Credit Report Repair

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When embarking into the wild unknown of credit report repair, it can be difficult to know how to begin, and what to do to achieve the most effective, quick results. Sometimes it can be a long road to sow, but if you know the right steps to take it doesn't have to be quite so arduous.

Step 1: Find Out What Your Score Is

The first step in repairing your credit score is determining exactly what your credit score is. There are several places you can go to get this information.

* Equifax - www.equifax.com
* Experian - www.experian.com
* TransUnion LLC - www.transunion.com
* For information on all three major credit reporting agencies, try www.annualcreditreport.com, or call 877-322-8228.

You are entitled to one free report from each agency per year. Additionally, you shouldn't have to pay for your report under the following circumstances:

* You're unemployed
* You lost your job as a result of information in your credit report
* You've been denied a loan or credit card because of something in your credit report
* You suspect fraudulent ...
... activity

If you do have to pay to get your credit report, it shouldn't be more than $10, depending on what state you're in.

Step 2: Thoroughly Examine Your Credit Report

Once you have your report, check it thoroughly for mistakes. Inaccuracies can dramatically affect your credit score over all, and make it hard for you to get a mortgage or even a credit card. Anything that's more than 7 years old shouldn't be there - that includes late payments, any accounts that were sent to collections, overdue child support, etc. Additionally, any credit inquiries that may have been made by potential employers, landlords, or banks should be removed after 2 years.

Make sure you check for inaccurate information as well. Check your personal information to make sure it's all correct - your name, address, phone number, date of birth and social security number should all be error free. Additionally, check for mistakes when it comes to documentation of late payments. Are there any accounts that were marked as paid late that were actually paid on time? Are all your closed accounts marked with closed by consumer? Are there any accounts you didn't open? Are there any lawsuits that you weren't involved in? All these things affect your overall credit score, and if some of them aren't documented correctly they can drag your score down unnecessarily.

Step 3: Act Fast to Correct Mistakes

Notify the reporting agency as soon as you find a mistake. You can use a letter template provided by someone like Creditelves (www.creditelves.com) to help you know what to say and compile all your information to help the agency make an informed decision about correcting the mistake. Creditelves's templates provide you with a place to give the agency your correct personal information, documentation that will prove the offending information is incorrect, details regarding the mistake and anything else that's relevant.

The agency then has 30 days to respond. If they rule in your favor, they must remove the error, or include information in your credit report that reflects their investigation. If they don't, you can try to get in touch with the agency directly, get in touch with the offending creditor, or include a statement on your credit report about the entry.

The professionals at Creditelves have been helping people improve their credit scores for years. For help with yours, or for more information about credit report repair, visit www.creditelves.com.