apply for a secured credit cards. Although standard credit cards are best for rebuilding your credit score, secured credit cards are much easier to obtain and can be a beneficial first step. To be able to get a secured credit card you need to have and deposit some funds with the credit card issuer. Your secured credit card limit is usually equal to the amount you deposited. This is very helpful because you are able to know from before how much you’ll spend and you are not allowed spending more then the credit limit. A secured card can be used the same way as an unsecured card and making your payments in time will be of big help for improving your credit report. Apart from a secured credit card you can apply for a store or gasoline card which is much easier to obtain, have a smaller credit limit and will help you improve your credit report. For the same purpose you can also establish an account at a credit union and later apply for a secured loan. The interest fee for this type of loan is small, but if you make your payments in time the positive information will be added to your credit report.

If you want to succeed in rebuilding your credit history the most important thing to do is paying your current bills on time and in full. This will put positive information onto your credit report. For maintaining your credit history in good order, get copies of it annually from more than one source (in case creditors do not report to all credit report agencies) and review it. If you discover any mistakes or errors correct them at once by contacting in writing the credit reporting agency and the creditor.

These are only few ideas on what to do for rebuilding your credit history. If your not confident you can manage all by yourself ask for the help of an expert. They main key to succeed in keeping your credit history clean is paying on time and in full all your bills.



By: Jeremy Zongker

Hi can anyone know how to get the credit reports directly from credit companies. I want my credit report receipt from companies . If I go and ask them they will provide me report or not.

I am a recent immigrant and i have no credit history, how do i go about building credit? My fiance has good credit – please help.

Credit Cards Replacing Paper Money


A credit card is a small piece of rectangular plastic that is no thicker than a sheet of paper, though it cannot be folded. Initially credit cards were metal tokens in the shape of coins, then they changed to metal plates to celluloid then fiber and now plastic with perhaps a photo of the holder and a magnetic strip on the reverse containing security information such as a personal identification number enabling the card to be used at money dispensing machines (ATM’s) and merchant establishments.

What is meant by ‘Credit’?


Credit is the system of buying some produce or service without having to pay for it at the time of the transaction. The payment is made at a pre-determined later date with the addition of a fee to the bill amount. This is like loaning someone money to buy something without actually giving them the cash but instead giving them the product they want to buy. So, the system of credit is not new to humanity in fact, it is as old as civilization itself or perhaps even older. The entrepreneurs of the inhuman kind have been proclaimed responsible for identifying human needs and wants as a rollicking business, and so they invented the credit card system. Though, disputed by many, The Diners Club is credited to be the ones to invent the credit card in 1950.

When Were Credit Cards Invented?


In contradiction to the theory that ‘The Diners Club’ started the credit card system, the Encyclopedia Britannica records the origin of credit cards in the United States as far back as the 1920’s. During this time firms such as oil companies and hotel chains started issuing credit cards to their regular and valued customers who were free to use their services and pay them at a later date. These cards were only useful for purchasing goods and services from the companies and establishments that issued the card. However, references to credit cards have been found as early as 1890 in Europe. It was only in the late 1930’s that companies started accepting each other’s credit cards and this is when things began to get complicated for accountants.

Computers Promoted The Use Of Credit Cards


In the beginning there were no computers to record the credit card transactions and the process of verifying the credit balance of the card was done manually through a regularly updated credit card directory, much like a telephone directory. This system was time consuming and tedious and provided many loop holes for credit card fraud. Today, with computerization, the use of a credit card is instantaneous. All one needs to do is to ‘swipe’ the card through a slot machine and the amount entered. If there is adequate balance in the account of the holder the transaction is completed and the customer billed a month later. Usually credit cards allow for a 50 day credit free period. If the outstanding bill is paid during this time the customer does not have to pay any interest on the transactions, else there is a whopping 2.9% charge per month on the bill amount.

Who Issues Credit Cards?


Banks and financial institutions are the main issuers and promoters of credit cards. The invention of the first bank-issued credit card is credited to John Biggins of the Flatbush National Bank of Brooklyn in New York. This was the year 1946 and Biggins did not know at the time that he had hit upon an idea that would take the world of credit by storm in times to come. From this first credit card called “Charge-It” many cards have flooded the market such as the all famous “American Express” credit card and the Diners credit card. The Bank of America issued the BankAmericard in 1958. This card is now known as the “VISA” card. Around the same time the popular MasterCard came into being. These are the two prevailing cards being used today. The era of plastic money had begun.



By: Shahid Khan