Frequently Asked Questions
CREDIT CONFIDANT
Q. I have had a number of things happen that have caused me credit problems. How do I know if I can benefit from credit repair?
A. We believe that bad things happen to good people and it sounds like you may have experienced this. We have some credit re-establishment programs that are available and NO COST for this timely advice and guidance. Our first concern is to help families grow and become credit
independent. The need only choose to follow sound credit guidance for a strong financial future.
There are so many tactics available once you know them, that will take you easily over the 680 – 700 credit score in a relatively short time.
And, this is without doing any unneeded credit repair.
Many people contact us searching for credit repair daily. Once they get their No Cost credit analysis with the advice that goes with it,
they find they actually need NO Credit Repair!!
Q. How much does it Cost to get my credit repaired?
A. The first part of our process provides you with a No Cost Credit Analysis. Once we review this analysis, we can properly determine what your credit repair effort will take in time and price. When we provide the analysis, we also provide the estimated time. Since no two credit files require the same amount or level of repair, the price should reflect that work involvement. We price each file for its specific needs. It is the only fair way! Our monthly fees range from as low as $49 to the maximum $99 per month with the average being only $69 per month!
Q. Can’t I do my own credit repair work?
A. Absolutely! As a matter of fact, Federal and State laws guarantee you the right to do so on your own. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit report by contacting the credit bureaus directly.
Unfortunately, there is no provision of just what your dispute needs to say, who needs to receive it, federal statutes that may be violated, nor any other item(s) needed to be successful on your own.
However, you may very well need a Professional Credit Repair effort to get the results you deserve.
*Disputes may be filed in your behalf IF:
The information in your file is NOT accurate
The information may not be reporting fairly
The information must have FULL Documentation Details for How it is being reported
Q. Is Credit Repair Legitimate?
A. Certainly, you want to make sure that you are pursuing the most legitimate and effective efforts when it comes to your credit report. There are many credit “repair” companies that are nothing short of a Scam. They make Huge Offers for what they will do that simply cannot be accomplished by a legitimate company. Simply put, it is both illegal and unethical to make promises of removing items that are legitimate. The FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) assures that creditors/collectors must report only accurate entries. The Act was established to protect all consumers. It is aimed at negative information on credit reports. It outlines the remedies and penalties for such improper reporting. You, nor any credit repair company acting in your behalf, has the right to have Accurate, Current, and Verifiable information removed from your credit report. There are term limits allowed for all information, positive and negative, to be reported in credit reports.
Q. How do I know what I can dispute legitimately?
A. Every consumer has a credit file made up of many different pieces of information. In the near future, changes to credit reports will add much more detail to what is currently being reported. The account payment history is very important as a baseline since it is the function which builds or lowers credit scores. This includes if it went to collections, was charged off, or was ever late. If it was late, how late, as more points are lost the later an account becomes. The report also reports installments accounts and revolving accounts as each has a different point value in the scoring mechanism. So, there are a number of moving pieces in each credit file. Only a legitimate repair effort can be performed if challenging accuracy and correctness.
Q. Why are my Credit Scores different on each of the Three Credit Bureaus?
A. Each bureau, Experian, Equifax and Transunion, use a slightly different version of the current FICO model/algorithm. Ideally, if all creditors/collectors reported to ALL three bureaus, then all three scores would be virtually the same.
Creditors sometimes report to only one bureau, so scores can differ by a significant amount. A good practice is to ask upfront who your potential creditor reports to. They will tell you gladly.
The best position is when all three bureaus have the same information being reported as close to the very same.
Q. Are there any Credit Repair Guarantees?
A. As each client’s file contents are different, so are the efforts and time frames for completion. We use one of the Most Sophisticated Credit Restoration programs in the industry today. We are proud of our results! Each of our Clients receive a Written Guarantee of Success. Our guarantee is that we will get them to their established written goal when we are finished our efforts. Even though client files differs, there are certain items that CAN be guaranteed. Our work is centered around the removal of negative items that are being reported improperly and not in accordance with the FCRA. We guarantee certain results as may be identified in the beginning that meet our client(s)’ needs.
