|
|
|
Chase Credit companies can help you with almost anything you need financially
Chase Credit is an important company if you're thinking about starting any sort of a credit reporting company. The reason for this is that this company offers all the technology that you need at a price that your business should be able to afford....
Credit Report – Check Yours Regularly…and for Free
In the twenty-first century, there are few documents that have a greater impact on the lives of Americans then their credit report. Credit rating determines one’s ability to buy a home, a car, or to obtain a credit card or a job. Since these things...
The Credit Inquiry; A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
To the average consumer the most innocent item on their credit
report is the credit inquiry, but in-fact it is, to coin a
phrase " a wolf in sheep's clothing." Although the credit
inquiry is just a potential creditors look into a...
Why Some People Never Have Problems With Credit Bureaus
Credit bureaus watch all of us all of the time. If we simply turned over our homeland security to the credit bureaus we would have a huge staff dedicated to stopping terrorists rather than finding out whether we have a handle on asset management or...
You are your Credit Scores Worst Enemy
When applying for loans, credit cards, or even trying to lease a new apartment your credit score is the major determinant of how well you will fair. Ironically very few people know what their credit score is and are not aware of the fact that they...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selecting a Good Credit or Budget Counselor
Selecting a GOOD Credit or Budget Counselor!
Most of what credit counselors do you can do for yourself. But, if you’re too emotionally involved with your money situation to create and stick with a plan and negotiate with your creditors then using a credit counselor may be a good option for you!
Credit or budget counselors, including those who are listed as being with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) or the Genus/National Credit Counseling Service (NCCS) are non-profit organizations that offer free budget counseling and (for a small fee which is often rolled into your monthly payments), debt repayment plans.
With a credit or budget counselor, you set up a workable budget and send one lump sum payment to the credit counseling service so they can divide the money up among your creditors. Your budget may seem tight at first, but you will find that you could be completely debt free within 3 years if you stick to the repayment plan!
Most credit and budget counselors work with your creditors to get them to accept smaller payments from you, and attempt to freeze or lower interest rates and late payment or over-the-limit fees. In addition, once you’ve entered into a repayment plan with the counselor, the harassing phone calls from creditors will stop. Even if you choose to set up your own repayment plan, instead of going through the credit counselor, you can get free budget assistance from them!
If you do decide to us the credit counselor’s debt repayment program, be sure to ask these questions before you sign up:
1. Which of my creditors have worked with you in the past to reduce payments, or freeze or lower interest and fees? Before you sign up for a repayment plan, make sure that the counseling service can help you reduce interest and fees for your creditors. Not all creditors are willing to negotiate with credit counselors. If most or all of your creditors are willing to negotiate, then it may be in your best interest to start a repayment plan. If most of your creditors won’t work with the credit counselor, then a repayment plan won’t work for you. To be on the safe side, ask the credit counselor for a list of the creditors that have worked with them or have them put in writing which of your creditors they have successfully negotiated with in the past.
2. When will my creditors be paid? Some counseling
services have a set date each month when they take money out and apply it to your debts. Sometimes, creditors wind up being paid after their due dates. Make sure that the counseling service will work with your creditors to change the due dates or will set up your payment schedule based on when you get paid. The best services will work around your payday and your bills’ due dates.
3. Can you take money electronically out of my checking account or will I have to send you a certified check or money order each month? You’re much more likely to stick with a repayment plan if making that single payment to the counseling service is a “no-brainer.” If you’re pressed for time and don’t think you can get to your bank each month to get a certified check, make sure the counseling service will take money out of your account electronically.
4. How often can I see statements of my accounts? Your counselor should send you at least monthly reports on your progress. The statements should show you how much of your payment is going toward interest, how much toward the minimum payment and how much toward the counselor for his/her services.
5. Will I always deal with the same counselor, or at least get a live person on the phone when I call during regular business hours? How long does it take for you to return phone calls? Make sure you’re comfortable with the answers you get here, and that you’re comfortable with the people you might be dealing with. After your free budget counseling session, call your counselor once or twice with questions you have about the budget paperwork to make sure that you don’t have a problem getting your questions answered and your phone calls returned.
There’s no obligation or payment due to any good credit counselor until after you’ve determined what your monthly payment would be under the plan and you’ve decided to join their program. I encourage you to explore all your options and then pick the one that makes you feel most comfortable
About the Author
Paula Langguth Ryan is the author of “Bounce Back From Bankruptcy” and “Giving Thanks: The Art of Tithing” and a former credit counselor, financial editor and ghostwriter for national finance magazines. Visit her site at http://www.artofabundance.com for a free monthly Art of Abundance e-zine or email paularyan-70559@autocontactor.com for a free e-book of Giving Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
| 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 |
|
|