Credit Repair and BBB Reports

Thinking about repairing your credit? If so, you have two options: do it yourself or hire a company to handle it for you. If you choose to hire a company, make sure you do a little research. Focus on items that the company itself does not create.

Testimonials are nice, but no company is going to print a bad one. Many are just made up. Also, membership in organizations may be beneficial, but sometimes organizations are created by companies just to help make them appear legitimate. Some deceptive companies try to trick potential customers into feeling comfortable. Separate websites are created and professional logos are presented all in an effort to make the alleged third party organization appear legitimate. Suprisingly, several companies use this deceptive tactic so always confirm that the organization is independent and credible. One organization that is definitely independent and credible is the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a great source of information. Before working with any credit repair company, you should check their BBB reports. In the same way that your own credit reports are designed to inform potential lenders of your credit risks, BBB reports are designed to inform potential customers of the potential risks of working with a particular company. To view a BBB report, visit www.bbb.org. By visiting the site directly, you can be assured that the information you are receiving is correct and accurate.

There are two major legitimate companies that operate in the credit repair industry: Ovation Credit and Lexington Law. If we look at their BBB reports, we can learn about other client experiences.

Ovation Credit is listed as an accredited business. If a business has been accredited by BBB, it means BBB has determined that the business meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. Ovation Credit has an A- rating. (Think of school, A is best, F is worst) Ovation Credit’s report has the following information:

Ovation Credit’s BBB report shows that the BBB processed a total of 8 complaints about Ovation Credit in the last 36 months. Of the total of 8 complaints closed in 36 months, 1 was closed in the last year. Here is a breakdown of the complaints:

Service Issues(2 complaints)

Credit or Billing Disputes(2 complaints)

Product Quality(1 complaints)

Contract Disputes(1 complaints)

Guarantee or Warranty Issues(1 complaints)

Repair Issues(1 complaints)

Lexington Law is not listed as an accredited company. We were surprised to see that. Lexington Law also has an A- rating. Lexington Law’s BBB report shows that the BBB processed a total of 283 complaints about Lexington Law in the last 36 months. Of the total of 283 complaints closed in 36 months, 89 were closed in the last year. Here is a break down of the complaints:

Advertising Issues (6 complaints)

Billing or Collection Issues (95 complaints)

Contract Issues (14 complaints)

Customer Service Issues (24 complaints)

Delivery Issues (4 complaints)

Guarantee or Warranty Issues (25 complaints)

Product Issues (1 complaint)

Refund or Exchange Issues (73 complaints)

Repair Issues (3 complaints)

Sales Practice Issues (9 complaints)

Service Issues (29 complaints)

Both companies have tens of thousands of credit report repaircustomers, so it is fair to compare their reports directly. Also, any company that handles that many clients will have some BBB complaints. That’s consistent with the old saying that you can’t please all the people all the time. However, based on these reports, it appears that there is a greater chance that you will have a better experience with Ovation Credit over Lexington Law.

Of course, this is just one criterion and there are more companies out there that you may want to consider. Just be sure to check BBB reports as a source for information when considering any company.

Most of your needs with a credit bureau can be done over the internet with their websites.

However, if a problem arises with your report or certain information is not accepted by the site, you will need to make a phone call. It is a good idea to be able to find the phone numbers of each bureau quickly if you need them in order to get the matter settled as fast as possible.

Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Credit Reporting Services” website — http://www.BestCreditReportServices.com — pointed out;

Transunion 1-800-916-8800

“…TransUnion is one of the big three credit bureaus that allow for one free report every year. TransUnion was a pioneer in the field, although they were not the first established. TransUnion had the first online database and lead the way for online credit reporting. Now, most reporting is done online. TransUnion has had some troubles though, particularly with a high number of inaccuracies in reporting. One study showed that 79% of their reports had at least some form of inaccuracy. They also were sued for selling private information…”

Equifax 1-800-685-1111

Equifax is the oldest of the three credit bureaus. It is also the most widely used. This means that people looking to repair their score will often work with Equifax first. They have had issues in the past when it came to privacy and giving out personal information. Because of this trouble, they have worked closely with government officials to make sure the current privacy laws are relevant and are working for the people.

