Monday, November 23, 2009

Startling Ways To Wreck Your Credit Report


By Arlie Gonzalez

You would be astounded at a few of the things that can damage your credit. Often we take measures that we think are best for our finances and our budget but these very same things can harmfully affect your credit score.

Let me show you an example, if you are not using a credit card you might think it would be a good plan to go ahead and close the account. But if you do that it will negatively affect your credit score. Much of your score is based upon the obtainable credit that you have compared to how much you are using. If you close the account then that amount is no longer obtainable to you and your debt to credit ratio goes down, negatively affecting your credit score.

Something else that is about the same is owning a credit card but not using it. Common sense tells you that if you don't use it, it can't harm you. However, a vendor can and will cancel a credit line that is not used and then again you no longer have the accessible credit.

Some thing else that most people will not consider is how much credit they make use of. Even if you pay off your account each and every month, if your running balance is high it counts as a harmful to you. Try not to ever use more than 30% of your available credit regardless of whether or not you plan to pay it off.

If you overlook a parking ticket or a library fine it can end up showing up as a harmful mark on your credit, same thing with outstanding bills such as a cell phone or a gas bill. As soon as you are delinquent and your bill is referred to a collection agency it goes on your credit report.

Whenever you submit an application for credit an inquiry will show up on your report. Too many inquiries can unhelpfully influence your score. Revolving credit, such as department store cards, is also looked upon as a negative so getting 20% off just for applying for a department store card is perhaps not worth it. Just say "no, thanks".

If you don't check your credit report on a regular basis you could be causing yourself some tribulations. It is estimated that up to 75% or more of all credit reports contain errors or inaccuracies. You can dispute anything on your credit and you can get the problems removed but if you find out after you have been denied credit, it is a little too late. Check your report repeatedly and deal with the wrong information quickly. You can get a free credit report from each of the credit bureaus one time per year. You should do it at least that often.

The best and easiest way to deal with your credit is to stay on top of it. Be attentive of the things that can cause you tribulations and circumvent them. However, you will still likely see a few troubles. When you do you can take the actions to repair your credit either on your own or with the backing of a professional credit repair service.

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