It’s important to understand what kind of assistance is available when you need credit report help. Whether from a legal expert, a consumer advocate, or a credit repair agency, you need to be informed of your options and what you can do.

Do You Really Need Credit Report Help?

Some people (mistakenly) believe that the only way to get an item corrected on a credit report is to get an outside agency or professional to do it on their behalf. While they might think they need credit report help, nothing is further from the truth – anyone can dispute inaccurate information on their credit reports at any time.

So the question is not whether or not you have to have credit report help, but whether or not you actually need it. And in many cases, the answer is a resounding “yes” – having a professional handle credit report issues can often be very beneficial.

How to Get Credit Report Help

One way to get credit report help if you want to repair your credit yourself is simply taking the time to do some research. Read up on your state’s credit and consumer laws to understand your rights. Read the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) so that you know precisely what the creditors and credit bureaus can and cannot do.

Once you are fully aware of your rights as a consumer, it becomes easier to see when you do and do not need to get outside credit report help. If you have decided that you need a professional, there are many credit repair companies and credit repair lawyers out there who can provide services.

The best way to get credit report help from a professional is to first make a list of the questions you need answered and the services that you find necessary.  Once you have your list, you can start searching for companies and independent professionals that meet your criteria.

Do you need credit report help because of a lien or a judgment on your credit report? Do you have bills that are in collections or zombie debt that is showing on your credit reports well past the federal reporting limit? Each of these examples requires a different kind of credit report help, and by focusing on exactly what you need, you are more likely to get a positive result from the professional you choose.

Most places that offer professional credit report help allow you to sign up directly online – this is convenient because it allows you to get started right away. It is also a reason to be careful as you make your choices, and to be certain you are choosing someone reputable for your credit report help.

The top companies in credit report help – Lexington Law, Sky Blue Credit, Ovation and others – already have verifiable credentials and a reputation in the business so that you can feel secure in giving them your information. If you go with a smaller, unknown company, it is up to you to make sure you thoroughly check them out before you sign up.

Setting Expectations for Professional Credit Report Help

Even though professional credit report help offers multiple benefits, it is important to have realistic expectations about what a professional can and cannot do.

In general, it is important to realize that a credit repair specialist cannot offer credit report help that is outside the law. That is, they cannot get accurate, timely, and verifiable information removed from your credit report. If the information is accurate and it is not past the federal reporting limit, and if the creditor has records that can prove the accuracy of the information, then the item is going to remain in your credit file until the time limit on reporting it runs out.

Any credit repair agency that says otherwise is not telling you the truth, and you would be well advised to hire another professional to help you.

Professional credit report help can, however, ensure that you get an appropriate response from creditors, collection agencies and the credit bureaus. Formal letters and professional intermediaries can go a long way to getting you results. Getting inaccurate information removed from your credit report will likely be easier when you have credit report help that comes from a professional.

As you can see, getting credit report help doesn’t have to be complicated. Once you’ve found a reputable company, don’t wait around – get the credit report help you need and start seeing your scores improve right away.

Though you may be tempted to try to repair your credit on your own, there are some definite pitfalls to this route. Aside from the fact that most people lack the expertise to really repair their own credit effectively, there are some common pitfalls that the ‘do-it-yourself’ types often fall into when it comes to credit repair. If you decide you want to try it on your own, keep these caveats in mind:

1. Don’t Dispute Everything at Once.

Consumer reporting companies are required to respond to and investigate any dispute that is not deemed “frivolous”. There are no hard and fast rules for what constitutes a frivolous dispute, but having all of your negative credit entries in dispute at once will almost certainly cause some companies to ignore your request. This means that negative items may be even more difficult to remove – as multiple disputes over the same item can also be considered frivolous.

2. Provide Proof When You Have It.

If you have receipts that show you paid on the first of the month, but the creditors are showing the payment on the 19th, you should use this to your advantage. Make copies of the receipts and enclose them with your dispute. Is your name correct on those derogatory items? How about your address? Any legitimate reason to dispute a negative item should come along with some proof as to why the dispute is being made.

3. Keep Your Tone Professional.

Consumer reporting companies respond best to communications that are courteous, professional, and direct. Don’t’ write long-winded letters of dispute, and don’t try to obscure the facts. Make your request, present your evidence, and summarize your position on the issue. Poorly worded disputes may also be seen as frivolous, so pay careful attention to both spelling and grammar. Additionally, you may wish to use a template – but be aware that if all of your disputes read like form letters, you may not see much progress. Still, for those who want to handle the dispute from start to finish, there are form letters available online that serve as a good base to start with.

