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Getting The Credit You Deserve
Getting The Credit You Deserve
By Gabriel B. Avalos, Trusted Advisor
Tip #1: Know your score
People like you and me applying for a mortgage or a car loan are nothing but a "number." A credit score in other words. And even though you may be a...
How to Get 'Triple A' Credit in 25 Days.
Good credit is everyone's dream. A wise use of credit can go a long way. It certainly makes certain goals in life (like acquiring business loan from bank) easily attainable.
But the key question remains: "What does it take to achieve 'Triple...
Little Known Facts About Your Credit Score
Little known facts about YOUR credit report ...
Changes are afoot! According the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you are entitled to a FREE copy of your credit report if you meet any of the following guidelines:
� Are unemployed and are...
The Truth About 0% APR Credit Cards
The competition between credit card companies is getting fierce.
Many credit card companies are offering special incentives to
get you to sign up for their card. 0% APR is one deal that many
credit card companies are using. These 0% APR credit...
What is on Your Credit Report?
Your credit report is a very important piece of the puzzle in your financial picture. It contains a historical record of your personal and financial information including a listing of your current and past debts and the timeliness of your payments....
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Why Consumers Need A Nationwide Credit Freeze NOW
What do a shoe retailer, an online discount broker, and a popular clothing retailer all have in common? All three - DSW Shoe Warehouse, Ameritrade, and Polo Ralph Lauren - sustained breaches to their customers� accounts. Unfortunately, these three are not alone when it comes to security breaches. CitiFinancial, Bank of America, LexisNexis and other companies have also experienced similar events.
Over 46 million Americans have had personal records containing credit card numbers, bank account information, and social security numbers lost or stolen during the first six months of 2005.
Having even just one piece of personal information is sometimes all that an identity thief needs in order to wreak havoc to your credit profile. Many people falsely believe that an ID thief uses only the stolen credit cards to go on their shopping sprees. The truth is ID thieves use your stolen information to open new accounts for credit, cars, loans, mobile phones and more. Most victims won�t know there�s a problem until they�ve been turned down for credit or begin receiving calls from creditors and collection agencies about the unpaid bills.
So, what can you do to guard your identity from criminals? Along with vigorously protecting your social security number, using a shredder to destroy credit card offers, and monitoring your credit report regularly, you may also be able to use a new line of defense against ID thieves - placing a �freeze� on your credit files.
Placing a freeze on your credit files with the three major credit reporting agencies - Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax - shuts out potential lenders from accessing your credit files in order to make you an offer for credit. When applying for
new credit accounts or loans, you would use a special password or PIN to �thaw� your credit files, a process that takes a few days. The credit bureaus charge around $10 for each freeze or thaw as allowed by law.
A credit freeze protects your data since the lender can�t check your profile in order to approve any new credit. Unfortunately, credit freezes are currently available only to consumers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
Congress is examining laws to make credit freezes available nationwide, however they are facing some strong opposition. And guess where it�s coming from? The credit bureaus and data clearinghouses! They make money every time they sell your information to banks, mortgage brokers, car dealerships and other retailers.
The time to act is NOW. If you live in a state that doesn�t offer you, the consumer, the right to freeze your credit files, contact your state legislators to let them know that YOU WANT TO CONTROL who can access your personal and financial data. Names and contact information for your Senators and Representatives can be found at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. Write or e-mail them and tell them you want control of your personal data. After all, it�s your identity and your finances at stake!
About the Author
� 2005, http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
Author: James H. Dimmitt
James is editor of "TO YOUR CREDIT", a free weekly newsletter with tips to help you manage your personal finances. Subscribe today and receive his e-book �IDENTITY THEFT- How To Avoid Becoming the Next Victim!� and other free bonuses by visiting http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
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| Credit Reports - Credit Cards - Car Loans - Home Loans - Credit.com |
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| 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 ... |
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| The FTC's web site on Credit |
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| Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Credit Center |
| Features an assortment of helpful articles related to credit issues. |
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| 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. |
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| Springboard - Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management |
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| myFICO - FICO Credit Scores, Online Credit Reports and Identity ... |
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| Credit Suisse Global |
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| Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
| Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
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| 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 |
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| 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" ... |
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| 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 |
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| 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 ... |
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| 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! |
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| Compare over 300 credit cards, including 0% offers and balance transfers, and make a credit card application online... |
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| 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, ... |
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| Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
| Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
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| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
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| 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 |
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