Q. Which part of my credit file affects the scores the most?
A. Under the current FICO credit file/score model, there are Five (5) Components that comprise the potential maximum score of 850. Certainly, it would be proper to say that all five of them are very important to maintain and be sure they are being handled properly. In reality, there were major changes to credit scoring in the last couple of years. Credit cards and other revolving accounts now have the largest single impact on scores. This is, of course, assuming that on time payments are a basic practice. Previous to the changes, paying on time was the main need to be aware of. Now there are three needs associated with credit cards that matter. They must be paid on time, the billed balance on the account(s) must remain well below 30% of the credit card(s)’ credit limits AND they must be regularly active. Active typically reflects the best score calculation if the usage is every two-three months after being paid in full. This simply means that credit accounts should NOT be left paid in full with no use. When the scoring changed in the last few years, the concept and requirement for activity became paramount in credit impact. The current trend is that the previous 24 consecutive months of use and payment are factored most. If the account has remained paid in full for months, there will not be the activity within the 24 months to provide a truly credit worthy snapshot to a creditor. Use, on time payment, and responsibility in keeping balances as far below 30% of the credit limits are the key elements that produce the highest credit score impact on this one component of the FICO scoring.
Q. How long will credit repair take on my file?
A. This is a difficult question to answer since each file contains such a variety of credit entries AND the number that may have had a problem along the way. Creditors & collectors are allowed prescribed time limits for responses to the disputes. Limits delay the results. A complete dispute round beginning with the letter being printed and mailed, can typically end approximately 50 days later. Thus, you can count on approximately two months per round of dispute efforts. Depending on the severity of the inaccuracies and errors in the file, it may well take 5-6 rounds of dispute stages. The expertise needed to go after the severely negative items that are surely incorrect from all documentation the consumer has, requires a much longer approach effort.
But, the thing to focus on and remember MOST – No Matter what, EVERYONE CAN have the credit they want and DESERVE!
Bad Things Happen to Good People and the efforts must focus on making them right again…..
Q. Why is my credit score different on my credit karma account than at my bank?
A. As there are a number of varieties of the FICO scoring model, the one most commonly accessed is the “Consumer” score. This is the one that is available to consumers usually at no cost typically available online. The ONLY Credit Score that is available and truly represents the full and complete credit history is the score obtained at a Bank, Credit Union, Brokerage, etc. These scores are used for the most demanding of lending needs. i.e. home loans and commercial loans, etc.
Online scoring is typically referred to as “Feel Good Scores” as this is basically the only benefit to getting them delivered into your email account.
Usually, the rule of thumb to use on this is – Any scores gotten online at no cost will be as much as 60 points higher than those gotten at a bank or credit union as noted before. So, this can really distort a credit score situation when staying in touch with the credit file and actually making application. It is the contents part of a credit file that scores are based upon. File Contents with their reporting can be a sign of the presence of Identity Theft even. Credit monitoring and at least checking credit regularity is a Must in today’s Credit Climate!
Q. Is there any hope if I filed Bankruptcy?
A. Sometimes, bankruptcy is the only option that folks have. It is a “do over” that may be the only way out of debt. If bankruptcy was the only available choice, the resulting financial picture should be much brighter.
As far as the credit goes, bankruptcy cleared the debts that were included in it and with the fresh file, the need to re-establish credit is imperative. And the time to begin restoration is Immediate. There is no need for credit repair of any kind.
The only thing needed is quality guidance & direction as to the steps to begin.
Simple steps included in a no cost environment once followed have usually produced credit scores at or near 700 in one year after the discharge of the bankruptcy!! This plan will pay handsome dividends IF the indebtedness was enough to require the regrouping of bankruptcy
Q. Why do I need to be concerned about Credit Scores and how they have Changed when I pay my bills on time?
A. As credit is and has been changing so much and often for the last 4-5 years, the only way to have a chance at obtaining the highest score possible is through knowledge. The old saying of knowledge is power has never been truer. Since credit scoring has always been such a mysterious and changing entity, the only chance to get ahead is to know What and How the credit changes are NOW affecting the outcomes. FICO is the ONLY company that knows how FICO works. FICO wrote the rules we have to follow with our credit. We must know all we can know to be successful. Since credit accounts have been placed into such a pivotal position for use, payment on time and regularity of use, without knowing this causes consumers with PERFECT CREDIT to still miss many points! It is not uncommon to see a loss of as much as 50 points without ever being late or anything that would be the norm associated with a problematic account. Since credit seems to be ever-changing, it will become even more imperative to know and stay informed of those changes. Paying on time is just one of the important pieces now. It is easy to see a perfect credit file that is perfect in nature, but missing the points simply due to what is going on with that component. What YOU DON'T KNOW-DOES MATTER! And, you Don’t want to Find Out What You Don’t Know When You DO NEED TO KNOW IT! Get The Education and Stay In Touch With the Changes!
