Dec

30

How to Read a Credit Report

December 30, 2009 |



Credit Tip! Tell the CRA what information you believe is inaccurate on your credit report. Include copies, never originals of documents that support your position.

Navigating a credit report can be a bit confusing but it is important to understand how all of those numbers affect you whether or not you are considered credit worthy. A credit report is broke into four basic sections and each one is important to your credit score.

The first section contains your identifying information

This is just the basic information that identifies who you are. It can include a list of addresses where you have lived, your name and any other names you have gone by, your social security and driver’s license numbers, spouse’s name, date of birth and telephone numbers that have been linked to your name.

The second section contains your credit history

This section will list all of the credit accounts that you have. It will tell how long you have had the account, what kind of account it is, if it is a joint account, amount that the loan was for or the credit limit you have, total amount that you owe, amount of monthly payments, Status of the account, and if you have been making your payments on time. This section might also include notes that tell if you typically pay late or have a debt that was never able to be collected.

Credit Tip! Residents of Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont are entitled by state law to one free credit report from a credit-reporting agency per year. Residents of Georgia are entitled to two free credit reports.

The third section contains your public records

This section includes any bankruptcies, tax liens, or judgments against you. If it is in the public records, it will show up in this section of your credit report.

The fourth section contains inquiries

Anytime someone requests your credit report, that information goes into this section. That means that every time you fill out an application for credit, that credit request will be noted on your credit report. Not all inquiries on your credit report were initiated by you. Soft inquiries are those requested from companies looking to contact you unsolicited and offer you a pre-approved loan or credit card.

View our recommended sources for a personal credit report.
Also, check out our recommended online companies to help you eliminate credit card debt, or view our recommended lenders for home refinancing for people with problem credit.

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How To Read A Credit Report

Aug

23

How To Read A Credit Report

August 23, 2009 |



Credit Tip! 2. Pay your bills on time. One of the most important things you can do to improve your credit score is pay your bills by the due date. You can set up automatic payments from your bank account to help you pay on time, but be sure you have enough money in your account to avoid overdraft fees.

Your credit card report is your financial report. Your future transactions depend on this information. You may find yourself in a situation when you didn’t get the job you were sure you would get, or that you were turned down for an apartment that you wanted to rent. You look for the reason, and realize it is because of the irregularities that are present in your credit card report.

When so much depends upon your credit report, it becomes imperative that you ensure that there are no negative errors in it. For this, first of all, you need to verify that all the information given in the credit report is correct. The information is classified into four categories.

Credit Tip! Tell the CRA what information you believe is inaccurate on your credit report. Include copies, never originals of documents that support your position.

Personal Information

This section of your credit report spells out your personal details such as your name, spouse’s name, your age, salary, current employers, and former employers. Don’t simply assume your personal information mentioned is correct. Apart from checking these details, you also need to check that nothing is misspelled.

Reported Accounts

This section is further divided into two categories: monthly accounts and default accounts.

Monthly accounts

All financial organizations, insurance companies, departmental stores, oil and gas companies, and more report your credit history and these find mention in the monthly report section.

Default accounts

This section lists all the payments that you did not make. These may include telephone bills, electricity bills, installment etc. Again, you need to do a careful check of these accounts, as there may be chances that you made the payments, but they have been erroneously mentioned under this category.

Credit Tip! Get a copy of your credit report. Take advantage of the free government credit report from each of the National Consumer Credit Bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion and Equifax.

Public Information

As the name itself suggests, this section of your report details information that is of public interest. This includes details of law suits, bankruptcies, court judgments, loans and debts. It is important for you to note that landlords, bankers, insurance companies, and prospective employers all check out your credit report. Any adverse information can prevent your getting the job or loan, as the case may be.

Inquiries

This section lists all the companies, banks, employers, and landlords, who have made inquiries about your credit report. Too many inquiries can result in a negative impression, as most lenders will assume that you are looking around for a lot of cash and so you might not be able to pay your installments.

Fix Your Credit Report provides detailed information on Causes Of Bad Credit Reports, Effects Of Bad Credit Reports, Fix Your Credit Report, Free Copy Of Credit Report and more. Fix Your Credit Report is affiliated with Free Annual Credit Reports.

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How to Read a Credit Report

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