Free Instant Credit Reports – Score

Carrie Reeder asked:




Rebuilding your credit after bankruptcy can seem like a daunting task at first. But remember that in two years, you can have a good credit score. The key is to start small and use credit responsibly. In no time, you will have a good enough record to qualify for low mortgage and car loan rates.

1. Start Rebuilding Credit Score with a Credit Card

After your bankruptcy has been discharged, apply for a credit card. That might seem like the last thing you would want to do. But, it is the only way you can rebuild your credit. Financing companies won’t punish you forever for a bankruptcy, but they need proof that you can handle credit.

Start with a secured card and use it. Make monthly payments. You may decide to pay off the entire balance or only a portion. Keep your account to 20% or less. Larger amounts can hurt your score.

2. Check Your Free Credit Report Online

After six months, check out your credit report. There are several places to get a free copy. With this information, you can check two things. First, you can see the good standing of your new credit card account. It should show payments paid on time. The longer you keep that account, the more it will improve your score.

The next thing to check is that all your old accounts have been properly closed after the bankruptcy. If they remain open, notify both the credit reporting agency and the creditor. Unresolved accounts will unnecessarily hurt your score.

You can also decide to include a letter explaining the circumstances of the bankruptcy. In some cases, this can improve the rates you qualify for.

3. Continue Applying for New Credit Over Time

After six months, open a new credit line. By this time you should be able to qualify for an unsecured card. Use this card and your first card. The same principles of good credit management apply. Keep balances small and make monthly payments.

In another six months, open a third account and use it. In 24 months, your credit should be in good standing and you will have many more credit options.

Scott

Clara Ghomes asked:




Credit reports of an individual are a record of all his/her past lending transactions such as borrowing money, repayments, information regarding late payments (if any) and bankruptcy. The credit rating or score is based on the credit report of an individual. These ratings help in determining the ease and difficulty with which a person would (or won’t) get credit from credit card companies, banks or any other creditors.

The US laws have allowed every person to request for a free copy of their credit report every year. It’s very beneficial to get a free report, but the opportunity could get wasted if one doesn’t know how to read them. It also could be frustrating if a person doesn’t have any clue regarding how to read or understand their credit report. Nowadays, these reports are many important with the number of identity thefts which are on a rise and regular checking of reports helps a person in dealing with any issues in the report.

A person can request his/her copy of free report from any of the credit bureaus- namely TransUnion, Equifax and Experian (or TRW). One can also go online to get a copy of their financial records. One should make a habit of checking their report every year. Also, the credit bureaus should be contacted in case of any occurrence of incorrect information in an individual’s report.

After receiving the copy, one should sit down and review the report slowly and carefully. Each line of the report should be analyzed to get all the information regarding the debts. Many documents also provide ‘key’ with which one can understand the meaning of the symbols and codes used in the report. Also, a copy of the report should be faxed to the accountant for identification of any tax implications.

Any information which doesn’t make any sense should be highlighted. One should remind themselves to search online for explanation regarding the unclarified information. Friends with adequate knowledge regarding this report can be contacted for advice. One can also try free credit counselling agencies if there is still problem in analyzing the report, why it exists and the information on the report. Also, one should immediately investigate anything that doesn’t look familiar. The information should be reviewed on a monthly basis.

There are also companies which offer services of checking credit reports and confirming information for a fee. But, going online to request free such report can help in viewing the information for free. Also, these reports don’t mention the credit rating of an individual; they just provide all the list of accounts to check that the information on the report is true and contains no errors.

Harold

Ann Richter asked:




When a bankruptcy appears on your credit report, you feel as if you have to get used to being denied credit or a loan because of it. You have been told that this information will stay on your credit report for a maximum of seven years, too. For a while now, you have been interested in doing some type of credit repair. But, you have heard from friends that doing anything like this after a bankruptcy is difficult to do. You’d like to remove the bankruptcy from your credit report so that you can have a clean credit record, but you just aren’t sure how to go about how to do this.

You know that it’s not just the gas companies and department stores that are checking your credit when you apply for an account with them. When you applied for a new job last month, you were turned down because of your credit record. You’ve been told that the insurance company you use will be checking into your credit file when the time comes for you to renew your car insurance. Once they see that bankruptcy on your record, you are afraid that you will be hit with a huge rate increase.

It’s Not Always Your Fault

It’s enough to make you feel like a failure, and you’re not alone. Almost everyone who has been forced to file for bankruptcy feels this way, too. For some reason, people in the United States seem to look down on those who have bankruptcy on their record, and this just is not fair. You had no control over those medical treatments you had to go through after your car accident. You could not help that you missed so much work that you got way behind on your bills. And, neither could many other Americans suffering from the same problems as you.

You can’t even get a job anymore without having to answer questions about whether or not you have ever filed for bankruptcy. It’s listed right there on the job application, and you are required to fill out that section, too. What’s a person to do? People have told you that it isn’t possible to remove such a stigma as bankruptcy from your report.

Did you know that it is the law that you can dispute an item on your credit report that is wrong or listed in error? The credit bureau has to prove that the information contained in your file is true. You need to be the one who makes sure that the information in your credit file is accurate and up to date. Since a bankruptcy stays on your credit file for so many years, you should start trying to up your credit score so your credit can be restored as soon as is possible under the circumstances.

Patricia