subject: Boost Your Credit Score By Cleaning Your Credit Record [print this page] Boost Your Credit Score By Cleaning Your Credit Record
You might not know what your credit score but you would have an idea of how high or low it is likely to be with the kind of information that is contained in your credit record. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to know what is in your credit record and dispute anything that might not fit the parameters set for all information that should be in your file. Legally, you have the right to a free copy of your credit record once a year. You can actually request for it by phone, mail, or online. There is an online website that is accredited by the government and shared by all three of the top credit reporting bureaus maintaining your records namely TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. It is highly recommended that you take advantage of this free service to check and verify the information that might be unduly affecting your credit score. Your credit score is computed based on a formula approved by the government using the information that is provided by your creditors. There are federal laws that govern this collection and dissemination of your credit information. As you are protected by these laws, you have legal recourse in case these credit bureaus fail in their responsibilities. In case of inaccuracies in your credit record that could affect your score and consequently your access to credit, the law gives you the freedom to file for a dispute and request for the deletion of such information.
While the law provides for individuals to be able to file and resolve credit issues on their own, it does not always prove to be effective. It is a known practice for these credit bureaus to make it difficult for consumers to have negative information deleted from their records. By law, information that is inaccurate, misleading, and unverifiable could be stricken out of your credit record. While accurate information like late payments that have already been settled is something that could be considered as an acceptable entry, you can actually prevent this information from being included in your record and from dragging your credit score down. Professional credit correction companies can help you navigate your way through fixing your credit records in order to get a higher score the legal way. When you have succeeded in upping your credit score through these credit correction companies, you can continue to preserve your score or improve it some more by demonstrating excellent credit practices.
