Posts Tagged ‘Credit Card’

Understanding The Three Credit Report Companies

Jared Wright asked:




Credit report companies offer their services to people who need to get their credit score and other information about their financial status. A credit report is required when you apply for a loan such as a home mortgage, and may also be required when you want to apply for a credit card. There are credit reports for individuals, and there are also some reports which are made to evaluate the statuses of companies.

Credit report companies are also known as credit bureaus. There are three major credit report companies, which are the Equifax Credit Bureau, the TransUnion Credit Bureau, and the Experian Credit Bureau. These companies collect different information from creditors, which are then used to generate reports that are sold to their clients.

A credit report is a valuable document in the sense that it includes information which may grant or deny loan approval, employment, licensing, insurance and other business needs. Individuals and businesses alike are dependent on their credit scores and report to help in evaluating their current financial standing.

Some information which is available from credit companies includes the following:

• Identification. Credit report companies have consumer details such as name, employer, address, name of spouse and the company or employer of the spouse.

• Credit history. This includes accounts which are active, including the account numbers, the date when the accounts where opened, the payments and other activities made for it, balances, amounts that were paid in the past, and how often payment was late. These are all bases for a low credit score, meriting a lender ground for denying you of a loan.

• Derogatory items. These include risks which may affect the lender or the company which will deal with the other party. Judgments, suits, bankruptcies and tax liens may prevent you from getting approved for a loan.

• Inquiries. Companies or individuals may have asked for your information, such as banks and financial institutions which have required your bank details. You will be given information about the inquiries which happened in the last 18 months only.

Credit report companies update your information regularly so that their database is updated and is relevant. Lenders can access your information to help them decide whether or not you can be trusted with a loan or a new credit card. You can also access your own credit score by logging in to the website of the three credit bureaus mentioned above so you can monitor your finances as closely as you need.

Hector

How To Save Money By Getting Your Credit Report and Score Online

Cameron Drew asked:




Knowing how to get a credit report and score online is extremely important as that will give you an indication about your current financial status. It will also show you whether or not you need to make changes to the way you spend money or use your finances.

Many people are financially sick but they simply don’t know anything about it. Only when they apply for a credit card or a loan and are turned down, they really know where they stand financially. This might come as a rude shock to them, but they could have avoided this situation by obtaining a credit report and score online much earlier to know about their financial health.

It is quite easy to acquire a credit report and score online as the three main credit bureaus in the United States are required to issue a free credit report annually to anyone who requests them. You need to however be careful about many sites that seem to announce a free report and then finally charge you for it.

So you need to look for sites that really offer a credit report and score online. You can visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website and then click on the link “Free Credit Reports”. Using this information, you can then alter the way you spend money and manage you finances so that your credit scores improve over time.

You may not be able to get a good picture about your financial health by obtaining just one report a year. You need to obtain at least two or three reports from independent sources in order to get a better picture of where you actually stand.

But the good news is you can actually get one credit report and score online from each of the three main credit bureaus. You will therefore be able to get three free report every single year without having to spend any money to obtain them. Since they come from three independent sources, the scores will be more accurate and you will be able to get a true picture of your financial health. So make maximum use of this opportunity and get your free credit report and score online.

Gordon

Order a Credit Report – Where and How You Can Order This Report

Bart Newman asked:




Credit reports are very important in many ways. It does not only tell you your credit standing, it also helps you on your loan, credit card, and job applications. These reports are generally the basis for the approval of such applications. For this reason, having an updated copy of the report at least once a year is very important. And if you want to know the best ways to order a credit report, you’ve come to the right place.

There are three ways to order a credit report. One way is to print out the annual credit report request form and mail the copy to the agencies that offer free report. And if you’re not comfortable with this method, you may order the report by phone.

There are three major agencies where you can get this report from. These are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. What’s great about them is that they offer free once a year. Here’s how you can order a credit report from each of these agencies.

Experian

Ordering this report through Experian is pretty easy. You just need to fill out a request form and you’ll get your the report in a matter of seconds. After viewing your report, take note of the report number in case you need to view it again within 30 days.

Equifax

With Equifax, you’re offered various features and product promotions. And although you’re not really required to get the extra services that this company offers, you may avail of their credit monitoring and analysis services at a discounted price. Equifax also allows you to view the report again within 30 days.

TransUnion

As a new TransUnion user, you would need to create your own account with them. And if you already have an account, log in to view your credit report. Like other two agencies, TransUnion allows you to view your report again within a 30-day period.

Although it is not really recommended that you constantly check your report, there may be times that you would need to view them again even after you’ve used up all your freebies.

Aside from these the three bureaus, there are also other online sites where you can order a credit report. At any time, you can purchase this information online by subscribing to monitoring program that offers regular access to this data. But just be vigilant to make sure that they are credible companies. There are sites that pretend to give your report after you fill out a request form but are actually scammers trying to steal your personal information.

Keith

Credit Card Authorized user question?

AmBeR asked:


I am in the beginning stages of building my credit, so far so good. Today I just found out how to get my 1 free credit report a year. I have been wanting to figure this out to see how I am doing. Everything looks good, I have 0 potentially negative items and 3 accounts in good standing, which I have never been late on paying, very low balances and have had for almost 2 years…. EXCEPT I see I have THREE accounts in good standing, I find out that the third one is a authorized user on my moms credit card. This would be just fine with me if my mom and dad weren’t having financial problems right now, but they are. I see that the card hasn’t been charged for over 1 year and always had a low balance prior, but within the last 3 months she has been charging and only paying the minium payment. This worries me because I have tried so very hard to keep a clean record and I have very high goals to buy a house within the next 3-4 years. So then I did some more research and find out that as of 2008 FICO did not include authorized users in the scoring formula… Thank goodness!! BUT my question is… Why is it still on my Credit Report???????

