Friday, September 28, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
The Truth About Your Free Credit Report
The Truth About Your Free Credit Report
By Drikus Botha
The free annual credit report has already made a turn in court. Somehow the meaning of the word "free" is very difficult to understand for some people.The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.You should ask yourself the following questions to see if you are fully informed about your free credit report:
- How do you order your free credit report?
- What information do you need to provide to get your free credit report?
- Why would you want a copy of your free credit report?
- How long does it take to get your free credit report after you order it?
- Are there any other situations where you might be eligible for a free credit report?
- Should you order a free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies?
- What if you find errors – either inaccuracies or incomplete information – in your free credit report?
- What can you do if the consumer reporting company or information provider won't correct the information you dispute in your free annual credit report?
- How long can a consumer reporting company report negative information?
- Can anyone else get a copy of your free annual credit report?
- Can your employer get your free annual credit report?
- Learn how to make extra money so you don't need a credit report
- The internet can change your financial situation very quickly if you know what to do.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Link Exchange Directory for the Professional SEO
Quality directory of webmasters actively seeking link exchange. Improve your search engine rankings and link popularity the easy way. Work clever not hard.
Quality directory of webmasters actively seeking link exchange. Improve your search engine rankings and link popularity the easy way. Work clever not hard.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Warning: Today's "Non Profit Credit Counselors" Are Yesterday's Bill Collectors!
Warning: Today's "Non Profit Credit Counselors" Are Yesterday's Bill Collectors!
by: Chuck Huckaby
Here's a dirty secret, today's "non profit credit counselors" are often just front organizations paid lucrative commissions by creditors to keep consumers from declaring bankruptcy!
In the "debt collection biz", creditors will sell your outstanding debt along with the debt of hundreds of others to a collection agency for cash up front.
The collection agencies will work this debt until they've made all the money they can.
Then they'll keep selling this block of business to whomever will buy it.
This explains why you can stop being pestered by a bill collector for a while then a completely different bill collecting psychopath will start calling your house or sending you threatening letters out of the blue when you thought they were finished.
The Fair Credit Reporting Laws have put some damper on their crude activities, as have the bankruptcy laws.
But yesterday's bill collectors have gotten wise.
If people go bankrupt, the creditors get virtually nothing.
So why not figure out a way to get people to voluntarily pay much more than they would otherwise by going through bankruptcy?
So today, yesterday's bill collectors often masquerade as "non profit credit counselors".
Business must be good for these "non profits" because they're out on the internet paying $10 per lead for potential debt consolidation clients!
Their "come on" to the consumer is "Don't declare bankruptcy! It will RUIN your credit and cost you money! Use our FREE service instead."
There's no such thing as a free lunch of course.
What unsuspecting consumers DON'T KNOW is that using these services may ruin their credit anyway.
And these "Free Services" are being paid handsome commissions on every dollar the collect from you!
Then they report exactly what they've done to the credit reporting firms and potential creditors in the future MAY consider you a potentially WORSE candidate than a formerly bankrupt person because if they extend you credit and you fall on hard times again, you stil have the option of going through bankruptcy!
Learn your rights.
It's possible for ordinary people with a computer and printer to use the law to "lick bill collectors with a stamp!"
Without giving up your privacy, without having a credit counseling firm "rat" on you, it's possible to achieve the same results that others have used expensive attorneys to achieve - when you know your rights!
Cleaning your credit report is something you can do.
Paying off debts for pennies on the dollar is something you can do.
Educate yourself at sites about free credit repair techniques like http://www.CreditRepairDude.com ... and beware today's Bill Collector Wolves in Non Profit Sheep's Clothing!
About The Author
Chuck Huckaby is a freelance writer in Lawrenceburg, TN USA and publishes http://1stHowToWorkAtHome.com and http://www.CreditRepairDude.com
by: Chuck Huckaby
Here's a dirty secret, today's "non profit credit counselors" are often just front organizations paid lucrative commissions by creditors to keep consumers from declaring bankruptcy!
In the "debt collection biz", creditors will sell your outstanding debt along with the debt of hundreds of others to a collection agency for cash up front.
The collection agencies will work this debt until they've made all the money they can.
Then they'll keep selling this block of business to whomever will buy it.
This explains why you can stop being pestered by a bill collector for a while then a completely different bill collecting psychopath will start calling your house or sending you threatening letters out of the blue when you thought they were finished.
The Fair Credit Reporting Laws have put some damper on their crude activities, as have the bankruptcy laws.
But yesterday's bill collectors have gotten wise.
If people go bankrupt, the creditors get virtually nothing.
So why not figure out a way to get people to voluntarily pay much more than they would otherwise by going through bankruptcy?
So today, yesterday's bill collectors often masquerade as "non profit credit counselors".
Business must be good for these "non profits" because they're out on the internet paying $10 per lead for potential debt consolidation clients!
Their "come on" to the consumer is "Don't declare bankruptcy! It will RUIN your credit and cost you money! Use our FREE service instead."
There's no such thing as a free lunch of course.
What unsuspecting consumers DON'T KNOW is that using these services may ruin their credit anyway.
And these "Free Services" are being paid handsome commissions on every dollar the collect from you!
Then they report exactly what they've done to the credit reporting firms and potential creditors in the future MAY consider you a potentially WORSE candidate than a formerly bankrupt person because if they extend you credit and you fall on hard times again, you stil have the option of going through bankruptcy!
Learn your rights.
It's possible for ordinary people with a computer and printer to use the law to "lick bill collectors with a stamp!"
Without giving up your privacy, without having a credit counseling firm "rat" on you, it's possible to achieve the same results that others have used expensive attorneys to achieve - when you know your rights!