Credit repair isn’t as simple as it seems to be in the surface. The expert credit repair representatives that do a good job and operate above board provide a valuable service to those individuals who either cannot, or will not attempt to handle credit disputes themselves. This is why it is especially important to find a reputable agency to repair your credit – expertise always gets results. However, if you are one of the do-it-yourself types, following the above guidelines will help ensure that your credit repair attempts aren’t derailed from the start.

To repair your bad credit, you must find a starting point. The best way to do that is to obtain a copy of your credit reports from the 3 major credit reporting agencies, also known as credit bureaus. You will also need to know what your credit scores are.

Once you have your reports, you’ll want to make sure all the information is accurate. There are mistakes in about 80% of all credit reports. If you find any accounts that you are unfamiliar with or are reporting incorrectly you should dispute them with the credit bureaus. Creditors are notorious for reporting erroneous information on your credit reports. So, even if it’s just a small error; that gives you the right to dispute it. It’s important to note that whether the account is actually yours or not makes no difference on their responsibility to verify it. If the account can’t be verified, it must be deleted.

The credit bureaus get thousands of disputes each day and many times they don’t do a very careful job of investigating items you’ve disputed. So, it may take a few rounds of letters until the credit bureaus remove the negative information. Be patient and wait at least 30-35 days before sending another round. Do not give up. It may seem like just one or two small errors that they are falsely reporting about you – no big deal, right? Wrong! Just one error can cause your credit scores to suffer immensely and could end up costing you thousands of dollars. This is very serious business. It’s extremely important to make sure everything on your credit reports is being reported correctly.

Another thing you should do is pay off the most recent past due accounts. Be careful making payments on older charged off accounts as paying them could possibly bring your scores down even further which means they can report the negative account for 7 more years. You will also want to try to get an agreement with the creditor to update it to “paid as agreed” or remove the account BEFORE you pay it. It’s much harder to get it updated or removed after you pay it because you don’t have much leverage.

Another important part of raising your credit scores is to keep your existing balances below 30-40% of your credit limit. You’ll also want to minimize the number of inquiries you make by not applying for credit unless you absolutely must. Use your inquiries wisely and sparingly, as applying for too much credit in a short amount of time can be very damaging to your credit scores.

Don’t have time to repair your credit? Let the professionals at Lexington Law Firm take care of it for you. Call 1-800-220-0084 for a free consultation. They delete all kinds of negative credit including bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions, charge offs, judgments, tax liens, collections, and more.

Doesn’t it make you sick to think about how much money you’ve already thrown away? It made me sick. So, I finally decided to do something about it. I finally realized that by cleaning up my credit and managing my money instead of letting it manage me, I didn’t have to live like that anymore.

I realized that I hadn’t been taught how to manage money correctly. I hadn’t been taught how the credit game works. We just weren’t really taught that in school. So, I decided to teach myself about money management and personal finance. It’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.

I no longer pay twice as much for things. I no longer worry about whether I’m going to get approved or not. I no longer worry about whether I’m going to have enough to pay my bills. I no longer have these issues. I have piece of mind because I’m responsible with my money and I have control over it. It no longer controls me.

If you are not at that point yet, I really hope that you get there. It’s not just about money. It’s about time. Your time is precious. Stop living and thinking like a slave. To have financial freedom, you need to change your whole mindset. You need to learn how to repair your credit and how to manage your money. Then, you need to pass that knowledge down to your loved ones. It’s one of the best gifts you can ever give. Get started today.

If you’re ready to start living and stop worrying, let the professionals at Lexington Law Firm help you remove negative items from your credit reports.

When you finally get to that point, then you’re ready. But, until you get there, you’re probably not going to take action. If you’re not there yet, you might as well stop reading this.

But, if you are ready, then it’s time to start on your journey to financial peace and good credit. And once you get there, never go back. You work just as hard as the next guy. So, why should you have to pay more on a loan than he does? Don’t you think you’ve paid the banks enough money? The banks have plenty of money. Quit paying them more than you have to!

If you are sick and tired of living paycheck to paycheck and always begging the lenders to give you crappy loans then I want you to say this out loud right now:

“I’m done. I’m done living like a broke fool and I’m taking a stand RIGHT NOW. I will not let the banks make me their slave any longer.” Then, you’re going to take action, RIGHT NOW. Here’s what you’re going to do:

1. Get your credit repaired. Call Lexington Law Firm at 1-800-220-0084 and get it repaired NOW. Let the professionals clean up your credit for you. It’s very affordable.

2. Never let your credit get that bad again. Learn how the credit game works and promise yourself that you will never find yourself in that hole again.

