|
|
|
10 Things to Look for in a Home-Equity Line of Credit
If you are a homeowner, you've probably received offers to apply for a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Handled with care, home equity credit lines can be an excellent way to improve financial flexibility, provide readily available cash...
A Consumer's Guide to Getting a Bad Credit Loan
Here is a useful guide to getting a bad credit loan. If you're like countless others, then you may be struggling to get a bad credit loan. You may not know where to turn, or what options are available… or even what “bad credit” actually means or how...
Choosing and Using Credit Cards
Credit cards are convenient, but they're also dangerous. A lot
of people ruin their financial lives by turning the phrase
"charge it" into a reflex. It's a real problem, but this article
explains how to make good use of credit cards and how to...
Debt Consolidation -- Choose Your Credit Counselor Carefully
Recently passed by Congress, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 will require people who are filing for bankruptcy to first undergo mandatory credit counseling. This is probably not a bad idea; after all, many people...
How To Deal With Credit Denial
Understanding what's on your credit report is extremely important. Especially, if you have applied for credit and the creditor denied your application. If you are denied credit, do not ignore this fact. Most individuals will move on to the next...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
How to Create a Good Credit Report
There may be many reasons why you have a bad credit report. You may be young and have never used any credit yet. You may have just come out of bankruptcy and because you are too scared to repeat your past mistakes, you start paying for everything in cash. This is not a good idea because if one day you apply for a car loan or a home mortgage you will have no credit history.
A person with no credit, even though they may be completely debt free is worse than a personal with a bad credit history. Creditors want to see how you manage debt and a good credit history speaks volumes about your responsibility and approach to debt. An individual with no credit history may be considered very high risk.
It takes time to build or rebuild your credit report. It won't happen overnight but you can do it if you put your mind to it. Don't fall for scams from credit repair agencies that will offer you a fabulous credit report in a matter of weeks. It simply is not true. Building credit takes time and you have to work at it.
The first thing you must do is make sure that there are no errors on your credit report. Ensure that any debt that you have paid off is no longer showing on your credit report. Companies can be slow to report to the credit bureau so you must take charge. Examine your credit report carefully for errors and mistakes. Get your credit report as clean as it can be before you start applying for new credit.
Now you are ready to start building your new and improved credit profile. Choose the type of credit that you want very carefully. Too many applications for credit can have a disastrous affect on your credit rating. If you currently have numerous credit cards all maxed out, consider a debt consolidation loan to pay off all the existing credit cards. If you get approval, you will have one monthly payment which should be far less than the minimum payments required on your credit cards. The interest rate should also be considerably lower.
If you have a friend or family member with whom you have an excellent relationship, and who has an excellent credit rating, you might consider asking him or her to add your name to one of their credit cards. They will have to ask their credit card company to add you to their account as an authorized user. Once you receive your credit card on this account you can simpy give it to your friend. The idea is not to use the card but to show that you have a credit card account in good
standing.
Another excellent way to build or rebuild credit is to get approved for a secured or prepaid credit card. All you need is a savings account and you will be required to make a deposit into this account to secure the credit line. In this way you are spending your own money and there is no risk to your credit whatsoever. Many of these cards look just like a regular credit card and can be used in the same way, so there is no reason to be embarrassed. No one will ever know that your card is prepaid!
Another very useful way to improve your credit is to apply for easy credit. Many stores and even some gas companies give credit to those without a credit history. Their interest rates may be high, but your purpose is not to use the card so much as to establish credit. Put the card away in a safe place or use it very carefully, making sure to pay off the small balance each month. This is another excellent way for you to create some credit history or to restore poor credit into great credit.
As you can see, there are many ways to create or improve credit and these are simple steps that you can do if you put your mind to it. The most important message of all is to spend ONLY what you can afford. Use your new credit cards and credit lines minimally each month, to show activity, but refrain from any kind of large purchases or excessive spending. This will destroy your credit and put you right back to square one. Pay your bills on time each month, and if you absolutely cannot afford to pay the balance in full, at least pay the require "minimum" payment.
