Why Checking Your Credit Score is Your #1 Defense Against Fraud
by admin ~ April 29th, 2009 . Filed under: Personal Finance .
Most Americans have errors and other unverifiable notices on their credit reports that can be bringing down their over-all credit score. There’s a very good chance that even YOUR credit score is lower than it SHOULD be! Sadly though, there is a good chance that you will be like most of the millions of Americans who will continue to suffer with an unfair credit score because you haven’t done anything to fix your credit.
Most Americans want to believe that the current credit reporting system that we use works; that people “earn” their bad credit scores and that there is nothing that can be done to fix it other than wait out the seven (7) years. This is simply not the case. Studies have proven that the current credit scoring system is flawed. This is why the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection legislation give you the ability to do something about it. They give you the legal right to know and challenge items on your credit score.
So if it’s free and easy to check your credit score, why aren’t more people doing it? It certainly can’t be because they don’t understand the importance of having a good credit score. After all, it doesn’t take an Einstein to recognize the benefits of a good credit score when it can be the difference between paying $3,500/month and $3,000/month for the same exact house.
More likely, the reason we don’t repair our credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume that the credit reporting system is some kind of official or governmental system with an extensive system of checks and balances in place to ensure the safekeeping of credit history. The reality is that it this couldn’t be further from the truth of how it really works.
The credit bureaus which control the credit reporting system are not official government organizations. In fact, they are massive for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and then make money by selling this information (about you!) in the form of your credit reports.
So now you are asking yourself, how do these corporations make sure that this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus ensure it doesn’t end up on your credit reports? What’s stopping false claims?
The answer to all three questions is: they don’t. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it in their databases, and for the majority of Americans, the story ends there.
No one at the credit bureaus or in the government is going to make sure your credit reports are accurate. There is absolutely nothing in it for them to perform any such checks. The way that the credit system is organized is that there is only one person who will ever bother to check up on your credit reports - YOU. You are the part of this entire system that is missing.
Making sure that your credit score is where it should be is your biggest responsibility as an American and repairing your credit reports is something that you and only you can initiate. It is your legal right to dispute any questionable negative items on your credit reports and the sooner you start this process, the better off you’ll be. You can work to repair your credit on your own or you can enlist the help of a credit repair law firm.
Whether you attempt to repair your credit by yourself or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in our credit reporting system, you will be able to ensure that your credit score is as good as it can be. Not only that, but by making sure that your score is correct, you’ll have a leg-up on the millions of other Americans who still have un-corrected credit scores!
For more information on your credit score, safe resources to check and dispute your credit history, and much more please visit the Home Finance Journal.
By: Tom Conrad
About the Author:
Most Americans want to believe that the current credit reporting system that we use works; that people “earn” their bad credit scores and that there is nothing that can be done to fix it other than wait out the seven (7) years. This is simply not the case. Studies have proven that the current credit scoring system is flawed. This is why the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection legislation give you the ability to do something about it. They give you the legal right to know and challenge items on your credit score.
So if it’s free and easy to check your credit score, why aren’t more people doing it? It certainly can’t be because they don’t understand the importance of having a good credit score. After all, it doesn’t take an Einstein to recognize the benefits of a good credit score when it can be the difference between paying $3,500/month and $3,000/month for the same exact house.
More likely, the reason we don’t repair our credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume that the credit reporting system is some kind of official or governmental system with an extensive system of checks and balances in place to ensure the safekeeping of credit history. The reality is that it this couldn’t be further from the truth of how it really works.
The credit bureaus which control the credit reporting system are not official government organizations. In fact, they are massive for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and then make money by selling this information (about you!) in the form of your credit reports.
So now you are asking yourself, how do these corporations make sure that this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus ensure it doesn’t end up on your credit reports? What’s stopping false claims?
The answer to all three questions is: they don’t. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it in their databases, and for the majority of Americans, the story ends there.
No one at the credit bureaus or in the government is going to make sure your credit reports are accurate. There is absolutely nothing in it for them to perform any such checks. The way that the credit system is organized is that there is only one person who will ever bother to check up on your credit reports - YOU. You are the part of this entire system that is missing.
Making sure that your credit score is where it should be is your biggest responsibility as an American and repairing your credit reports is something that you and only you can initiate. It is your legal right to dispute any questionable negative items on your credit reports and the sooner you start this process, the better off you’ll be. You can work to repair your credit on your own or you can enlist the help of a credit repair law firm.
Whether you attempt to repair your credit by yourself or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in our credit reporting system, you will be able to ensure that your credit score is as good as it can be. Not only that, but by making sure that your score is correct, you’ll have a leg-up on the millions of other Americans who still have un-corrected credit scores!
For more information on your credit score, safe resources to check and dispute your credit history, and much more please visit the Home Finance Journal.
By: Tom Conrad
About the Author:
Tom Conrad is a home finance guru, specializing in foreclosure and mortgage loan help. He writes a mortgage loan and foreclosure help blog at HomeFinanceJournal.com.
Tillie Guiden
