Credit In The Modern World
Author: T.B. Collins
Credit is in every avenue of the modern day world, you can not make a major purchase without the use of credit this includes a auto or a home purchases. But, many consumers are unaware of how their credit stands, and are usually surprised when applying for a credit card and they are rejected. This is commonly due to negative entries on their credit report, or out-of-date information that does not match the information supplied on the credit application. Because of this the credit report has become the mainstay of judging a consumers ability to repay a debt, and the credit report is based on the past payment history of the consumer.
Credit is not a new financial purchasing method, it has been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until the early forties that it became a means of payment available to the everyday consumer. With the advent of the bankcard, a card that represented the issuing institution that was distributed by major banks is the reason credit became a major business; these bankcards later became known as credit cards. The banks would issue these cards to their clients as an alternative to carrying large amounts of cash, and it was commonly accepted only by merchants that used the same bank as the client that the card was issued to.
One of the most common misconceptions is that Visa and MasterCard are banking institutions, these companies are not banks they simply saw an opportunity to use the services banks provided to earn an income. They took the bankcard principle and expanded to include merchants that were not affiliated with the bank and convinced them to accept their card for a discount of the purchase price, and they would take the risk of collecting the debt. By putting their name and reputation on the line they built a business taking the reporting agencies.
Now that credit cards are a major business, the services of the consumer reporting agency, otherwise known as the company that maintains the credit files, is in great demand. The reason for this is that credit card companies use the consumer reporting agency to establish a potential clients’ creditworthiness, and because of this other lending institutions use their services to rate your ability to repay. This makes the credit file or report a very important aspect of establishing or building credit, but a bad credit history is not the end of re-establishing credit.
There are laws that have been established to protect the consumer against their previous bad payment history being reported indefinitely on their credit file. These laws also give the consumer the ability to update their credit file and dispute inaccurate information that may be contained on the credit file. This gives the consumer the right to re-establish their credit, but dealing with consumer reporting agencies is not as easy as it sounds, the good news is that there are companies that specialize in repairing damaged credit like Millennium Credit Service and their website is located at
http://www.millennium-credit.com.
These companies know the laws that protect the consumer, and how to use them to help their clients re-establish good credit. So maintaining an up-to-date and accurate credit file is relatively easier with the use of these services, but a lot of time is still required to clean up past credit problems. The good news is that once your credit is clean the consumer is more likely to keep it clean, and use it wisely in a world that is based on credit, because they know the need for credit and understand what bad credit can mean.
About the Author
T.B. Collins is the president of Millennium Credit Service, and has been offering credit repair advice for over 10 years. To find out more visit http://www.millennium-credit.com
What Debts Show Up In Your Credit Report?
A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) now requires the credit bureaus to provide consumers a free annual credit report upon request. Access to the free credit reports has been phased in beginning December 2004 in the West and will finally be nationwide by 1 September 2005. This is good news to consumers.
Now each year, you can request a copy of your credit report and check it for inaccuracies and evidence of identity theft. If you discover errors or missing items in your credti report you can petition the credit bureaus to make the necessary corrections (see Credit Reports for additional information.
You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three natonal consumer credit reporting companies, and many credit counselors recommend requesting all three since the information contained in each of the credit reports may be somewhat different. Also, it is wise to spread out your requests throughout the year so that you can see any sudden changes that might arise (for example case you are a victim of identity theft).
For more detailed information on how to get your free credit report, read Your Access To Free Credit Reports and "Free Credit Reports - Have You Requested Yours?"
What Is Your Current Credit Score?
But while you are now entitled to receive a free credit report from each of the Credit Bureaus, they are NOT required to provide you with your credit score for free and therefore the consumer credit reporting companies do not provide you with a copy of your current credit score when they send you you free credit report. Instead, they charge you to get a copy of your credit score. (For an explanation of the difference between your credit report and your credit score, and what they are used for, see Credit Reports vs Credit Scores
Nevertheless, you can obtain a free copy of your credit score from certain third parties. Click here, if you don't know what your Credit Score is.
As you make corrections to your credit report and begin to pay down your debts, you can watch your credit score rise.
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