3. Live below your means. That doesn’t sound fun, does it? Well, neither does being broke and being a slave to your lenders. Start living on a budget. Control your money so that it doesn’t control you. You know which spending habits you need to change. Change them. It’s time RIGHT NOW.

>4. Pay off your debts and start saving money. If you’re not sure how, check out Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace.

5. Help your family and friends. Help them realize what’s going on. Show them that they don’t have to be miserable and live like everyone else. They can break free from their chains too. Show them how.

Dave Ramsey, one of my favorite financial experts, says it like this: “If you want to be rich, look around and see what rich people are doing and do rich people stuff.” Rich people don’t pay high interest fees. If you keep doing what poor people do, you’re going to stay poor. You don’t have to. Take action and take advantage of all that life has to offer!

Myth #1: Credit repair is illegal.

The Truth: Credit repair is not only legal, but protected by federal laws such as the FCRA and FDCPA. However, creating a new credit file and/or new identity is illegal.

Myth #2: Credit repair doesn’t work.

The Truth: The credit repair agency that I regularly refer clients to has helped over 400,000 clients improve their credit since 1991. That’s just one company. Thousands more have gotten great results by doing it on their own.

Myth #3: You can only dispute negative items on your credit report if you think they are not yours.

The Truth: You can dispute any negative account on your credit report that you want. Whether the account is “really” yours or not has no bearing on the consumer reporting agencies responsibility to verify it. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the only information that can remain on your credit report is not what is accurate, but what can be proven as accurate. If it can’t be proven and verified then it must be removed.

Myth #4: The consumer reporting agencies are non-profit, government agencies.

The Truth: CRAs are privately owned, for-profit corporations.

Myth #5: Credit repair agencies are all scams.

The Truth: The FTC has been coming down hard on all credit repair agencies that don’t abide by the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Most of the scam artists are gone and most of the credit repair companies that exist nowadays are not scams.

Myth #6: A credit counseling service can help me restore my credit rating.

The Truth: Whoa is this one ever a lie! Credit counselors work with your creditors, to help them get their money from you destroying your credit in the process.

Myth #7: After a major financial plunge like bankruptcy, foreclosure or repossession, I won’t be able to get credit for 7-10 years.

The Truth: You can start enjoying good credit almost immediately after such an event if you start repairing and rebuilding your credit right away.

Myth #8: Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost.

The Truth: Ok, this one isn’t really a myth. It’s true…kind of. You see, the credit bureaus will try to make it as hard as possible for you to repair your credit. They have many tactics that they use to discourage consumers from contacting them. Most consumers get frustrated and give up because of the obstacles put before them by the credit bureaus.

The credit bureaus consistently violate consumer’s federal rights and constantly get sued for doing so. Credit repair agencies have been dealing with them for years and they know how to play the game. They know what works and they know when your federal rights have been violated. Many of them will help you seek litigation or refer you to an attorney if and when it comes down to that.

Myth #9: You have to hire a credit repair agency or lawyer to fix your credit.

The Truth: As mentioned above, there are benefits to hiring a credit repair agency. However, if you are willing to put in the time to learn how to do it on your own, you don’t need to hire anyone. There are many credit repair communities online that are willing to help you out and share methods with you for free.

Myth #10: Pulling your own credit report will count as an inquiry and hurt your credit scores.

The Truth: You can pull your own credit as many times as you want – if you are not applying for a loan. It’s considered a soft pull and does not count as an inquiry towards your scores. However, if you have a lender pull it for you, that does count as a hard inquiry and will make your scores drop.

Which side of the fence do you want to be on? Do you want to go through life with good credit or bad credit? The decision really is up to you. Below are some top credit repair tips for consumers with credit problems.

1. Become familiar with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Right off the bat, let’s start with one of the best tips I could ever give you. It doesn’t sound like much fun especially when you see it on paper, but it really is very important and it won’t take that long. I’m not saying you need to read all of the technical legalese from top to bottom, but get familiar with what the FCRA is all about.

2. Any information can be disputed on your credit report.

I don’t know how else to put this: ANYTHING on your credit report can be disputed – personal information, public records, accounts, inquiries…ANYTHING!

3. Credit repair is a process.

If you have 20 negative accounts reporting on each credit report, do NOT dispute every single account. Credit repair is a process, not a one time deal. The credit bureaus are more likely to label your dispute as frivolous if you trying disputing that many items. Dispute no more than 3-5 accounts at a time.

4. Keep your dispute letters simple.

Unfortunately, many amateurs on the net are giving people long, drawn out, unnecessary “sample letters”. Sample letters are fine, but it’s unnecessary to mention laws, procedures, court rulings, or threaten law suits, etc. The credit bureaus know the law. There is no need to be condescending or act like you are a professional. That won’t get you very far.