Gerald

An auto loan to improve credit?

rjon17469 asked:


I’m currently 22 and am a senior in college (although I’m going for one more year and then possibly grad school). I would like the possibility of being able to buy a house in two to three years, and therefore am looking for ways to improve my credit. I opened a credit card ~9 months ago with a $3,000 limit. Currently the limit on it is $4,500, all payments have been on time, and the balance is my previous month’s purchases (around $100).

In reading, many people recommend having either one or two revolving credit lines, and one or two fixed credit lines, for a total of three lines of credit. My credit card is one revolving credit line. I’m curious if taking out say a four year auto loan and making payments on time would substantially improve my credit score three years from now. The loan amount would likely be $7,000 to $8,000, giving monthly payments of around or under $200, which I can realistically afford. I’ve been paying my own college tuition and rent since the second semester of my freshman year of college, so I somewhat have of a grasp of my expenses.

On a side-note, I’m under the impression that I would be stuck with the interest rate I initially receive. I could refinance, but wouldn’t that close out the line of credit and begin a new line of credit, potentially lowering my score?

The follow-up questions are, would it be in my best interest to open a second credit card for additional feedback on my credit history? Also, I currently have a good amount of student loans, all of which are in deferment until I graduate (if I attend grad school, they will remain in deferment through that period). Do these loans count towards my credit score as fixed lines of credit? Some are federally-funded, while others are through private institutions.

For what it’s worth, Credit Karma reported my credit score at 722 as of a week ago, and TransUnion reported it at 764.

Viola

When applying for a mortgage, what is better. pay down your credit card or have money in savings?

DoUCWhatIC asked:


When it comes to them running a credit report to see if I get approved for a mortgage… I have $10K in debt and nothing in savings at this time (I’m investing $600/month towards my $6,000 down payment that will be required).
So… with my new pay increase im geting soon, which is better… I pay down my credit card by $1000 a month for three months and still have nothing in savings or is it better to pay down the credit card down by $500 and put $500 in savings (to show I have money in the bank) or… pay the minimum on my creditcard and have a lot of money in my savings by the time they check my credit???
I know the debt/savings is factored in so i’m trying to see what is the best option to get approved. Suggestions?

Sara

what is the process of clearing my credit after being a victim of identity theft?

Carlos asked:


I had a security clearance investigation for the military done and they discovered that my credit report was a disaster. I have no idea how to go about in solving this issue. I am only eighteen, and all of the fraud occurred in the last three years. i have never had a job or a credit card, and the only bank accounts i have had were a college savings and savings account, so it is fairly obvious that i could not have done any of the things on my credit report. how i go about solving this problem? and am i going to have to pay or be responsible for on my credit report?

Theresa

Need Advice.Authorized user on a credit card?

eXp asked:


When I first began building credit my mom helped me by adding me as an authorized user on her gas cards, which helped me get my first credit card and established credit.

After about 11 months of having good credit, I’ve built up a nice credit report and I’m now eligible to be approved for my own gas cards.

Is it a good idea to remove myself as an authorized user on her cards and apply for my own or should I keep myself as an authorized user on hers?

Im on three of her cards, the one with the longest history has 11 months on it, the other two are 8 and 9 months?

How much will it effect my credit score if I removed myself from her cards and apply for my own?

Note:

Neither of us EVER missed a payment. Her credit is Good, and so is mine up to this point.

Irene

I want to purchase another car but my credit is weak.(follow up.more info)?

Renata D asked:


The car I have now is a 2005 it was a demo, I bought it about 18 months ago, the warranty is about to run out next month. One of the salespeople suggested that I keep it for about 18 months and get rid of it…because my credit was bad I was stuck making high monthly payments…I made all but 2 payments on time and I recently as of three months ago paid off all but one credit card off. I closed those accounts and according to my credit report..my credit will eventually be fair…I really don’t have much time to wait because my warranty will end next month…So I was wondering whether I might end up paying less of a monthly payment than I was before…my trade in has low mileage like..21,000 and its a 2005….

Darrell

Do All Three Credit Bureau’s Updated At Same Time (Disputed Something, It Cleared With 1 Bureau, Am I All Set?

The Great Gate asked:


I live in Michigan and am 23. I recently applied last month and was denied. I have never had a credit card or anything. It turns out I had an unpaid traffic ticket in Windsor, Canada that I actually paid (but it was a couple months late). They reported me to JJ Marshal And Associates. I cleared up this matter with JJ Marshal & Assoc. and they wiped it off my record. So…. I accessed my free report today from Equifax and it was clear. Nothing there. Can I apply for a credit card now or do you think the other 2 bureaus are behind in schedule? P.S. I already accessed my report from TransUnion, that is how I found out about this negative thing from 2002 that I cleared and I cannot get one from experian because I couldn’t pass the security test!
This ‘negative’ matter happened in 2002! JJ Marshal Cleared Me October 4, 2007.
I am anxious to apply for a credit card. Will it devastate my file if I get rejected? Is it safe to apply seeing that I am clear with Equifax?

Betty
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