If you knew exactly the amount and to whom you owed the money, you might not have been in debt to begin with. It is now time to perform crisis management and begin to boost your credit score. The following advice is easy to follow and can help you repair your credit score.
Secured Credit Card
If you want to repair your credit but do not qualify for a regular credit card, consider a secured credit card. Most likely, a secured credit card will be easy for you to get, but you have to fund the credit account before you purchase so the bank knows that you won’t miss any payments. Limited spending and regular payments can turn a new credit account into a valuable credit repair tool.
Pay down any credit cards with a balance in excess of 50%, preferably getting them down to 30%. Once your balance reaches 50%, your rating starts to really dip. At that point, it is ideal to pay off your cards altogether, but if not, try to spread out the debt.
Many credit card companies are willing to help customers by eliminated late fees or lowering monthly payment amounts. Avoid collection to improve your credit score. You can do this by speaking with them and asking to change the monthly charges or due date.
Don’t risk prison. Don’t buy into scams that suggest you create new credit files. That is illegal and you are going to be caught. The legal proceedings will be costly, and you may even be sent to jail.
Find out how your debt settlement contract will make your credit score look. Some agreements won’t hurt you as much as others. This is why you should research all of the available ones for you before signing an agreement. Creditors just want their money and really aren’t interested on how it will affect your score.
Don’t spend more than you make each month. You need to change your way of thinking in this regard. Unfortunately, credit has been easier to get than ever. Many people are buying things that are unaffordable and end up paying more than they should for any item. Keep track of your spending habits and income, then realistically create a budget that will get you out of your debt dilemma.
Do everything you can to avoid bankruptcy. Bankruptcy can make getting credit almost impossible for many years. Although it sounds like an easy way to get rid of debt, it will affect your life for a significant amount of time. By filing for bankruptcy, you might have a lot of trouble getting a credit card or qualifying for a loan in the future.
Paying the balances of your cards as fast as you can will help your credit score. Start by paying the cards or accounts with the highest interest rates. This will show creditors that you are responsible with the cards.
Credit Score
Lowering the balances you carry on revolving accounts can improve your credit score. By lowering your credit card balances, you will be able to improve your credit score. The FICO system notes when balances are at 100, 80, 60, 40 and 20 percent of your total credit available.
Lenders are not likely to include the statement in their decision process. Inclusion of the defending statement could actually have the opposite effect as it brings more attention to the fact that you have a negative mark on your report.
Avoid using your credit cards whenever possible. Do all of your spending with cash or debit cards. Any credit card purchases should be paid in full the same month of purchase. Do not carry a balance on your cards.
Collection Agency
Having to deal with a collection agency can be extremely stressful. You have the option of sending a cease and desist letter to agencies to stop them from calling, but that doesn’t mean that your debt vanishes. You may be able to stop the deluge of calls from a collection agency, but the debt must still be dealt with.
In order to rebuild your credit, take baby steps to start improving your score. Using a prepaid credit card will help to build your credit score, without the worry of late payments, and bad marks on your credit report. Potential lenders will see this as a positive thing as it will show you are a responsible person.
Seek advice from a trustworthy credit counseling service if you are having difficulty managing your debt. These agencies can normally negotiate with your creditors on your behalf so as to come up with an affordable repayment plan. Working with a credit counselor can help you learn to budget your money.
If you have a hard time making your regular monthly payments, talk to your creditors. Many creditors will come up with a payment plan to help you be able to pay your payments. This can also help to relieve some of the financial strain that you have been facing.
Pay down your debt. Potential creditors will look at your debt to income ratio. If your debt levels are unusually high for your income, your credit score will suffer. There are many people who are unable to immediately pay off their debts; in this scenario, make a payment plan and closely follow it.
An important part of a credit score is paying your bills when they need to be paid. Establishing payment reminders is a great way to ensure you will make your payments on time. There are several options that you can choose from. You may be able to get text or email reminders from your creditor. You could also simply set up your own reminder on a digital calender.
Go through your credit report to make sure everything is right. There are often mistakes in people’s credit reports. These can happen when a company reports your payment history incorrectly. If you notice any errors, file a credit dispute. Although it takes some time, it will remove the discrepancies if they’re proven to be invalid.
If you want to get your credit score looking good, it takes quite a bit of common sense. The advice in this article can help you get your credit back in good standing.