Simply dispute the accounts you would like to have removed or updated. If your letter is confusing, it will more than likely get returned or thrown away. There is also no need to tell them your life story or why you were late or why it should be removed. They do NOT care. Keep it short and simple!

5. Procedural Request – Ask for Method of Verification.

So, after you’re first dispute you got a few accounts deleted – that’s great! But, what about the ones that came back as “verified”?

Send them a procedural request. If you request it, the credit bureaus are obligated by law to provide you with the method the creditors used to verify the information that they are reporting on your credit report. By requesting this information, you are forcing the credit bureaus to actually provide you with what they received from the creditor as valid proof. If the creditor replied to your dispute stating that the account should remain on your credit report, they need to have proof. The creditor rarely provides the credit bureaus with this information. So, when you do this you are putting pressure on them to either “prove it or remove it”.

Keep records of everything the credit bureaus and your creditors send you in case you should ever after to sue them for violating your federal rights.

Consumers may also submit statements explaining why they received certain negative credit marks. Congress passed amendments to the FCRA that went into effect in October of 1997 which improved consumers’ privacy rights and further protected the accuracy of credit report information. For example, the revision made it a civil law violation for someone to obtain a consumer report without a permissible purpose. The amendments also state that when a consumer disputes information, the consumer reporting agency and the original furnisher of the information must investigate the claim.

The FCRA also states that a consumer can make a legal claim against, and sue the credit bureaus, creditors and debt collectors who report erroneous information. The Fair Credit Reporting Act offers specific consumer protections for people that are victims of identity theft. The law also allows you to request a reinvestigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete.

Everything on a credit report can be disputed, including bankruptcies, charge-offs, collections, foreclosures, judgments, late payments, repossessions and tax liens. Consumers should also look for incorrect personal information such as incorrect names, birth dates, addresses, former addresses, social security numbers, aliases, spouses name, etc.

Even though the FCRA is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, the credit bureaus and some exploitative creditors still try to make credit report repair complicated and difficult. The process of credit report repair can be a difficult and frustrating experience for many consumers. If you decide to dispute items on your credit report please take the time to learn the relevant consumer protection statutes.

I strongly recommend that every consumer thoroughly read over and get a basic understanding of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 (FACTA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You should also get familiar with your state’s collection laws.

You can dispute a bankruptcy on your credit report the same way you can any other listing. If you are fortunate enough to get the bankruptcy removed, you will be able to start repairing your credit much easier. However, if you don’t change your spending habits and make some lifestyle changes, removing your bankruptcy will only delay your financial misery and you will be back where you started.

Learning from your mistakes and living below your means is the only way you will ever attain financial peace. Learn how to make a budget and stick with it. You should probably only get a couple credit cards strictly to rebuild credit. Discipline yourself to use them for nothing but credit rebuilding.

When you are ready to start rebuilding your credit (which should be immediately) you will need to start small. Don’t expect lenders to give your high credit limits right away. You may have to start off with unsecured credit cards with high interest rates. That’s why I suggest keeping a balance of only $50-$100 and ONLY using these credit cards to rebuild your credit.

While you are adding positive trade lines, it is important to also try to remove bad credit from your credit report. If you use both methods correctly, you should have respectable credit scores within 6 months to a year. At that time, you will be able to get better interest rates and should consider transferring any balances from the high interest cards to the new lower interest cards. Just remember, the best thing you can do for your financial future is learn how and why you got yourself into this situation and how you’re going to avoid it from happening again.

A typical credit repair service usually charges a few hundred dollars and takes about 6 months to repair your credit. It usually depends on how bad your credit is. Some clients can be finished within a month or two and will pay considerably less. Others can take over a year and cost more than a thousand dollars. Most credit repair companies have a one-time set up fee and then low monthly payments. It is in violation of the Credit Repair Organizations Act to charge the full amount before they provide any services.

Unfortunately, the credit repair industry has received a bad reputation because of the publicity given to credit repair scams. While fraudulent credit repair firms tend to be shut down quickly, it is still in your best interest to learn how to identify the differences between a legitimate credit repair service and a credit repair scam.

Some warning signs to look out for:

• The company wants you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services.
• They don’t tell you your legal rights and what you can do for yourself for free.
• They suggest that you try to invent a “new” credit identity and a new credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number. This is highly illegal. If you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution.

You should also research a credit repair company at the BBB (Better Business Bureau). The BBB keeps notes on complaints made against companies. If the BBB report for a credit repair company lists multiple unresolved complaints or an overall low rating, you should be wary of the company.

Check out the Top Credit Repair Companies online.