Bad Economy, No Job – How Can I Repay My Debts?
When you have collection agencies calling you and you are in debt up to your eyeballs, it’s time to take action and quick. First step you need to take is to get a job, sooner than later. You cannot afford to use the bad economy as an excuse any longer. The bad economy may be standing in the way of you getting the job that you desire, but it shouldn’t keep you from obtaining gainful employment that will help you start paying your bills. Your only priority when you have debt to repay should be to get a job that allows you to have enough income to start repaying those creditors. Read more
Credit Card Debt – ‘Til Death Do Us Part
There are a lot of things you can’t take with you when you die, and in the case of credit card debt, it can be a good thing. However, this can change depending on where you live and whose names the credit card is under. Of course, the simplest scenario is that the credit card was on your name alone, with no joint account holders. In this case, any debt owed on the card, after death, would belong to only you and no one would inherit it. Read more
Prepaid Credit Cards – The Alternative for those with Bad Credit
In today’s technological era, it seems that more and more business and personal transactions are being done over the phone or online. As opposed to the old days when things were done through the mail or you had to go in person, the electronic age makes everything quicker. You can conduct routine transactions, from the comfort of your home, during almost any time of the day. You can do almost anything within minutes from making hotel reservations, booking airline tickets, or purchasing something from across the country on EBay or Amazon. Read more
Avoid Digging Deeper into Debt
So you’re already in as much debt as you can possibly handle? The key now is to stop digging yourself a deeper hole that might be impossible to get out of. You need to stop and tell yourself that enough is enough! Once you have started down that road to financial ruin, it is sometimes hard to get off unless you really just stop and think of what are the real important things in life. Most people will discover that the material items that they “must have” take a back seat to the peace and tranquility you feel when you are debt free. Creditreportblog.com recommends looking at the following tips that can help you get on that right path of financial responsibility. Read more
Maintain the “You” in Your Credit Union
However, when it comes to credit, too much togetherness can be bad for your bottom line. Even though there’s no such thing as a “couples” or “joint” credit report, if you both are named on a loan or listed as joint account holders, any flub-up (late payments, defaults) on the account will mar both of your credit files, no matter who forgot to put the mortgage check in the mail.
CreditReportBlog.com recommends that all couples make looking at each other’s credit reports a part of the screening process once things start to move towards the marriage phase. As skeptical as it sounds, there is never a guarantee that any marriage is going to last forever. An uncomfortable conversation now can avoid an even more uncomfortable situation later, if things turn sour with your finances. Read more
Honey, I cheated with your checkbook
Twenty nine percent of people in a committed relationship admitted to lying to their partner about their spending habits, according to a Harris Interactive survey of 1,796 people ages 25-55.
Money can be a source of happiness and dismay in a marriage. Having too much or not having enough can spell out problems for an otherwise happy couple. It gets worse when secrets are kept from one another and spending habits threaten the financial well-being of the marriage. More and more Americans admit to lying to their partners about their spending habits. Read more
Payday Loans-The Good, Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good
Payday loans are basically quick cash advances made to qualifying individuals. These loans are hassle-free and very convenient to get. They are great for people who are capable of paying them back. They are used for making an unexpected payment, going on a short trip or buying something you absolutely need, but don’t have the money for at the moment. Almost anyone that is over 18 years old has a monthly income and a checking account can qualify for a payday loan. People with bad credit are also eligible. A person can apply for payday loans even over the phone or online. The convenience of getting payday loans makes them very attractive to people in need of fast cash. Approval can take at the most, 24 hours. Read more
Re-establishing your credit
If you have fallen victim to bad circumstances in the past and your credit report has suffered as a result, there are still some steps you can take once you are on your feet again, to start re-establishing your good name, in terms of credit.
· If you are looking at purchasing a car, making a substantial down payment can make up for your bad credit history. Creditors will be in favor of this because they assume less risk and think that you will have more incentive to repay them since you’ve already invested a substantial amount. Once the loan is repaid in full, you will have taken a step towards re-establishing your ability to pay and thus it will be easier to obtain other credit in the future. Read more
Credit Restoration Service Announces Contest for the Worlds Worst Credit Report
July 2, 2008 — Lee Harrison Credit Restoration is looking for the world’s worst credit report. They will clean the worst credit report each month for 6 months for free. To enter the contest, applicants must send a copy of their Experian, Equifax, transunion and CSC.
CreditReportBlog.com – Well, this sounds like a great deal if you are the lucky, chosen few. With the enormous number of Americans sinking in debt these days, there will the credit restoration company is likely to be flooded with applicants for this new “contest” to find the worst credit reports in America. If you think you’re situation is bad, there will probably be many others with stories 10 times worse. Read more
How do I correct a mistake on my credit report?
