credit report - Why Your Credit Report Contains Bogus Information

Is there really bogus information in my credit report? Chances are that you are amongst the more than 85% of consumers and businesses where their credit report contains errors. What? Doesn't anybody watch over this or police it? The simple answer is no. The attitude of the credit bureaus is that "we don't make the news, we just report it" and they take zero responsibility for the ACCURACY of that information, they just report it as if it were fact. How does this happen? Let's backup a few steps first so we can understand why this is the case and then we can talk about your responsibilities. First of all, there are three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), and chances are very high that all three of them have a DIFFERENT credit report on you or your business. The result is that when you apply for a line of credit or a loan, the credit score reported back will be different from each credit bureau, and could be different enough to where you would be approved if they got your credit report from credit bureau "A" instead of credit bureau "B" or "C". Keep in mind that reporting credit is a business, and like any business, the rates charged to companies who report on their consumer and business loans is different. So say that two years ago your Visa company was reporting to Equifax, but this year they switched and are now report to Experian because Experian gives them better rates. It happens every day, this is just basic business. But the downside is that the records that Equifax was keeping on you are no longer being updated. Now take that fact into consideration coupled with the fact that say every consumer has just 10 accounts that are either currently active or had been active at one time in the past 10 years. (And 10 is a very conservative number!) Now multiply the number of consumers (hundreds of millions) by 10 accounts each, and you end up with literally BILLIONS of records that the credit bureaus need to keep track of. It can be a database administrator's worst nightmare. So what you end up with is accounts that you paid off years ago still showing as having a balance due, accounts showing past due when you have not ever been late with a payment, and particularly if you have a common name, you end up with accounts showing up that you don't even know about! All of these errors together comprise your ultimate credit score, which is almost certainly lower than it should be. Regarding the point about accounts showing up that do not belong to you, you should be aware of one of the fastest growing crimes of this century, which is identity theft. Are you taking steps to ensure you are protected from identity theft? If not, you should before you become a victim of it. Please visit Identity Theft Protection for more information on identity theft. So what can you do about this? You can do plenty and you should start yesterday. Get a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus and then go over each and every piece of information there with a fine tooth comb. When (almost certainly not "if") you find something inaccurate, it is your responsibility to dispute that item with the credit bureau. That is the ONLY way it will get corrected. The burden of proof is on the credit bureau to prove that their reported information is correct, and they do this by contacting the creditor and asking for verification, based on your dispute. If the creditor does not respond, the information must be removed from your credit report. If the creditor responds that it is accurate, then you have a beef with that creditor and need to contact them to get their report corrected. The key point is that your credit report affects virtually every aspect of your life, and you need to ensure that the information there is accurate and reflects you in as good a light as possible. It is YOUR responsibility to get this done, nobody is watching over your shoulder to ensure your information is accurate. Jon is a computer engineer with a wide variety of skills and expertise in many areas. To get more information about Credit Reports and Credit Scores, please visit his web site at http://www.credit-help-center.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnold credit report - Alternative Credit Repair Solutions When you get your own credit card, you create a credit report that becomes the basis for future financial transactions to banks, institutions and other credit cards. Everyone has a credit report. Your credit report contains information about your liquidity and credit standing. It shows how prompt you are in paying monthly dues, if you have the ability to pay your credit card bills and if you are deep in debt or not. However, sometimes we can experience a financial crisis and our credit standing may be damaged. In comes a credit repair system. You see a lot of businesses offering a "guaranteed" credit repair but be warned. Some of these are misleading. They may say it's credit repair but it could mean bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy is indeed one way to resolve credit repair. But the impact on your credit standing could be hard. Any person who files for bankruptcy will need to wait ten years before clearing his bad record with financial institutions. During this time, your applications for loans, getting a job or new credit cards could be denied. There are credit repair systems that advertise consolidation of your accounts. In essence, that could mean using the law and filing for bankruptcy. Other credit repair systems will guarantee that you will not lose your property or do not even have to borrow from other to fix your credit. Watch out for these kinds of credit repair systems. They are only out to get money from you, since they do ask for a processing fee, and put you into more trouble with bankruptcy. If you find yourself needing credit repair, try to fix it yourself first. There are ways to handle a financial crisis like this. One is to talk to your creditors. They may be willing to settle for a compromise through an easier monthly payment scheme. Two, you can ask for credit repair counseling service. There are institutions that provide those in need of credit repair advice with options on how to earn more money, how to budget and use a debt repayment plan. They often act as middlemen with the creditors, you pay them and they will pay the creditors. Lastly, you can take out a loan to resolve your credit repair. However, this means that you have to take your house, car, yacht or whatever huge asset you have as collateral. The pressure for credit repair will be passed on to the property but at least you will have a better credit standing which can help you acquire more loans in the future. Most credit repair systems fail because they only consider the fastest and easiest way to avoid harassment from creditors, foreclosures and repossessions. As the person needing credit repair, you have to realize that fastest may not always mean the best option. The credit repair alternatives mentioned above can help you avoid being going to court for estafa. If all else fails, filing for bankruptcy is the only credit repair solution left. But do this as a last resort. The effects on your financial standing to the outside word will greatly suffer. Credit repair can be a hard on anyone. So as much as possible, remember to keep your expenses in check. Try not to take more of what you need. Pay your monthly credit card bills, even if it is only the minimum amount. These simple gestures can insure you won't have to go through a credit repair scenario in your days.