Posts Tagged ‘credit repair’

How To Get Out From Debt

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
by Mike Carbeck

Repairing your credit is never an easy thing. But, there are several things you can do to get yourself out of debt.

We all have monthly bills, and sometimes we encounter times when the bills are outrageous. We are all responsible for paying our bills, this is a reality from which there is no escape. If you find yourself in need of help, there are ways to pay your bills and get out of debt.

The ever changing credit laws make it especially difficult for people to restore their credit to good standing. There are also laws that make getting copies of all three of your credit reports free. If you have discrepancies in your credit report, then it is imperative that you get copies of your report and launch a dispute.

If the agencies filed a false claim against your credit record, you may be able to sue. This can result in late processing of your payments and if you do not owe the bill, the credit agency will be forced to remove it from your record.

If you notice any errors or inconsistencies in your credit report it is important that you contact the reporting agency at once. Experion, TransUnion and Equifax all have dispute hotlines set up for just this purpose.

Disputing things on your credit report is just the first step in getting back on track. The information on your credit report comes from various sources and as a general rule this stays with your credit record for up to seven years. While positive credit reporting information is likely to remain for up to ten years.

If you have any questionable information contained on your report then it is important you dispute it immediately. The credit bureau will investigate the situation and if it finds valid grounds for dismissal, then the information is removed from your record. If the situation cannot be resolved, then the credit agency can remove or modify the claim in question.

This is another reason why it is so important to monitor your credit report regularly. In addition you can get information about your credit rating and what factors determine or effect it. If you see information that you dispute on your credit report and you can not find a resolution, then it pays for you to get educated on what you can do.

Never believe the misleading or false advertising of a credit counseling agency that make claims that sound to good to be true. All of these companies are regulated by law and it is illegal for them to promise something they cannot deliver.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling is a great resource for people seeking genuine assistance with their debts. They have representatives that are highly trained at providing consumers with help repairing credit and removing debt. They can also help you get creditors to back off and stop the threats.

It is very important that you know your rights and the laws surrounding credit card debt collection practices. While rebuilding your bad credit can seem difficult, it is not impossible to get out of debt with the right help. Remember that there are millions of people in the world just like you, they have experienced credit issues or problems at one time or another.

The Consumer Response Center is another invaluable resource for finding out information about your rights. Some victims have more rights than others. Victims of Identity Theft or Military Personnel who have been robbed of their identity, have many more rights than someone who is just delinquent in paying their bills.

Knowing what your rights are is the first step in getting back on the road to good credit and regaining financial freedom.

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Build Financial Independence by Repairing Your Credit Report

Sunday, January 11th, 2009
by Credit Report Repair

Having a good credit rating is one of the most important building blocks to financial independence. A person’s credit file has grown increasingly important and will continue do so as more and more credit approvals and job opportunities rely on your credit file.

Damaged credit is affecting quite a few people these days. Negative items on your credit report cause your credit scores to go down. It doesn’t have to be that way. When negative information is removed it can help you reduce your interest rates, help you make the purchase you need, or even improve your chances in an interview or with a rental application.

Do you want the best credit possible? With help from others who have been in the trenches you can get your credit back on track.

Credit Repair Consultants, Inc. is a firm specializing in repairing credit reports. They have helped over 5,000 Americans repair their reports by removing inaccurate, misleading, or unverifiable items for them. From bankruptcies to charge-offs to tax liens, they have challenged virtually every existing credit problem.

They are good at what they do because they believe in their work and are committed to their clients. And that means they get you results you can count on, results that can literally turn your life around.

As a client you will find that they leverage their entire arsenal of credit experience and powerful strategies on your behalf. The service is engineered from the ground up with credit report repair in mind.

No-compromise credit report repair is what they offer. The results are nothing short of amazing. At Credit Repair consultants they have assembled a team of experienced credit experts, knowledgeable support staff, and courteous customer service representatives whose only goal is to help you improve your credit.

Credit has become increasingly important in today’s world. Too often people lack the assistance and professional help they need in this crucial area. Credit Repair Consultants, Inc. is dedicated to filling this void and providing the best service at the lowest price.

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Centennial MasterCard Review

Saturday, January 10th, 2009
by Daniel Moskel

The Centennial card is issued by The First Premier Bank a member of the FDIC. This is an unsecured card created for individuals looking for a second chance.

It offers easy approval and thus has some fees. These include a one time account set up fee of $29, $48 annual fee, and a one time $95 fee.

