Credit Repair Guide:

If you're looking for a way to fix your credit without hiring an expensive professional, then this DIY guide will help. Before getting started make sure that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is something that's familiar with so as not *be* surprised by its requirements!

Follow these step-by-step instructions to learn how to identify negative entries like late payments, delinquent loans, and others, and have the best chance of getting them eliminated from your credit history.

You can now access your credit reports for free at creditrepairease.com! You should have already received one copy from each of the three major bureaus but in case you haven’t, take advantage and get them all resent with just one click on this site's homepage link “www.creditrepairease.com" Ready to Raise Your Credit Score? (Some clients have raised their credit scores by 100 points or more.*) Call for a Free Credit Consultation! (888) 803-7889 Or sign up online >> Enter some personal information, answer a few security questions to verify your identity, and you can download your free credit report in a matter of minutes. You can also send a request for a hard copy of your credit report to be sent in the mail if you prefer. Or you can call 1-888-803-7889.

There are many ways to protect yourself from identity theft, but the most important thing you can do is check your credit reports for accuracy. Make sure that any debts listed on these accounts match up with accurate information before thieves take advantage of any discrepancies and use them as opportunities to commit fraud or other crimes against our society in general!

Even if they do report to all three, one credit bureau may make a mistake when entering your payment history. So you must look at all three credit bureaus with a fine-tooth comb instead of just assuming that the information is the same on each one.

When looking at your credit reports, be sure to check for any errors. You may also want to doublecheck that no other people have listed on the report with their information and verify all of the account details by scrolling through each page carefully before making changes or adding new accounts in this section where it says "Credit Report."

From the opening date of your account to the highest balance you’ve had, note any sections that look incorrect, especially if there’s a negative mark like a late payment.

You also want to confirm that you own each of the lines of credit to make sure no one has fraudulently opened an account under your name. If there are any accounts you don’t recognize, you may have been a victim of identity theft.

Negative accounts are often overlooked when it comes to your credit score. Make sure that you take a look at all of the closed and open loans in order for them not be negatively reported on this section!

Here you’ll find any accounts you haven’t paid as agreed, collections, or public records you’ve had. Anything listed in this section causes the most damage to your credit score and should likely be on your list of items to try and get removed.

If you find any inaccurate, untimely, misleading, biased, incomplete, or questionable items on your credit report, it’s both your right and responsibility to dispute the information and get it removed. Plus, removing negative items on your credit history can also have a huge positive impact on your credit score.

While many people still don’t realize that it’s possible to have them removed, thousands of consumers are successfully disputing such items with the credit bureaus every day. So it’s actually easier than you might think and a much better alternative to simply waiting years for negative information to drop off your credit report.

Getting negative items on your credit report removed can have spectacular results on your credit score, but the credit repair process can take a lot of time.

If you’re looking for quick improvements, there are still a few strategies you can employ. Some are small fixes, while others can still have a big impact, so check the whole list to see which ones you can try today to fix your credit.

Remember that credit utilization ratio we talked about earlier? The closer you are to maxing out your credit cards, the lower your credit score will be.

So, it makes sense that paying down high credit card balances can lower your ratio and increase your credit score. Focus on maxed-out credit cards rather than those with low balances. By keeping your credit card balances low, you could see as much as a 100 point increase over a period of a few months.

If you can’t afford to pay off the extra debt to decrease your credit utilization, you still have a chance for improvements. Call your credit card issuer and request a credit limit increase on your credit card.

You don’t want to actually charge any more than you already owe. Instead, you simply want to have a higher credit limit so that your existing credit card balance consists of a smaller percentage of your available credit.

Here’s an example. Say you owe $5,000 on a credit card with a $10,000 limit. You’d be utilizing 50% of your credit. But if you got your limit up to $15,000, then your $5,000 balance would only be utilizing 33% of your limit.

When making the call to your creditor, it helps if you’ve submitted regular on-time payments throughout your history with them. More than likely, they’ll value customer loyalty enough to help your credit line.

Building your credit history takes a lot of time, but there is a shortcut available. Find a close friend or family member with long-standing, strong credit and ask to become an authorized user on one or more of their accounts. That credit card account will automatically be added to your credit report in its entirety.

YThere’s a bit of risk involved with this move: if your friend or relative stops making payments or carries a large balance, those negative entries will be added to your credit history.

Likewise, if you rack up extra balances and don’t help make any payments you’re responsible for, the other person’s credit will become damaged. This can be a great tactic, but it does require some caution.

When making the call to your creditor, it helps if you’ve submitted regular on-time payments throughout your history with them. More than likely, they’ll value customer loyalty enough to help your credit line.

Another quick way to repair your credit is to consider getting a debt consolidation loan. It’s basically a type of personal loan that you use the pay off your various credit cards, then make a single monthly payment on the loan.

Depending on your interest rates, you might be able to save money on your monthly payments by getting a lower loan rate. Shop around using pre-approvals to see what kind of rates you qualify for and how they stack up compared to your current credit card rates.

Even if your monthly payment stays the same, your credit score will still see a boost because installment debt is viewed more favorably than revolving debt.

When making the call to your creditor, it helps if you’ve submitted regular on-time payments throughout your history with them. More than likely, they’ll value customer loyalty enough to help your credit line.

Smaller banks and credit unions often offer credit-builder loans to help individuals repair their credit. When you take out the loan, the funds are deposited into an account that you’re not able to access.

You then begin making monthly payments on the loan amount. Once you’ve repaid the entire loan, the funds are released for you to use.

It may seem strange to make payments on money you can’t even spend, but it’s a way for the financial institution to feel protected while you get a chance to prove yourself as a responsible borrower.

Once you complete your payments and receive the money, the bank reports your payments as on time to the three credit bureaus to help out your credit score.

Credit monitoring services allow you to keep an eye on your credit report and credit score. The best credit monitoring services come with a small monthly fee, while others, like Credit Karma, are completely free. Either way, monitoring your credit score regularly is highly recommended.