Cleaning Up Your Credit Report

Everyone should regularly monitor their credit report to ensure that the information

on there is accurate and up to date and help to improve credit score by removing the unnecessary information that is directly affecting it.

The first step to do is to get a free copy of your credit report. You can do this once a year. This will not tell you your credit score - you have to pay for that - but it will tell you what is on your credit report.

Once you have gotten a copy of your report scan it carefully for errors. If you do spot what you believe is an error, you should immediately tell the consumer credit agency - Experience, Trans union, or Equifax, or all three - IN WRITING - and keep a copy of the letter! Provide as much detail as possible and any documentation that you have in your possession. Provide copies, not originals. Describe what is inaccurate about the item and why.

Credit report errors can cause serious damage to your credit rating. If you're in debt, you're already struggling financially, and the last thing that you need is errors on your credit report dragging you down and causing all of your interest rates to go up.

You can get your credit report more frequently but you usually will have to pay for it. An exception is if you applied for credit and were denied, the company that denies you must tell you which credit reporting agency provided them with information which caused them to deny your credit. And then that credit reporting agency must provide you with a free copy of your credit report if you ask them for it within 60 days of being denied credit.

If there is inaccurate information on there you should dispute it immediately, in writing, by sending a letter explaining what is inaccurate about the report, both to the credit reporting agency and to whoever provided the credit reporting agency with the incorrect information.

Send these letters via certified mail with return receipt. This will show the date that you sent the letter, because if the credit reporting agency can not verify the negative information within 30 days, they have to remove it from your credit report.

If there is negative information on the credit report that is accurate, you should contact the lender who provided the negative information, and attempt to work out a payment plan with them. If you can pay it all off at once, so much the better. However, ask that they remove the negative information from your credit report once they receive the payment, and get that in writing from them. And do NOT send the payment until you get their agreement in writing.

by: Mark J Garcia

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