A good credit rating will help you borrow money in
higher amounts at lower interest rates. Some jobs require a
good credit rating, and some apartment managers require it
of their tenants. You may not be able to open a bank
account without a good credit rating, or purchase insurance
at an optimal rate. Problem credit can be costly,
inconvenient and embarrassing.
Three main services, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion,
report your credit rating as a number between 300 and 850.
They receive their data from your creditors. Paying bills
late or not at all, carrying debt that is relatively high
compared to your credit limit, or moving frequently will
hurt your credit score. Also if you are sued, arrested,
have a lien judgment against you, or file for bankruptcy,
your credit score will be hurt.
Mistakes are made as well, so it is advisable to review
your credit report once a year for accuracy. Request a copy
of your credit ratings from annualcreditreport.com if you
live in USA. You are entitled to one free report each year,
and also at no charge any time you are denied employment,
insurance, credit, or if you are unemployed but seeking
employment, on welfare, or your credit has been affected by
fraud or identity theft. Report inaccuracies to the
reporting sources as well as to the credit bureaus.
Problems may arise if unmonitored automatic payments
from your account cause the account to be overdrawn, so
always monitor your checkbook and account statements. Such
diligent monitoring of all your financial statements will
also help identify any misuse of your accounts. Improperly
forwarded mail may result in paying bills late, so be sure
to notify creditors of address changes.
There are many credit counseling services available to
help with problem credit. They may help you create a
personal budget, create a repayment plan for your debts, or
renegotiate one or more debts. Furthermore, credit
counseling services can help you establish good practices
designed to rebuild good credit as well as maintain a
healthy budgeting discipline for the future.
