By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-03-02 15:01:39 | Word Count: 664
Navigating the world of credit scores can be difficult to say the least. Making sure your credit report accurately reflects your financial history is vital to achieving a good credit score. Having a high credit score is vital if you want to qualify for a mortgage, get a loan, buy a car, or even just get a lower interest rate on your credit card. Disputing anything on your credit score can be a hairy, drawn out process. However, it must be done if there’s needlessly incorrect information included in your credit report.
First things first – get your credit report. There are three major agencies that provide information regarding your credit score – TransUnion LLC (www.transunion.com), Equifax (www.equifax.com) and Experian (www.experian.com). You can request a report from each agency individually, or you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com to get all the information in one place.
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You are eligible for one free report annually. Additionally, you are not obligated to pay for a report if you’ve recently lost your job due to information found in your credit report, if you’ve been denied a line of credit as a result of something in your credit report, if you’re unemployed, or if you suspect identity theft or fraud. Should you need your credit report outside of any of these circumstances, you’ll only have to pay around $10, depending on what your state’s laws require.
Once you have your report, look closely at it. Make sure all the information in it is correct, including your personal information. Also, make sure your financial history is accurate. Are there any notations on accounts regarding late payments that were actually made on time? That type of inaccurate information can have a major affect on your credit score without you even having done something wrong.
Also, be sure to scrutinize the accounts you closed in the past. Are they marked “closed by consumer” or do they appear to still be open? Having too many open or revolving accounts can also hurt your credit score.
Make sure you recognize all the accounts present on the report. Are there any you didn’t open? Is there evidence of any kind of fraud or identity theft?
If you spot a mistake, you have to dispute it. The best way is to send a letter to the agency. Companies like Creditelves (www.creditelves.com) provide templates and all the information you should include in and with your letter. This can be very helpful in getting a positive response to your inquiry. Creditelves will help you include all your personal information, any details regarding the suspected mistake, proof that an error has occurred, and anything else pertinent to the case.
Once your letter is received, the agency has 30 days to respond. If the agency agrees with you they will either amend your credit report to reflect their investigation, or remove the mistake altogether. If they don’t rule in your favor you can try to have the mistake removed by the original creditor, or insert a statement on your credit report to explain the offending entry.
Creditelves has spent years learning to efficiently navigate the world of credit scores. Their professionals can help you improve the information in your credit report, and dispute any inaccurate information found therein. Contact them today at www.creditelves.com.
