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[W368]What Affects Credit Score
by Christopher Wright, Chr
This is the foundation of obtaining a great score. If you're going to have bad credit, its best for it to be past bad credit. We can work on that. The one thing you have to do is make sure of is that your current debt and bills are being paid on time. You can't forget ANY bills, even the $15-$20 bills. I've seen people who pay their mortgage and car notes religiously. But when it comes to their miscellaneous debt, they put it off or forget. They rationalize that if the bill is only $15 it doesn't affect them as much as their mortgage. Not entirely a true statement.

Yes the mortgage may weigh more when considering a person's credit mix, but guess what? A 30 day missed payment is just that, a 30 day missed payment. So, its vital that you pay all debt on time, small and large.

OK, we've got your present debt in check. What can you do about past bad credit? Plenty! This discussion makes the assumption that you've pulled all three of your scores and reports. Look at the reports. First and foremost, check to be sure that the accounts listed are even yours. You'd be surprised to know that some accounts appear on your file that aren't even yours.

Are there any negative accounts that have been paid and are 7yrs old or more? These would be the second group to attack/dispute. Here's a tip. Even accounts 7yrs old that HAVE NOT been paid could come off through a dispute. How? Most companies only keep records for 18-24 months, which is why that time span is so important. An account that old may not be able to be verified, therefore must come off the report. Take notice that just because the account no longer appears on your file, doesn't mean that the debt isn't still owed. It just means your score will benefit from it coming off.

Now, we're not going to lie and say the debt isn't ours. That would be fraud. What you can do is write saying you're not sure about the debt amount listed or/and the late payments associated with the negative accounts. If they can't be verified...they should come off!

Another way to make your payment history better is to do the opposite of what we've just discussed. Instead of trying to take information off your file, simply add (good) accounts to your credit file.

Maybe you have a family member or close associate who can help you out with this strategy. What you want is for them to add you to one of their good paying accounts. It can be a credit card, store card, or whatever. As long as the account is in good standing and reports to all three major credit agencies. What this does is instantly add a good payment history to your file, thereby increasing your credit score.

One other thing to be aware of when using this technique is the liability factor. If possible, be added to the account as an 'authorized user' and not a joint user. An authorized user has the right to access the account but will not be held liable for delinquent payments. A joint user will not be so fortunate. If the account doesn't ask for the secondary user's social security number, then they may not report the account to the additional user's credit file.

Persistence is the key to making this strategy work.

One of the most common mistakes that consumers do when using their respective credit cards is actually mismanaging their spending. It is true that most consumers now prefer spending using their credit cards. However, it is also true that such consumers also fall into the mistake of spending out of control. This situation usually leads to low credit scores, as well as being buried in a huge debt.

Remember that the last thing that any credit consumer wants to have is low credit scores. This would not only mean that you may already be trapped in a huge amount of debt. Worse, having low credit scores may also mean that you may have difficulties securing future loans. In this case, it is best when you have the capability of being able to know how to improve your credit score, and become an able credit manager.

In credit scoring, most of credit agencies actually make their scoring models secret from public knowledge. However, there are generally accepted facts that in fact determine any consumer's credit score. One of such factors is the actual amount of your debt.

One of the most common forms of financial mismanagement that American credit consumers do is overspending. Given the fact that by using credit cards, spending becomes more convenient, many consumers are tempted to spend beyond their respective credit limits. Worse, credit consumers may even accumulate such a large debt that they are forced to close their respective credit accounts.

How then does the amount of your debt affect credit scoring?

Obviously, it is the credit agencies who compute for your credit score. The reason why the amount of your debt is considered as an important factor to your respective credit report score is because it is one of the main indicators whether you are a responsible credit holder or not. Of course, when you are irresponsible enough that you accumulate such a huge amount of debt, in the end, credit agencies would deem you as a risky credit holder.

Basically, credit agencies take a close look into the total amount of the debt incurred; this includes the debt incurred on all of the different credit accounts that you hold. Remember that it is already common for consumers to have different credit accounts; some has credit mortgage accounts, some has department store cards, and some has auto credit accounts.

Whenever you are using a large percentage of your account limits, or worse, have spent beyond your credit limits, then this would naturally worry any credit agency. Therefore, it may spell lower credit scores for you. Remember that the higher percentage of the credit that you are spending, the nearer you are to default, which would prove costly for credit agencies.

Usually, the formula that different credit agencies would use in this case would be the percentage of your balance versus your credit limit. For example, when you have a credit limit of 3000, and have used 2700, then, the percentage would result to 90%. In this case, the lower the gap of your balance from your credit limit, or the lower the percentage, the higher your credit scores will be.

Article Source : Pg. 17

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Both Christopher Wright & Tony Francis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Christopher Wright has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mortgage, Travel and Leisure and Site Promotion. Christopher Wright has had many parts in life's play. Life insurance agent, tax office manager, small business owner. Mr. Wright believes you only fail when you stop trying. Take control of your future, sign up for your. Christopher Wright's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.

Tony Francis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Free Credit Report Score and Finances. Visit Free-Credit-Reports.com to know more regarding . This site will provide you all the information about. Tony Francis's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
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