Economics Finance

Before we start, let me ask you something. How many times did you pay someone to do something for you and they delivered what you expected? If you are like most people, the number of times you were disappointed and felt like you have been ripped off is by far larger than the times you were pleasantly surprised. Especially today, with the Internet, it is so easy to misrepresent and under-deliver, so everyone should learn the facts first.

If you could be convinced through discovery of the facts that with the right tools and support you could do it yourself faster and cheaper than any other way, would you at least try to learn more about it? Giving you the important factual know-how and easy to use tools to do it yourself is and always will be the best way to have the power and be in control over the things that are important for you like repair credit rating. Continue reading ‘Credit Repair Services – Don’t Even Start to Repair Credit Rating Before You Learn the Hidden Facts’ »

You Need Leverage

Credit repair results are best accomplished with leverage. There is little use in engaging the massive credit reporting system without a clear and precise knowledge of the areas where you will be able to gain a foothold. The system is cumbersome and prone to indolence. Where there is no advantage to the credit bureaus to comply with your credit repair efforts they will certainly find a way to ignore even your most heartfelt pleadings. But use the law properly in your credit repair and you will move mountains.

Expect Resistance

The credit bureaus are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). It is both their gospel and a millstone around their neck. Most of the effective credit repair techniques that you will employ will utilize the routines and procedures mandated for the bureaus by the FCRA. And although the bureaus generally will comply they will not enjoy it and they may even resist. Your efforts must be made with an insight into the procedures that the bureaus have put into place in order to cooperate with the FCRA as well as their passive-aggressive techniques of resistance.

Section 611

The most relevant part of the FCRA to your credit repair project is Section 611. This outlines the responsibilities of any national credit bureau, including Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, to process consumer disputes of the accuracy of information appearing on their credit reports. In brief, the credit bureaus must complete the processing of your dispute within 30 days of receiving the dispute. Within that 30 day period is included 5 days in which the credit bureau must notify the furnisher of the disputed information.

Continue reading ‘Using the Law for Credit Repair’ »

Examine Your Reports Closely

Credit repair requires a critical eye. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Question everything on your credit report that you are not completely sure of. It is no longer sensible to believe that the content of your credit report is accurate just because it is in writing. The entire credit reporting system, with its many participants, is prone to error. And these errors have the ability to depress your credit score and cost you money. Take your time, find every error, and get ready to dispute.

Question Collections

When examining your credit reports, give special attention to collections. Collectors buy and sell debt every day. If your account does not pay off, the collector will package it up and sell it to another collector who will try their luck. And each collector in turn will report your collection to the credit bureau. By law, when a collector sells a debt they must withdraw the account from your credit report. Unfortunately, there is no real motivation for them to do so and these erroneous accounts can linger needlessly for years. Now is the time for action!

Dispute Intelligently

The credit bureau dispute letter is the heart of credit repair. It is not hard to write a dispute letter, but is it challenging to make that letter effective. When it comes to credit repair simple is best. It may be tempting to tell your whole life story in your dispute letter, but your heartfelt tale will fall on deaf ears. The bureau dispute processing centers handle a significant volume of letters on a daily basis. The goal of a dispute clerk is to translate your letter as quickly as possible into a two digit code summarizing your concern. For best results, just say what is on your mind and nothing more.

Continue reading ‘Your Quick and Easy Credit Repair Primer’ »

Telephone Common Sense

Credit repair offers several powerful techniques for dealing with collectors. Collectors are famous for high pressure phone calls. Here is a great way to manage those disturbing diatribes. You know better than to talk to strangers. So who told you that you should hold court with a collector on the phone? The next time a collector calls tell them that you do not discuss your financial affairs on the phone. Politely ask them to send something in writing. They will fight you, but stand your ground, say your bit, and get off the phone. Once you get the collection notice in writing you can move on to the next credit repair technique.

Validate That Debt

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires collectors to provide documentation of the validity of a debt in writing if you request it within thirty days of receiving a collection notice. This is a wonderful credit repair tool which should be employed with all collections. A surprising number of active collections are not legitimate. This means that they may have been previously paid, sold to other collectors, or be otherwise invalid. If a collector cannot document the subject collection they must halt all collection efforts and not report to the credit bureaus.

Stop Those Darn Calls

In addition to the common sense technique for handling collection phone calls mentioned above there are other handy credit repair techniques for controlling aggressive collectors. If you are called during working hours you need only inform the collector that your employer does not permit such calls. Per the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, once informed, the collector must refrain from calling during those hours.

The Attorney Defense

This next credit repair tactic is not for everyone, but if you have the financial resources to employ an attorney to handle your collection activity you will enjoy a double benefit. Initially you get to enjoy the moment when you tell the collector that you have an attorney; once informed they are required to stop in their tracks and ask you for the attorney contact info. From that point forward they must communicate only with your attorney. Secondly you may find that many collectors give up on the spot. If they know that the collection is weak or undocumented they may vanish from your life then and there.

Continue reading ‘Collections Collectors and Credit Repair’ »