These charges are assessed to your available credit limit. When you receive your card you will have these charges shown on the balance.

You will have an initial $250 credit limit. Additionally you have a 9.9% APR.

It is issued as a Visa or MasterCard your choice. If you apply online you will have an application response in less than 60 seconds.

When making your monthly on time payments you will create a positive payment history on your credit report.

Additionally your utilization ratio is very important. This is the amount of debt you have compared to your available credit. If you can keep your monthly balance at roughly 30% of you limit it will help the most.

If your card has a limit of $250 then you want to keep the monthly balance around $75. After you have paid on time for 6 months you will be eligible for a limit increase.

The First Premier Bank is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They are a member of the Better Business Bureau and have served over 3 million people.

Your card is accepted worldwide and everywhere you see the Visa or MasterCard logo. You can qualify for approval if you are over 18 and have a valid social security number.

As of late, we have seen a jump in interest rates even on prime credit cards. These rates are increasing to close to 30%, and without fault. This means even with on time payments the good credit cards are raising their interest rates to 30%.

In sum we suggest you explore all your options for credit if you have made some mistakes. It may be more cost effective to get a secured or prepaid card, and take other steps to repair your damaged score.

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Remove Tax Lien

Sunday, January 4th, 2009
by Matt Douglas

If you have a tax lien on your credit report, you should take immediate action to remove it. This is a very bad mark and will lower your score considerably.

The first step is to have the bureaus validate the lien. You need to send each bureau a dispute letter.

Surprisingly it is not out of the ordinary for incorrect information to be reported on your credit. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people have inaccurate information on their report.

Upon receipt of your letter the bureau will investigate the mark. They will contact the state or federal government and ask for verification that the debt does exist. If it is verified then you will have to make some form of payment.

Depending on the amount you owe it may be in your interest to contact a tax negotiator. This is because they can often negotiate a reduced payment for you. However you can also negotiate directly with the government.

This debt can be collected on for 10 years. It will be reported on your report for 7 years once it is paid.

However once you pay in full, wait three months and dispute the mark again. It has been learned that frequently the government will ignore future validation requests from the bureaus once a lien is paid.

This means your tax lien will not be verified and the bureau will erase it from your report. However if this mark is incorrect to start with you can demand proof that the account is yours, and send any documentation you have to prove your side.

Repayment

The IRS and state government often accept partial payment. To propose this to them you will make an offer in compromise, often called an OIC.

The government will look at; your ability to repay, your income, your assets, and what they expect to recover. Additionally it will help your chances of acceptance, if you attach a letter showing financial hardship.

It may be in your interest to hire a tax attorney or negotiator to help negotiate a repayment amount. It is not absolutely necessary but nonetheless a good idea.

In sum, you can remove a tax lien and other negative marks from your credit report. You do not just have to live with bad credit.

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Will your bank modify your home loan?

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
by J. Ochs

In the United States right now, foreclosure rates are higher than they’ve ever been. Homeowners are literally fleeing their homes and letting the banks deal with what they leave behind. Since banks are in the banking business and not the real estate business, they don’t really want the houses back. If you’re in a place where you think you’d be better off leaving your home because you can no longer afford your mortgage payment, you should first look into one of the many programs available to you! It IS possible to re-work your mortgage loan to better suit your financial needs.

Loss Mitigation, Loan Modification and Home Loan workout programs are three options you have. Many companies offer one or all of the programs just mentioned, but before signing up with any company, check them out first! Make sure they are reputable. Financial relief is possible with a successful program offered by the right company.

Here is a practical example of this type of program in action: Borrower owes $400,000 at 8% and the home is worth $340,000. After foreclosing, bank must re-list the property or sell at auction. Either method can end up costing an additional $60,000 or more in losses.

In this example, bank will lose at least $120,000 if a client decides to “walk away”. Through modification and lowering interest rate to 5.25% on a 30yr fixed term, bank will make close to $400,000 in future interest payments. The result is a win-win for all parties involved.

Homeowners can occasionally be successful at working out loan modifications on their own, however default rates with attorney-backed modifications are 5% or less. Self-help modifications are defaulting at over 50%. This is why banks prefer to work with attorneys.

More often than not, if an attorney structures a loan modification for you and it doesn’t work out, their fee is refundable. You’re likely to see incredible results from restructured loans! Loan principal reductions, interest rate reductions, extended payment terms and lower monthly payments are all feasible when you modify you loan.