Experian 1-888-397-3742

Experian is the only agency that does not use the FICO score to establish your credit score. Experian uses the PLUS system. The PLUS system uses the same factors as the FICO score. They weigh the factors a little differently and in a way that is more consumer friendly. They may be the easiest bureau to approach when attempting to fix your score because they are trying to get an accurate reflection of what is going on. Their major trouble with the law came when they tried to automatically enroll people who came for a free credit report to their paid monitoring service.

“…These three credit bureaus will give you one free credit report each year. There is a lot you can learn from these reports and everyone should take advantage of this great opportunity. For those trying desperately to raise their credit score, it might be a good idea to try out a paid monitoring service, at least for a few months. This way, you can see exactly which of your efforts are paying off and effecting your score. Even those with good credit would benefit from credit monitoring in order to catch fraud. Either way, be sure to get your free reports…” added A. Lillo.

Further information about how to get a detailed credit report including scores and as often as you want by visiting; http://www.BestCreditReportServices.com

The first thing that anybody should do before they look for a loan is to look at their credit report online.

This can not only tell someone what to expect when searching for a loan, in terms of rates and down payments expected, but also where to go.

Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Credit Reporting Services” website — http://www.CreditReportsAndScores.biz — pointed out;

“…This is because certain places will only accept people with certain credit scores, and knowing that can save a person a huge amount of time. There are a number of trustworthy places where one can get their credit report online for free…”

The first place that a person can look is at the official website of any of the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Based on the Fair Credit Report Act, each of the major credit bureaus is required to allow a person to look at their credit report once a year for free. This view will not show up on their credit report (meaning that it will not hurt their credit score) and contains all of the information that impacts the credit score but does not give the score itself.

“…More trustworthy, however, are several government run agencies that allow you to view your credit history. Most of these, also, will allow one to easily view all three reports at once, making it far easier to catch and correct mistakes. The most popular of these government-run websites is Annual Credit Report.com, established by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which not only gives a person the contents of all three reports, but does so with no obligation or limitations whatsoever. This is the best way to view your report online…” added A. Lillo.

Further information about how to get a detailed credit report including scores and as often as you want by visiting; http://www.CreditReportsAndScores.biz

Do you know what your credit score really means? Most people do not.

What it means is your likeliness to pay off a loan. These scores are very important when it comes to qualifying for a mortgage or getting a car loan. A bad score can prevent you from getting things as simple as a phone. You should know you score since it has a large influence on your life.

Paula de la Torre Editor of the “Best Credit Reporting Services” website — http://www.CreditReportsAndScores.biz — pointed out;

“a Businesses are using credit scores as sort of background checks today. Because of this, it is very important to keep your score in good standing, at least at the national average level if you can. Of course, the higher the bettera”

Wondering how to improve your score? First, reduce any outstanding debt you may have and stop applying for new credit. Try not to add to any balances you have outstanding, avoid having creditors check your report to often, each check adversely affects your score.

“a Keep the two credit cards that you have had the longest and cancel the rest. It may take time to see positive changes but if will go up if you work on it. Look at the interest rates on your credit cards also, these rates can also affect your score, get rid of the cards with the high interest ratesa” P. de la Torre added.

The state of the economy in constant turmoil these days everyone’s score is really constantly changing. The national average score was 665.25 points. The actual scale goes from 300 to 850. Your score can vary slightly from bureau to bureau because of their equations and the information they have on you.

You are able to get one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year. This is a good idea but they do not have your actual score on them. There are services available for a monthly fee that will give your actually score in numbers and also alert you if there are any changes good or bad on your credit report as soon as it happens.

Further information about how to get a detailed credit report including scores and as often as you want by visiting; http://www.CreditReportsAndScores.biz

The ability to check your credit report online has become easier than ever in recent years.

The government has mandated free credit report information to be viewable to the average citizen at least once per calendar year. This has proven to be a major asset for many individuals that never truly understood their financial history and how their three digit scores were determined.

Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Credit Reporting Services” website — http://www.BestCreditReportServices.com — pointed out;

“…With access to their reports more people than ever are finding ways to repair their finances and strive toward solvency. Unfortunately, with the ease of this access some individuals have fallen prey to online scam companies that tout themselves as a reporting agency but really spend their time trying to lure in unsuspecting individuals. These poor unfortunate souls will avail themselves of seemingly solid financial advice or even accept a loan that seems to be in good faith. Then not long after it is accepted the interest rates rise dramatically or a large number of hidden fees are found. The individual that borrowed this money is now in worse shape than ever financially…”

However, on a more fortunate level of business interaction there are also honest companies that specialize in helping an individual discover their rating and scores. These companies often offer free trials on a membership basis. This will allow an individual to view their credit report and get their scores as often as they like during this period for free. If they enjoy the easy access to their information they can simply keep working with the service. If they do not feel the need to continue with them then they may simply cancel their membership subscription before the trial period runs out. These sorts of companies also offer financial advice and occasionally they will negotiate debt settlements and offer consolidation loans as well. Unlike the scam sites these companies are known for their integrity and generally do not have hidden fees or highly variable interest rates. They usually work with a set interest rate and a repayment plan for the loan that is well within reason.

“…No matter what the reason an individual might have to search for their rating and scores they will find it much easier to do online. There is no need to spend time in a long bank line or have to deal with snide financial services in person. The entire process of acquiring your information happens online and in the comfort of your own home…” added A. Lillo.

Further information about how to get a detailed credit report including scores and as often as you want by visiting; http://www.BestCreditReportServices.com

Also known as the Fair Isaac Corporation Score, FICO is a financial history with a rating between 300 and 850. In calculating the credit score, a number of factors are put into consideration and they include the length of the credit history, late payments of bill, amount of debt and the current credit limits. The main reason for frequently checking our credit report is to check out for errors since any form of outdated, fraudulent, duplicate or wrong entries can negatively affect the FICO score rating.

Both The Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Accurate Credit Transactions Act statethat it is the right of the consumer to request a copy of their FICO credit report once a year. It is therefore important that you request your FICO credit report in order to discover the various things you can do to  improve the score by reading all the details. Fortunately, you can easily and quickly achieve this by use of the various free credit report websites. These websites offer other serives such as credit monitoring, identity theft protection but you need not require them to get your FICO credit score.

(PRWEB) July 20, 2004

We at http://www.goldmedalmortgage.com have programs specifically for California residents who have a high FICO score and qualify for a low home mortgage loan rate that could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a month.

As an example on a $ 150,000 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage a borrower with a high FICO could pay as low as $ 895 a month, where somebody with a lower score could pay $ 1238 on the same loan.

A FICO credit score can range from 300 to 800. Remember, the higher the FICO credit score the better the home mortgage loan rate! Most borrowers fall into the 600-800 credit score range.

A high FICO score is your reward for paying bills on time. This is one of the most important factors that determine your home mortgage loan rate. A borrower’s high FICO score is the best signal to the lender of how well you’ll make your mortgage payments.    

The three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) use a slightly different system to arrive at a credit score. The best known is called the FICO score, developed by Fair Isaac and Company (FICO).

FICO is used by Experian. Equifax’s credit score is called BEACON, while Trans Union uses EMPIRICA.

The most important information that the credit agencies use to determine your credit score are:

Credit History – How long have you had credit? The longer you’ve had good credit the higher the FICO credit score.

Payment History – Do you pay your bills on time? One 30 or 60 day late payment can damage your good FICO credit score.

Credit Card Balances – How much do you owe and how many accounts do you have? A person who has many credit cards even if there are small or no balances on the accounts has a greater potential to incur debt. Close out the credit cards that you don’t use!

Credit Inquiries – How many times have you had your credit checked? The fewer inquiries on your credit report the better the FICO credit score. So when you sign up for a free gift at the mall and your credit gets checked you might have lowered your FICO score even if you have no intention of using the new card!

It is very important to know your FICO score even if you are not in the market for a home mortgage loan rate. You could have errors on your credit report which are lowering your FICO score.

The 3 credit agencies have valuable information on your credit scores. http://www.equifax.com, http://www.experian.com and http://www.transunion.com.

We at http://www.goldmedalmortgage.com have programs specifically for California and Nevada residents who have a high FICO score and qualify for a low home mortgage loan rate. We also have programs for people who have FICO scores which are lower. We make many loans that banks can not. As we like to say, “We make loans that banks do not”!

For more information call 866 398 4664 or please go to:

http://www.goldmedalmortgage.com

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Why am I getting this instead?

Best answer:

Answer by jpocia03
I would look at annualcreditreport.com. From there you will have access from Experian, Transunion and Equifax. These credit bureaus are FICO based.

You should have access to that via internet from the Phillipines.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

What do you think? Answer below!