Everyone should take advantage of their right to obtain a FREE credit report for themselves, every 12 months from each of the three credit bureaus. This is the only way you can monitor your own credit file, without paying high fees to a credit monitoring service. Although the FREE credit report will not include a credit score, it will let you view any negative information included in your file. If the negative information is true, complete and accurate, then you can take actions to start improving your credit situation. Read more
Can you get a Business Loan with BAD CREDIT?
Getting a business loan with bad credit can be very difficult. Banks will not even entertain the idea of lending to a business with bad credit, so you are better off not wasting your time there. Fortunately for some business, there are institutions out there that will approve bad credit applications for a business loan. At the same time, they will charge substantially higher interest rates for making these loans to a high risk client and will require substantial collateral from your business or personal assets. Read more
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Although you may have defaulted on your loans and owe creditors their money, remember, you do have the right to be treated fairly by the collection agencies. Creditreportblog.com feels for its readers who are frustrated at being hounded by these collection agencies, leading to a lot of stress in their daily life. In order to keep these aggressive collection agencies in check, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was put into place. This act applies to those who work on behalf of creditors to collect outstanding debts from individuals, such as unpaid car loans, mortgages, credit cards, and medical bills. Under this Act, there are certain guidelines that the collection agency must adhere to. Read more
“Freezing your credit report?”Good idea?
Credit Report Blog (Creditreportblog.com) frequently gets this question about the idea of “freezing your credit report”. However, there are still many who have not heard of this new concept of limiting access to the credit report. The credit report is a key tool and essential part of the decision process of lenders on whether or not to extend credit to individuals. In the wrong hands, however, the credit report can also be the tool used by thieves to cause much financial damage to someone. As a result of the rise in identity thefts across the country, this option of freezing a credit report has come about. Read more
What to look for in a CREDIT COUNSELOR
At Credit Report Blog (Creditreportblog.com), many readers write in about having heard of credit counseling agencies and ask whether they really are helpful and even make sense to hire, when you are already up to your neck in debt. People think of the services of a credit counselor as another bill to pay. If you are one of many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, worried about calls from debt collectors and not being able to work out a suitable repayment plan, then a credit counselor could be the answer. However, you have to be very careful when choosing a counseling service. Many credit counseling organizations claim to be non-profit but actually end up charging high fees that are sometimes hidden or suggest solutions that cause the person to go deeper into debt. Read more
How is your CREDIT SCORE calculated?
Well, it’s just a mathematical formula. It’s based on information contained in your credit report which is compared with millions of other people. The resulting number is in indication of how likely you are to repay your debts. The higher your number is the better deals you will get with lenders, in terms of types of plans offered and interest rates. Credit scores are used extensively by lenders when determining what rate you get for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or auto insurance. There are many different kinds of credit scoring models used by lenders to determine credit worthiness of potential clients. Read more
Bankruptcy and your credit report
We at CreditReportBlog.com get this question asked pretty often by our readers: Is it a good idea to file bankruptcy to get rid of our debts? Well the answer is not a simple one. With the economy in shambles these days, more and more Americans are looking at filing for bankruptcy as the only alternative left to get themselves out of a bottomless hole of debt. However, before you go ahead, you must be made aware of the terrible stain filing bankruptcy leaves on your credit report. Read more
Credit Monitoring Services – Wasting your money?
When you listen to ads pitching credit monitoring services, the top benefit they usually mention is to protect you from identity theft. Not true! These credit monitoring services do not really do anything to prevent identity theft. If anything, they may be able to alert you, once the crime has been committed. In addition, you will only receive these alerts on any credit-related activity, if certain conditions are first met. What’s more, these services can be very expensive. Why spend unnecessary dollars when you are entitled to a FREE credit report once a year? You can also receive it FREE if you are denied a line of credit, denied employment, or become victim of identity theft. Read more
Low Credit Scores hurt in more ways than you know
CreditReportBlog.com has done extensive research on how low credit scores hurt innocent buyers. We are all aware of the obvious ways in which a low credit score hurts us like higher mortgage and credit card interest rates. What we don’t realize is that there are many other unsuspecting ways that a low credit score may affect our lives.
EMPLOYMENT
You may find it surprising that some employers care about credit scores as well. Close to 70 percent of companies, especially large organizations will check credit before they hire a person. The logic behind it is that they assume credit problems at home create stress and distraction at work. They don’t want to have an employee get collection calls at work or have to get involved in garnishing wages. Read more
When do you need a credit counselor?
If you can pay your bills on time and are current on all your payments, you certainly do not need a credit counselor. Some indications that you may require the aid of a credit counselor are:
1. If you are not able to pay the minimum payments on your account.
2. If you are constantly late paying one or more of your regular bills. Read more
Stop Identity Theft in its Tracks
No matter how careful you are, thieves are usually a step ahead. What do you do, when they come for you? Once you discover that you may have become a victim of identity theft, here are some MUST DO’S for you to avoid minimal damage:
· Immediately, notify police, banks, credit card companies, and any other parties that you can think of.
· Make certain that you get your copy of the police report, so that you have proof of a crime having been committed. Read more