We can give you a free consultation to see what can be done to best fix the financial fiasco you’re dealing with. If you’re having problems making your current mortgage payment or you’re dealing with an adjustable rate mortgage that doesn’t work for you anymore, give us a call at 1-888-282-1011 and get some more information about our loan modification program!

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Modify your loan and avoid foreclosure

Thursday, January 1st, 2009
by J. Ochs

In the United States right now, foreclosure rates are higher than they’ve ever been. Homeowners are literally fleeing their homes and letting the banks deal with what they leave behind. Since banks are in the banking business and not the real estate business, they don’t really want the houses back. If you’re in a place where you think you’d be better off leaving your home because you can no longer afford your mortgage payment, you should first look into one of the many programs available to you! It IS possible to re-work your mortgage loan to better suit your financial needs.

These programs are referred to as Loan Modification, Loss Mitigation, or Home Loan Workout programs. You do need to exercise caution when enrolling in this type of program and make sure you are working with a reputable company, but the programs can be extremely successful and can offer great financial relief.

Take, for example, a borrower with a $400,000 mortgage loan at 8%, living in a home worth $340,000. Once the home has been foreclosed, the bank has to either re-list the home on the market or sell it at an auction. Re-listing or auctioning off the home could potentially add another $60,000 in losses for the bank.

If the bank takes the loss by re-listing or auctioning off the home, they’re looking at a total loss of nearly $120,000. A modified mortgage loan of a 30 year fixed rate, and a lower interest rate of 5.25% would instead have the bank looking forward to almost $400,000 in interest payments over the life of the new loan. Talk about win/win!

It’s best to work with an attorney to structure a loan modification, as their default rate is under 5%. Homeowners that go it on their own often default at least 50% of the time. Another perk is that banks prefer to work with attorneys.

Another perk to a loan modification is that if an attorney works out a loan for you and it doesn’t work out, your program cost is most often refundable. Amazing results are possible with restructured loans! You could wind up seeing lower monthly payments, loan principal reductions, interest rate reductions, extended payment terms and more!

We’d be happy to give you some more information about our loan modification program, so give us a call! We can be reached at 1-888-282-1011. If you’re in a financial bind or just need a way out of your adjustable rate mortgage, let us see what we can do to help you!

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Credit Repair After Bankruptcy

Friday, December 26th, 2008
by Matt Douglas

If you have filed bankruptcy you should expect your credit will be severely damaged. However there is hope, you can take action to remove your bad credit and by building some positive credit you can have a high score.

Contrary to popular belief this mark can be removed from your report and without waiting 10 years. To remove this mark we suggest:

1. Dispute the mark with each bureau.

You can do this yourself or by hiring a service, a dispute letter must be sent to each bureau disputing the accuracy of the mark. Upon receipt the bureaus will investigate, however because bankruptcies are recorded in public records which the bureaus will not check during an investigation, the mark will not be verified.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that a listing that in not verified must be removed from your report. Additionally this act says that you can dispute any item you feel is inaccurate on your report. It is a common concern about the legality of repairing your credit; you will never have any legal consequence for disputing a listing.

Before you dispute the bankruptcy it is a good idea to make sure that all other negative marks read “included in bankruptcy.” The reason is once the initial bankruptcy mark is removed you will dispute all the other negative items because you do not have a bankruptcy mark on your report. There are rumors that it is much easier to remove this mark after two years.

2. When your bankruptcy mark is erased, you can start to dispute each negative account.

This can be done because no where on your credit report does it say you have filed a bankruptcy so how can these negative items be included? Upon an investigation the marks should be erased and this will provide you with a clean report.

3. Open a new revolving line of credit such as a credit card. This will help you build some positive credit on your report.

By making your on time monthly payments you will create a positive payment history. Additionally keep your monthly balance at 25% of your available limit because this will show the bureaus that you do use your card and use it responsibly. This will improve your ratio of available credit to debt, a very important factor when your score is calculated.

It might not be the most ethical to dispute items you know are accurate on your report. However is it ethical for lender to charge you 30% interest rate for missing a payment, no matter how long you have been a model customer?

In sum a positive payment history, report clear of derogatory items, and a good ratio of available credit to debt is the recipe for a 700 plus score. This will improve your quality of life by; saving you money on large deposits, high interest rates, and the embarrassment of a denial.

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