Repairing Your Credit Yourself
Tips to help you decide if do-it-yourself is the way to go.
Deciding
whether to hire a credit repair firm, or doing it yourself, depends a lot on
your willingness to work, as well as your ability to be organized and follow
through on the process.
First you will need a copy of your credit report and credit score from each
of the three major credit bureaus. Since creditors don't all report to the same
credit bureau, and some use more than one, it is important to see exactly what
appears on each report.
PrivacyMatters
gives you access to your
Credit Report and Credit Score from the 3 major bureaus
for
FREE! As one of the most popular consumer protection programs in
the nation,
PrivacyMatters,
comes with powerful credit management and monitoring tools - making it easy for
you to keep on top of your personal credit information. It is much cheaper to
use a credit monitoring service while doing credit repair than it is to get your
reports frequently during the process.
Then you need to have a folder for each creditor that you will work with to
fix your credit report. Keep notes, copies of letters, and a copy of the portion
of the credit reports that are about that creditor. This will keep things organized
and within easy reach while you work on improving your credit.
Basic Steps To Repairing Your Own Credit
- Get a copy of all 3 of your credit reports from the major credit bureaus;
- Go through each report and make a note of any errors, as well as good
credit references left out of your reports;
- Write a letter to each credit bureau outlining the errors and omissions;
- Write a letter to each creditor who has not reported the good credit references
you do have;
- After 30 days, get a copy of your updated credit reports
- Do more letters to the bureaus and creditors who haven't taken the appropriate
actions previously requested by you.
- Repeat the last item as necessary, until all items are cleared and posted,
until at least 90 days have passed, then
- File a complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) under the Fair
Credit Reporting Act
If you don't have errors or omissions to fix, and just have bad credit, here
is what you need to do to fix your credit score:
- Negotiate good updates with your creditors by either settling debts, or
making payments on time until the debt is paid;
- Open a savings account, make regular deposits and leave the money alone;
- Apply for a low limit, or secured credit card, use it and pay it off each
month, on time;
- Make all credit and loan payments on time or early.
When your credit improves, you win, and the creditor wins,
so take advantage of lower rates whenever you can.
Things don't happen overnight, but after 6 or 8 months, you should see an improvement
in your credit score.
Hiring Professional Help
If you really don't want to deal with it yourself, and would rather a professional,
we recommend one who is well-versed in the use of the Fair Credit Reporting
Act to protect your credit, and who will handle all the detail work for you.
Lexington
Law Firm
is a real law firm that offers real legal assistance in repairing your credit,
with unlimited telephone and email support at no extra charge. There are no
hidden fees for their services and you can cancel at anytime.
Once you see a decent improvement in your credit score,
make sure you negotiate lower interest rates on your loans and credit cards.
Many other credit repair firms charge by the number of disputes/deletions
attempted regardless of whether they were successful, with
Lexington
you can dispute as many as you like at no additional cost.
Stop
living with bad credit
,
learn what thousands already know about how to legally
repair
your credit
online, quickly and easily.
If You Prefer Do-It-Yourself Credit Repair
The first thing you need is a copy of your credit report and score from all
3 major credit bureaus.
PrivacyMatters
gives you access to your
Credit Report and Credit Score from the 3 major bureaus
for
FREE! As one of the most popular consumer protection programs in
the nation,
PrivacyMatters,
comes with powerful credit management and monitoring tools - making it easy for
you to keep on top of your personal credit information. It is much cheaper to
use a credit monitoring service while doing credit repair than it is to get your
reports frequently during the process.

Then
you need the one book that doesn't fool around or put you on the edge of risk
with your credit,
Credit
Repair Made Simple offers tips, sample letters, and easy instructions
you can follow to repair your credit yourself. Written by Brian Eichhorn,
president of Cornerstone Credit Counseling, you get great insight into your
credit report, and how to improve your rating.
U. S. Government information on the
Fair
Credit Reporting Act
Credit repair can be done, but be sure you do
it right. Finding a loan or credit card with bad credit isn't hard, getting
a decent interest rate can be. Find out what you need to do to repair your
credit so you can qualify for loans and credit cards.
Return to the top of
Repairing Your
Credit Yourself
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Tips to help you decide if do-it-yourself is the
way to go to repairing your credit file.