Tag: credit management

Four Reasons to Check Your Credit Report

Most people have easy access to their credit scores.  Mine is available on my credit card statements each month and from my banks.  People are less likely to look at their credit report, especially if their credit score is good or excellent.  However, it is a good idea to review your report occasionally.  Here’s why.

  • Check for identity theft.  If someone has gotten access to your personal information, they may have applied for a loan or credit card in your name.  You need to review your report periodically for any accounts that you are unaware of.  One of my credit card companies checks this for me and notifies me each month as to whether any new accounts have been open in my name.  You may want to check with your credit card company to see if that service is available to you.
  • Check for errors.  Credit card companies process more than a billion transactions each day. They are going to make some mistakes. The sooner you catch a mistake, the sooner it can be corrected and the less likely it will negatively impact your credit score.  Additionally, some lenders may fail to report closed accounts or debts that have been paid in full, so you will want to check for those type of errors, as well.
  • Learn why your credit score is not higher.  I spoke with a lady recently who told me her credit score was 580.  That is on the cusp between Poor and Fair.  She could not understand why it was so low, as she said she had no debt other than her home mortgage and a loan on one of her four family vehicles.  We pulled her Experian credit report, which told a very different story.  The woman had seven accounts that were flagged as Potentially Negative.  Each of them was small debt that she had not paid and did not realize that she owed.  It was immediately obvious why her score is so law.
  • Make a plan to improve your score.  The seven debts that the lady had not paid have all been sent to collections.  She needs to take care of each of these.  Her plan is to (1) contact each creditor to verify that the bill is correct, and (2) pay each debt that is truly owed.  In her case, one debt was for about $350 and the other 6 were approximately $100 each. She can pay off all seven bills for less than $1,000.  She should see a significant increase in her credit score in 30 – 45 days.

In the case of the lady I spoke with, her credit score was quite low due to unpaid debts totaling less than $1,000.  She can easily pay all of these bills, once she verifies they are accurate.  In other instances, however, someone may have no debts that have gone to collection, yet still have a low credit score.  This could be due to a pattern of paying bills late, opening too many new accounts in a short period of time, or having too much debt in relation to your maximum.  It is difficult to assess why your score is low and make a plan to improve it without reviewing your credit report.

Everyone is entitled to a free copy of their credit report once a year from each of the three major credit rating agencies.  Some financial experts recommend checking all three at the same time each year and comparing them, while other experts recommend spacing them out during the year.  The lady I worked with pulled her Experian report last week. She will take care of each of the debts and allow 45 days for her records to be updated. Then she will get one from either TransUnion or Equifax to verify that the debts have been removed, and later in the year she will get the third one to ensure that she is staying on track with all of her open account.

To access your free credit report, go to annualcreditreport.com

If you need help to learn to manage your money and improve your credit, please check out some of my other blogs on Finances, Money Management, and Stewardship. My book Honoring God with Your Money is a great tool for financial money management.

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Your Credit Score is How Low!!!!

Are you one of the 16 percent of Americans whose credit score is so low that it is negatively impacting your life?  A very low credit score can make it nearly impossible to qualify for a home mortgage or a business loan.  You may be able to get a loan to purchase a car, but you will be assessed a high rate of interest.  Those with very low credit scores pay more for auto insurance than those with average or good scores.  If you are one of these people, it is important to take immediate steps to improve your credit score.  It will take some effort and time, but it is a very achievable goal.

Credit score ratings

I recently helped a man write a business plan and develop a cash flow forecast to open a restaurant.  He had many years of restaurant experience, along with some of his own money to invest, and other income to help support his family.  Everything looked good.  In our first meeting, I asked him his credit score, and he assured me it was in the mid-600’s.  A score in the mid-600’s considered to be Fair—not great but certainly high enough for him to qualify for the loan.  Unfortunately, he was quite wrong in his assessment. He applied for a loan and the banker pulled his credit report, which revealed a credit score of about 450. 

By any measure, a credit score of 450 is Bad.  In fact, a score of less than 579 is viewed as very poor credit.  The man was shocked and embarrassed by his low credit score.  He had qualified for a mortgage less than a year earlier, so it is likely that his credit rating was at least Fair at that time.  So, what happened?  I don’t know the answer, as he didn’t share his credit report with me. I did provide him with guidance in regard to reviewing his credit report to see if it contains errors, correcting any errors, and being diligent in managing his credit.  If you are in a similar situation, these steps can help you.

The first thing you need to do is review the report for errors. Any errors should be reported to credit report agency.  Most credit reports and scores are generated by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.  You should check your report with each agency at least once a year and report any errors that your find immediately.  Errors might include information for someone who is not you but has a similar name, incorrect information about loans that have been paid off, and credit that you applied for but did not accept.  You should also check for evidence of identity theft.

Here are links for filing disputes with each of the major credit report agencies:

Getting any errors corrected can have a significant impact on your credit score.  Unfortunately, it will take a little time for the agency to investigate your dispute and correct any misinformation.

If your score is low due to poor management of your finances, such as late payments, missed payments, and charge offs, you should follow these guidelines to better manage credit and improve your score:

  • Be sure to make at least the minimum payment on all accounts every month.
  • Make payments by the due date.  Late payments and skipped payments hurt your score.  The later the payment, the larger the negative impact on your score.
  • Don’t open any new credit accounts–don’t buy a car, don’t refinance your home, don’t apply for any new credit cards.  Every new account increases your available credit and lowers your score, at least temporarily.
  • Don’t close any older accounts.  If you recently opened accounts you don’t need, you might want to close them. But, keep open your oldest accounts. Length of credit history improves your score.
  • Keep your credit card balances at 50% or less of the amount of credit extended.

Within a few months, you should see an improvement in your credit score.

The man above will have to put his dreams of opening a restaurant on hold for a while.  It is too bad.  However, if he can get any errors corrected, and if he commits to taking the steps above to improve his credit, he may be able to qualify the loan he needs in 6 – 12 months.  It will take a real effort and determination on his part; however, if he keeps his goal in his sights, I believe he will reach his goal.

God desires that His people pay their bills on time, honor their commitments, and don’t allow money to rule their lives.  If you are struggling to manage your finances, seek Christian counsel and pray diligently for God’s guidance.  You will find additional information on creating budgets and managing your finances in many of my other blog posts by clicking on the Finances category on the right.

If you have money questions you would like me to answer, you may email me at susan.ball5@aol.com or write your question in the Comment section.  Those who email me will be signed up to receive my free quarterly newsletter with money management tips, encouraging stories, and Scripture inspirations.  For those desiring a better understanding of Biblical principles of money management, I have written a book Honoring God with Your Money. It is available on Amazon and from Barnes and Noble.

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