Before you will be taken seriously by any loan lender, you will need to show at least one to two years of excellent credit habits, especially if you are considering buying a home. Mortgage companies tend to be more strict in terms of credit ratings, so if you want to look forward to the prospect of one day owning your own home, you know what you have to do. Take the first step to financial dignity and you will never look back.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005. Caitlin Crosain is a successful writer and publisher of resource websites on how to Repair Bad Credit, qualify for Secured Credit Cards and Bad Credit Auto Loans and Personal Loans.
|
|
|
|
|
| Credit Reports - Credit Cards - Car Loans - Home Loans - Credit.com |
| Credit.com offers a variety of credit related products and services including credit reports and credit scores, credit cards, car loans, home loan and ... |
| www.credit.com |
|
| Equifax Personal Solutions: Credit Reports, Credit Scores ... |
| National consumer credit reporting company that offers credit reports, FICO(R) credit scores and identity theft protection products to consumers and small ... |
| www.equifax.com |
|
| The FTC's web site on Credit |
| Credit is much more than a piece of plastic, and the resources on this site can help you become a more savvy consumer. You’ll also find compliance ... |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Credit Center |
| Features an assortment of helpful articles related to credit issues. |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| AnnualCreditReport |
| Site set up by the big three credit reporting agencies in the United States, to furnish free annual credit reports, as required by federal law. |
| www.annualcreditreport.com |
|
| Springboard - Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management |
| Our mission is simple: To offer education on the wise use of credit. ... SPRINGBOARD has been approved to provide credit counseling services and issue ... |
| www.credit.org |
|
| myFICO - FICO Credit Scores, Online Credit Reports and Identity ... |
| myFICO.com: Get your Free credit report and Free credit score with a 30-day trial of Score Watch. All three FICO Scores and Credit Reports Available now ... |
| www.myfico.com |
|
| Credit Suisse Global |
| Credit Suisse Group is an international financial services group. - Shares part of SMI. |
| www.credit-suisse.com |
|
| Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
| Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
| www.experian.com |
|
| National Credit Union Administration - Home Page |
| An independent federal agency that supervises and insures 7152 federal credit unions and insures 4240 state-chartered credit unions. |
| www.ncua.gov |
|
| Credit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Debits and Credits, a type of bookkeeping entry; Credit (creative arts), acknowledging the ideas or ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit" ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Credit (finance) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Any movement of financial capital is normally quite dependent on credit, ... Sometimes if a person has financial instability or difficulty, credit is not ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| The National Foundation for Credit Counseling |
| DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit ... |
| www.nfcc.org |
|
| FreeCreditReport.com | Free Credit Report and Credit Score Online ... |
| FreeCreditReport.com: Free credit reports and credit scores from Experian. Get your free credit report and credit score now. It's free, fast, and easy! |
| www.freecreditreport.com |
|
| Compare credit cards | apply for a credit card | 0% balance ... |
| Compare over 300 credit cards, including 0% offers and balance transfers, and make a credit card application online... |
| www.moneysupermarket.com |
|
| Ford Credit - Auto financing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars ... |
| Ford Credit provides auto financing to finance a lease or purchase a car or truck through Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealerships. |
| www.fordcredit.com |
|
| The Credit Card Prank |
| In my lifetime, I have made nearly 15000 credit card transactions. ... Credit card signatures are a useless mechanism designed to make you feel safe, ... |
| www.zug.com |
|
| Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
| Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
| www.creditmag.com |
|
| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
| www.cuna.org |
|
| Credit/Debt Management - Tools and Advice for Managing Credit and Debt |
| Drowning in debt? Trying to improve your credit score? This is the place for you. Get real world information and tips, as well as the legal low down, ... |
| credit.about.com |
|
|