The economic downturn of the last five years has affected millions of Americans, but it has also affected the budgets of states, cities and counties. With limited tax dollars with which to work, various government entities have had to try to stretch their budgets to allow them to continue to function. Many government agencies at the state and local levels have turned over debt collection to collection agencies, even for such seemingly small debts as parking tickets or library fines. What does this mean? An unpaid parking ticket could end upon on your credit report. Credit reports and the associated FICO credit score have become an increasingly important part of the lives of Americans.
At one time, the credit report was primarily used by mortgage lenders to determine if a prospective customer should be granted a loan. In recent years, the credit score and report have been used for an increasingly large number of uses by all kinds of companies. Employers use them to avoid hiring financially irresponsible people and landlords use them to determine if a person might be a responsible tenant. As credit reports are used more often, blemishes on your credit report become magnified in importance. In past years, only significant unpaid debts or bankruptcy filings might have inhibited the issuing of credit.
But now, with credit reports being used by so many more businesses, something as small as an unpaid parking ticket can prevent someone from obtaining a job or a lease on a good apartment. This system isn't all that equitable; not all cities and counties report unpaid fines to the credit bureaus. Worse, while the company that originated the FICO score has adjusted their scoring system to account for small fines, not all lenders use that version of the scoring system. Because of this, whether or not such small things affect your credit score is can be determined by something as simple as where you live or with whom you choose to do business. Fair or not, consumers need to be aware that some small debts may find their way into the credit score and the only way to be sure is to check your credit report regularly.
Most Americans can obtain a copy of their credit report for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. Many people who have had their scores negatively affected by small fines were unaware that they even owed them. This can happen if the debtor has recently moved. Paying the fine can quickly resolve the problem and raise the credit score again, so by all means, check your credit report!.
?Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to establishing credit, debt consolidation and credit counseling.Springboard Advises Report Access to Free Credit Reports Now Available Nationwide
Riverside, Calif. (ContentDesk) August 26, 2005 -- Consumers nationwide will be able to access their credit reports for free once a year when credit reporting bureaus begins accepting requests from the Eastern United States on September 1, 2005.
A Web site, toll-free phone number, and central mailing address were set up by the three major credit bureaus ? Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion ? as part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. (Access to free reports began in December of
2004 and has been implemented in stages geographically across the U.S.) Consumers can log on to www.annualcreditreport.com, answer some identifying questions, and be redirected to the credit bureau site(s) of their choice to download their report. There is no charge for the service as long as consumers request their reports only once a year.
There is a nominal charge from each bureau to download a credit...
Springboard Advises Report Access to Free Credit Reports Now Available Nationwide
5 Things How Credit Report Rating Can Save You From Fictitious Credits
5 Things How Credit Report Rating Can Save You From Fictitious CreditsLet us see the bigger picture why there is a stirring need to check our credit report rating. To know the creditworthiness of an individual, lenders rely on credit report scoring or FICO scores. Credit report rating involves a predicative value that conveys to the lender whether said individual can pay on the time stipulated. A credit report must be regularly checked in order for an individual as well as his lenders to have a good grasp of his credit report rating. A credit report rating is a rating made by authorized credit agencies that signifies a person's credit history.
It is an integral part of contracting a mortgage or personal loan, whether it's a home mortgage loan, business loan, commercial loan, refinance or debt consolidation. Why is there a need to check it? Here are the vital points why checking credit rating information is indispensable. 1.Credit reports acquaint people with the credit history...
5 Things How Credit Report Rating Can Save You From Fictitious Credits
AP9 PrivacyMatters Educates Consumers on the Importance of their Credit Score and Credit Report Information
On top of the free annual credit report that U.S. citizens are now entitled to by law, members of AP9 PrivacyMatters, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, can look to the program for comprehensive information about their credit report scores and how those scores affect their lives.Recent federal legislation that provides consumers with a free annual credit report highlights the importance of those reports in today's economy.
However, because even savvy consumers may be unfamiliar with credit reports and credit scores, many of them turn to the benefits offered by AP9 PrivacyMatters via DealPass to better understand the impact of credit scores on their financial decisions.As a short primer, AP9 PrivacyMatters offers a few insights into credit reports and what your credit...
Online Credit Report and Online Credit Reports
Online credit reports are easily accessible to those interested in viewing them. If you have wondered about what kind of credit score you have, you can go on the Internet and look at your online credit report. Most people are concerned that they have good credit and a solid standing with where they are financially. This is an important factor because it pretty much makes or breaks someone's ability to get a loan for something they may need later on down the road. Your online credit report is an encompassing reality of who you are as a spender-it can show literally every part of your financial history to date.
Those days of frivolous spending are not forgotten your credit card debt is still visible to the credit bureaus as much today as it was in the past, especially if you are still paying back what you owe. Those "had to have it" items that are now collecting dust or in someone else's possession are still being paid for years...
Online Credit Report and Online Credit Reports
AP9 PrivacyMatters Educates Consumers on the Importance of their Credit Score and Credit Report Information
On top of the free annual credit report that U.S. citizens are now entitled to by law, members of AP9 PrivacyMatters, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, can look to the program for comprehensive information about their credit report scores and how those scores affect their lives.Recent federal legislation that provides consumers with a free annual credit report highlights the importance of those reports in today's economy.
However, because even savvy consumers may be unfamiliar with credit reports and credit scores, many of them turn to the benefits offered by AP9 PrivacyMatters via DealPass to better understand the impact of credit scores on their financial decisions.As a short primer, AP9 PrivacyMatters offers a few insights into credit reports and what your credit...
What Makes up my Credit Report?
Many of us may not know our credit score, some may not even be aware of a credit score, that is until they attempt to apply for credit of some sort, be it a credit card, mortgage or apartment rental. To most, they view our credit score as a one dimensional number, nothing more, hence the reason it is so important for us to become more aware of what our credit score is. People see our credit score as an indication of who we are as people. Frankly, I don't feel that I should be judged for not having paid a bi during my college years, but unless we become proactive regarding our credit report, that is how it will be.
Let's consider the elements that make up our credit report and ultimately decided our credit score. The first factor is payment history.
Basically do you pay your bills on time. The second factor they look at is your outstanding debt. How much do you owe and to whom do you owe it?
The third factor is length of credit history. I feel this category is...