The Value of Your Good Name

A some point in your life you will probably need a loan of some kind. Maybe you don’t need one now, but you will eventually need one. Maybe you want a car, a house, a credit card. Cars use leases, houses use mortgages. Leases, mortgages, and credit cards are all types of loans. And when you want to get one of those things, you’ll need to have a good credit rating.

Perhaps you have a good credit report or perhaps you have a bad one. Every one has a different rating based on their credit history. Whatever yours is, that’s going to affect your future loans. So you should take steps now to make sure it’s as good as you can make it.

Want to own a car or a house? You’ll need a loan, and to get a loan you have to get your credit checked. One thing that you will be surprised about is how many credit reports out there have big mistakes on them. Does yours?

If you are not sure, you need to find out right away. You need to get a copy of your credit report every 12 months and check it thoroughly. Why? Because mistakes can happen, and they do happen all the time.

Why do mistakes happen all the time? The answer is actually fairly simple. Often it's just a matter of human error. Perhaps they accidentally mistyped a piece of information somewhere in your past or perhaps they mistyped someone else's information but accidentally put it on your file. It happens a lot.

So what can you do about it? Again, the answer is simple. You need to get a copy of your credit report and go over it with a fine toothed comb. Identify the parts that are accurate and the parts that are inaccurate.

When you find inaccurate information you need to highlight it clearly. Then you need to find supporting documents and information to prove the inaccuracy. For example, if your credit report shows that you have been renting since you moved out of your parents’ house but you actually bought your own house a few years ago, you may want to provide them with some of your mortgage papers and particulars to prove what is accurate.

Then write a polite letter of explanation that clearly details the points you want to clarify and send it off to the credit bureau. When they receive your request, they need to investigate each claim before they fix it. This is because they get many people who file bogus claims of inaccuracy all the time.

It can take a while to get everything squared away, but when you do it, you can enjoy the peace of mind that should you need a loan, you’ll have an accurate credit report to work from and to back you up. And, with an accurate credit report, you'll be able to quickly identify any identity theft problems that may occur.

So don’t lose sleep over your credit rating. Instead, contact your credit bureau and get a copy and check for inaccuracies.

by: Jeff Lakie