Cleaning your credit report is something you can do.
Paying off debts for pennies on the dollar is something you can do.
Educate yourself at sites about free credit repair techniques like http://www.CreditRepairDude.com ... and beware today's Bill Collector Wolves in Non Profit Sheep's Clothing!
About The Author
Chuck Huckaby is a freelance writer in Lawrenceburg, TN USA and publishes http://1stHowToWorkAtHome.com and http://www.CreditRepairDude.com
Debt Consolidation - Choose a Credit Counselor Carefully
Debt Consolidation - Choose a Credit Counselor Carefully
by: Charles Essmeier
Recently passed by Congress, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 will require people who are filing for bankruptcy to first undergo mandatory credit counseling.
This is probably not a bad idea; after all, many people with problem debt could probably benefit from credit counseling. A good credit counselor can assist clients with problem debts in establishing a repayment schedule, creating a personal budget, and learning how to avoid debt and credit problems in the future.
The problem is that with the estimated one and a half million additional people seeking credit counseling each year, there will undoubtedly be more credit "counselors" entering the market, and many of them are only interested in reaping huge profits at the expense of their clients. There are already a number of credit counseling firms working in the marketplace that advertise themselves as "nonprofit", when they actually are closely tied to for-profit debt consolidation firms. These agencies will strongly encourage their clients to consolidate debt through their partner company, and the result may be a long-term loan for the client that doesn't help them at all, but reaps huge profits for the consolidation firm. How can someone who is genuinely seeking legitimate, helpful credit counseling choose a counseling agency wisely?
Counselors should listen. If they start pitching a solution to you during the first fifteen minutes you are there, you should be suspicious. A credit counselor should be gathering information about you in order to determine how best to help you. They can’t possibly know how to help if they don’t understand your problem. Unless, of course, they don’t care about your problem and only want to sell generic “solutions.”
Watch out for firms that want excessive fees up front. Be particularly wary of nonprofit agencies that ask for fees or “voluntary contributions” or nonprofit agencies that tell you that they cannot help you if you do not pay a fee upfront.
Beware of firms that ask for a sizeable fee to obtain a copy of your credit report. Such agencies should be able to obtain your report at no charge, and you are entitled to one report per year for free.
Sometimes, bankruptcy is unavoidable. Watch out if the agency doesn’t mention bankruptcy at all, or if they change the subject if you bring up the topic. Debt consoldators cannot make any money on bankruptcy cases, but sometimes, that’s your only option.
Shop around. Talk to several different agencies and compare what they tell you. Any agency that differs dramatically from what the other agencies are telling you should probably be avoided.
Check with your local Better Business Bureau, and ask if they’ve had any complaints about the agency.
Watch out for firms that offer quick solutions to your problems. You didn’t get into financial trouble overnight, and you won’t get out of financial trouble overnight. Any competent debt or credit counselor will know this and will undoubtedly tell you that working your way out of debt takes time.
See if the agency belongs to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Many do.
By taking a few simple precautions before agreeing to work with a credit counselor, you may save yourself a lot of grief and a lot of money later.
About The Author
© Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, such as http://www.End-Your-Debt.com.
by: Charles Essmeier
Recently passed by Congress, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 will require people who are filing for bankruptcy to first undergo mandatory credit counseling.
This is probably not a bad idea; after all, many people with problem debt could probably benefit from credit counseling. A good credit counselor can assist clients with problem debts in establishing a repayment schedule, creating a personal budget, and learning how to avoid debt and credit problems in the future.
The problem is that with the estimated one and a half million additional people seeking credit counseling each year, there will undoubtedly be more credit "counselors" entering the market, and many of them are only interested in reaping huge profits at the expense of their clients. There are already a number of credit counseling firms working in the marketplace that advertise themselves as "nonprofit", when they actually are closely tied to for-profit debt consolidation firms. These agencies will strongly encourage their clients to consolidate debt through their partner company, and the result may be a long-term loan for the client that doesn't help them at all, but reaps huge profits for the consolidation firm. How can someone who is genuinely seeking legitimate, helpful credit counseling choose a counseling agency wisely?
Counselors should listen. If they start pitching a solution to you during the first fifteen minutes you are there, you should be suspicious. A credit counselor should be gathering information about you in order to determine how best to help you. They can’t possibly know how to help if they don’t understand your problem. Unless, of course, they don’t care about your problem and only want to sell generic “solutions.”
Watch out for firms that want excessive fees up front. Be particularly wary of nonprofit agencies that ask for fees or “voluntary contributions” or nonprofit agencies that tell you that they cannot help you if you do not pay a fee upfront.
Beware of firms that ask for a sizeable fee to obtain a copy of your credit report. Such agencies should be able to obtain your report at no charge, and you are entitled to one report per year for free.
Sometimes, bankruptcy is unavoidable. Watch out if the agency doesn’t mention bankruptcy at all, or if they change the subject if you bring up the topic. Debt consoldators cannot make any money on bankruptcy cases, but sometimes, that’s your only option.
Shop around. Talk to several different agencies and compare what they tell you. Any agency that differs dramatically from what the other agencies are telling you should probably be avoided.
Check with your local Better Business Bureau, and ask if they’ve had any complaints about the agency.
Watch out for firms that offer quick solutions to your problems. You didn’t get into financial trouble overnight, and you won’t get out of financial trouble overnight. Any competent debt or credit counselor will know this and will undoubtedly tell you that working your way out of debt takes time.
See if the agency belongs to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Many do.
By taking a few simple precautions before agreeing to work with a credit counselor, you may save yourself a lot of grief and a lot of money later.
About The Author
© Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, such as http://www.End-Your-Debt.com.
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