| |
| |
|
|
Credit Information |
|
Comprehending a Credit Report
Obtaining a credit report is an excellent way to begin taking control of your financial future. It's recommended that you review your credit report once a year, not only to be aware of your standing with creditors but to also keep abreast of errors and fraud. However, once your report arrives you may have trouble making sense of it. How are you to read and understand a credit report? There are three major credit reporting agencies that issue credit bureau reports; Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. It is recommended that you obtain reports from all 3 credit report agencies as they most likely contain varying information since creditors subscribe to agencies on a purely voluntary basis. The credit reports provided by each of the different bureaus may present somewhat differently but generally speaking the information will be broken down in much the same way. There are four main parts to the credit report: personal profile, credit history, public records and inquires. Check each section carefully for any errors. Note any errors you may discover on a separate piece of paper as you read over your report. Personal Profile At the top of the credit report you will find all your basic information such as your full name, current and previous addresses and employers, social security number, and date of birth. Your spouse's name may also appear if applicable. In addition, you may notice several variations of your name listed. This can occur when creditors record the information incorrectly. These discrepancies are usually left on your credit report. It is important however, to ensure that your address is correct. An incorrect address could alert you to a possible identity theft. Credit History The next section is your credit history. This provides you with an itemized list of your current active, past closed accounts and their balances or arrears. Listed first is the name of the creditor and your account number for each bill--sometimes the account numbers may appear partially obscured for security purposes. These debts could include real estate mortgages, credit cards, car loans, or medical bills. There will be a column for identifying the nature of the account; Joint, Individual, Undesignated, Authorized User, Terminated, Maker, Co-signer or Shared. There will also be a notation of the date when the account was opened, number of months the account payment history has been reported and date of last activity. The report will show your high credit limit or the maximum you are allowed to borrow, if applicable. There is a column for Terms which indicates the number of instalments or monthly payments remaining on the account. The next few columns will show the balance remaining on the account, any past due amounts and the status of the accounts. There are two types of accounts; instalment and revolving. An Instalment account means that there are fixed payments and a specific ending date, such as with a car loan. A revolving account is one with no fixed ending date as with credit card debts. Creditors like to see few revolving debts. The credit report will indicate the different types of accounts and also may assign it a numerical ratings system. You may see such symbols as R1, R2, R3 or I1, I2, I3.The R or I indicates Revolving or Instalment and the numbers indicate the payment history of the account as follows;
The credit report will also show a record of any debts that have been turned over to a collection agency. It will show the date the collection was reported, the name of the company handling the collections and the company or lender that the loan was originally issued with and the balance remaining on the account. Public Records These are reports obtained from local, state and federal courts. They will indicate records of bankruptcies, tax liens and monetary judgments. Overdue child support records may also be shown. These public records will remain part of your credit history for seven to ten years and reflect negatively on your total credit score. Inquiry Section This section reveals any parties that have obtained a copy of your credit report over the last two years. There are generally two types of inquires, hard and soft. A hard inquiry is one initiated by you, whenever you apply for a loan or fill out a credit application. A soft inquiry comes in three forms; companies that wish to offer you promotional applications for credit, current creditors that are monitoring your account or credit bureau inquires requested by you, the consumer. These soft inquires do not show up on credit reports that businesses receive, only on copies provided to you. Although many lenders will view too many inquiries on your report as negative, it is important to note that two or more 'hard' inquires within a 14 day period count as just one inquiry. Credit Score The credit report can also reveal your credit score. A credit rating scores is a means of calculating an individual's credit risk to determine how likely they would be to make good on a loan. The score is a three digit number ranging between 300 and 850. The higher your score, the better it reflects on you as a borrower. A good credit rating score will enable you to negotiate for better interest rates. Disputes What if you should find an error on your credit report? Once you have discovered an error, contact the credit bureau that issued the credit report and state in writing what you found to be inaccurate. You will find the contact information listed at the top of your credit report. The credit reporting companies must reinvestigate the claim within 30 days. They will then contact the party that submitted the item and attempt to resolve the dispute as quickly as possible. Remember, you have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to dispute any inaccurate or fraudulent information that may appear on your credit report, and should do so in a timely fashion. Once you learn to read and understand a credit report, you are moving towards a more secure financial future. Obtain your report today! About The Author Melanie Cossey is a successful home based freelance writer. Melanie writes many informative articles on the topic of credit, such as What is a FICO score and why is it important and Comprehending a Credit Report. To lean more about credit reports visit http://www.ultimate-credit-report.com for more on credit scores visit http://www.ultimate-credit-report.com/credit-score.