Personal Finance guide

A consumer credit report is a limited record of your personal information as it relates to your consumer credit activities. It is primarily used by lenders and creditors to determine your credit reputation or credit worthiness when deciding to extend you credit or grant you a loan. Although numerous smaller credit reporting agencies (CRAs) exist, there are only three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) that are widely accepted; TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. The consumer credit report is separated into a few major categories with the most common being Credit History, Public Records, Collection Accounts, Inquiries, and Personal Information.

The Credit History section displays some of the most common information that you would expect to see on a consumer credit report such as real estate mortgages, credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, and auto loans. While displaying some of the most common information that you might expect to see such as the account name and account number of each account, this section of the consumer credit report also displays the status of each account and whether it is current or past due in payment. This section of the consumer credit report goes into further detail by displaying the balance, minimum payment due, and payment history of each account.

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With thousands of credit repair companies conducting business across the country, finding the right one can be difficult and intimidating but it is imperative that you take the time required to not only find a reputable one but also find one that has the knowledge, experience and ability to provide the level of service you expect and the optimal results you deserve. Your decision should not be impulsive. Choosing a bad credit repair company will leave you vulnerable and increases the probability that further damage will be caused to your personal credit file but on the other hand, choosing a good credit repair company has the potential to be one of the best financial decisions of your life by dramatically cleaning up your personal credit file and improving your credit score. There are numerous items to consider beyond price when making your decision. Recognizing the difference between price and value is imperative as seeking assistance from a company in the credit repair industry is almost always a case of, “You get what you pay for”. The following paragraphs explain the four types of credit repair companies that make up the industry and what to expect from each.

Credit Repair Company Type 1:
The first type of credit repair company is typically a one-man show run out of a home office. In general, this type of company advertises extremely low rates for their service and will usually have unbelievable service guarantees to top it off. It is not uncommon for this type of credit repair company to be a complete scam and take the consumers’ money without providing any service at all. Moreover, if you are dealing with a company that falls into this category you are lucky if the only thing you lose is your money and not your identity in the process. In this day and age, identity theft is happening on epidemic proportions. Unless you know the company to be reputable, you should think twice before handing over your personal identification information.

While all credit repair companies that fall into this category are not scams, it is very common for the individual running this type of company to be completely unaware of the compliance all credit repair organizations must adhere to. This company will typically use 3 or 4 standard dispute letters that are extremely generic and not intended to be used in every situation. Although using standard dispute letters may provide some level of positive results, their use also has the potential to further damage your credit. Moreover, the use of standard dispute letters usually only provides temporary results as the negative information removed from your personal credit file will most likely reappear on your credit file the next time it is reported by the creditor.

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