Two Important Steps of Credit Restoration

If you want to learn more about the credit restoration process then you will want to read this article.  We will be discussing the two key parts of credit repair and restoration.  After reading this article, you should have a good idea of what you need to do to improve your credit score.

Clean Up Your Credit Report

Did you know that 89% of all credit reports have incorrect information?  Because the credit bureaus are not required to confirm information in your credit file unless you file a credit report dispute, it is critical that you review your credit report frequently.  If you know you are going to make a major purchase, like a home or a vehicle, then you should check  your credit at least twelve  months before to doing so.

If there are errors in your credit file, you will want to contest these with each of the three major credit reporting agencies.  Once they receive your dispute, the creditors will have 30 days to respond.  If they fail to verify the account or fail to respond, the credit bureaus must remove the account from your credit file.

Establish Good New Credit

Establishing new credit with a flawless payment record is something that many people fail to do when working on credit restoration.  The reality is that starting new credit is just as important as cleaning up your credit report.  There are several ways that you can create new credit even if your credit score is less than ideal.

A Secured Credit Card

Secured credit cards are a great way to reestablish credit.  You place a deposit with the creditor and they issue you a credit line in that amount.

CD Loans

A Certificate of Deposit Loan is a loan with your bank or credit union that is secured by a certificate of deposit held at that lending institution.  If you take out a 12 month CD, you then take out a 12 month loan against that CD.

Department Store Credit Cards

Department stores usually have more lenient underwriting guidelines as compared to a regular unsecured MasterCard and Visa.  This is because they want you spend money in their store.

Gas Cards

Like department store credit cards, gas companies have more lenient underwriting because they want you to spend money with them.  Since gas is something you are going to spend money on anyway, this can be a great way to reestablish your credit.

Merchandise Cards

Merchandise Cards are another way that you can build credit.  These are catalog companies that issue you credit so that you can shop in their catalog.  You do need to be careful and make sure that you buy smart from them as many of their items can be overpriced.  The biggest down side is that most merchandise cards only report to one or two of the credit bureaus.