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Manage Your Credit Wisely Getting your first credit card is a big deal and all young people look forward to it with bated breath. We wait for years to be able to apply successfully for out own credit card. Credit Cards: How To Use Them Credit cards can be a very quick way of getting into even more debt if you do not know how to use them properly. UK debt is now at an all time high and, excluding mortgages, Credit Cards are one of the main contributors. How Businesss Mess Up Their Credit Policies In "Become the Squeaky Wheel" a book recently published, Michelle Dunn demonstrates the major areas a business should focus on to ensure a satisfactory customer experience.One mistake business owners make is not having a credit policy in place when they open their business. Identity Theft - How to Protect Yourself "Like the tan? I got tons of sun on that Caribbean cruise. First class tickets to Florida and back! Nope, not an airline upgrade. 10 Dirty Tricks Credit Card Companies Play The credit card companies make billions each year in legitimate interest charges and fees, but are under constant pressure from the shareholders to increase their earnings. To make this extra money the credit card companies sometime adopt some dirty tricks to make this money. Credit Score - Reporting Your Financial Health Credit score is one of the most basic, determining factor while loan borrowing. Credit score is the criterion for the creditor to ascertain whether to give you credit or not. Beware the Shopping Mall Monster Like me, you've probably been offered a fair old number of these by now.. Bankruptcy vs. Credit Counseling: What Should I Do? Credit Counseling and bankruptcy are both ways to relieve the stress of debt. However, they are very different and it is important to understand both before making a decision as to which is best for you. Understanding Your Credit Score When you apply for credit one of the first things almost all credit officers do is check your credit score. Although not all of those officers explained to us what a credit score is, we are all rated according to it and the offers we receive were all dependent on that score. What Happens When Your Credit Is Damaged? Do You Have Recourse? The good thing about bad credit is that you can fix it. If you start now, over time, your bad credit can turn into good credit, and you could qualify for the loans you want at the rates you want. The Hazards Of Your First Credit Card You probably don't need me to tell you credit cards are easy to get a hold of; at least, that is so in the US and UK. How many weeks pass without a glossy brochure promoting a credit card popping through your letter box? And that's just your mail; the tv advertising budgets for credit card promotion are enormous, with some famous faces often adorning your screen, smiling beautifully as they tempt you. Credit Reporting: How Does It Work? In order to determine a consumer's credit worthiness, creditors and lending institutions have come to depend on credit reporting agencies. Credit reporting agencies supply individual reports that provide consumer specific information for lending purposes. Special Credit Information for Married Couples If you are married, establish separate credit accounts.Try to finance real estate in just one partner's name to increase your investment financing potential. Credit Cards - The Basics How Lenders Operate - And How They'll Make a Tidy Fortune from the UnknowingCredit card companies might seem like immensely clever, money making enterprises that exploit every loophole to maximize the interest payments - and profits - they are taking from you every month. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. How To Save Money On Credit Cards Some credit cards offer a cash advance option. But how good a deal is this?Not very. Credit Repair Scams "Erase Bad Debt !""Remove Negative Items From Your Credit Report"You've probably seen these headlines and others just like it promising to clean up or "fix" bad credit. For someone who suffers from a bad or poor credit rating, these headlines are certainly an appealing offer. Credit Card Debt: One Way To Avoid It One of the biggest problems people have in these modern times is Credit card debt, and worst is USA. Simply because there have always been so many laws and regulations before you could have a card in the rest of the world, you can't for instance borrow someone elses card and go shopping because you always have to show some ID before they accept cards in Europe. Credit Cards - Why Prepay? With prepaid credit cards, you get the practicality of plastic while choosing exactly how much debt to charge. By taking charge of your personal financing, you determine your own limits, to the penny, and change them any time you need to. Credit Report - Look Out for Your Debit Report, Too Most consumers are aware that there are companies that keep track of their personal financial transactions - installment loans, mortgages, credit card accounts, bankruptcies and judgements. These items are assembled by the three main credit bureaus into a credit report, which is available upon request by lenders, employers and anyone else with whom a consumer might do business. Easing Your Financial Burdens With Credit Counseling It is a well-publicized fact that more of us are getting ourselves into greater debt, and this may be true for you. The embarrassment of your financial situation can mean you are unlikely to seek credit counselling or other credit management solutions.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
