Repairing Bad Credit - Things You Need To Know

In DIY Credit Repair of Advisor (December 7, 2008 6:53 am)

While looking for bad credit repair options, many desperately want there to be a band-aid that will fix their broken lives. “There must be some quick and easy insider way of fixing things,” some think. After all, there are so many advertisements online, on TV and in newspapers offering 100% guarantees and removal of the worst kind of blemishes, including bankruptcies, liens, judgments and bad loans. But are they legit?

If you’re looking for bad credit repair, then understand that there is no way to legally remove accurate and timely information from a credit report. Your credit score is designed to let lenders know how much of a risk you pose as a borrower. They are legally entitled to gain truthful information regarding this matter.

Sometimes, you can write to your creditors and ask them to drop the information from your credit report in exchange for a prompt and full payment. Often times, that’s the best you can hope for, with regard to the negative information. Then you can take the initiative to create more positive information.

Here are some do-it-yourself tips for repairing bad credit. If you feel up to the challenge, then you can use your sales and negotiating skills to get items deleted or amended on your credit report. First, never make arrangements over the phone. It’s always best to craft a well-written letter instead and be sure you write this letter before you give the creditor any money or you’ll have lost your power to negotiate!

If you have a “charge-off” listed on your account, then you can sometimes offer to adhere to a monthly payment plan and get creditors to replace them with “paid as agreed and on time.” If you can’t get that, then try for “account closed, account paid or account settled,” all of which are more desirable than a charge-off.

The best case scenario you could ever hope for is a creditor to completely remove their account from your credit report, although it’s certainly a rare best case scenario. Often with medical bills, the creditor will remove the bad credit debt if you agree to pay immediately, in full, with an additional fee or two, which will improve credit scores overnight.

If you’re attempting bad credit repair on your own, then understand that there are no guarantees. However, it will only take a few moments of your time to shoot out a letter to your creditors, requesting an agreement that will take your credit report into consideration. If you have a “charge-off” from a closed account, then this could be extremely hard to get removed from your report.

If the creditor is still actively trying to collect, you will have a 1 in 3 chance of getting a complete removal from your credit report. If you have an open account, like an installment or revolving loan, then there is a marginal rate of success if you offer to pay the full balance.

Open/active accounts reported as “late payment” have a very high success rate of complete removal, particularly if the account is in collections. Creditors may say they cannot remove an account, but they absolutely have the power to do so. It’s just that many of them are trained not to do that.

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Should I try using this ad for credit help that I got in my email?

Be very, very careful about which ads you answer when looking for help re-establishing your credit. Many of these ads are scams that will promise you the moon and deliver absolutely nothing. No one can completely erase bad credit and anyone who claims to be able to do so is lying. Fly by night companies like this will only get you further into debt when you pay them the money you could have been using to pay off some of your creditors. If you are seeking solid financial advice to improve your credit score, check out this comprehensive guide: Credit Secrets

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