CREDIT REPORTS

With very few exceptions, one of the first things a potential lender will ask you for when you apply for a mortgage loan is your permission to run a credit check.

If you have some concerns about your credit history and rating, you might want to think about what some people call a “no credit check mortgage.” There are lenders that specialize in helping people with bad credit purchase homes and acquire financing at a reasonable interest rate.

Do Mortgage Lenders Always Perform a Credit Check?

What happens to your credit score when you cancel a credit card? There are an awful lot of myths and misinformation surrounding this topic. Depending on who you talk to or what you read on the internet, canceling a credit card can be the best thing that could happen to your credit score, or the worst mistake you could possibly make.

You can obtain one free credit report online per year from the three major credit bureaus since 2005 and the passing of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which was designed to help consumers. To comply with this new law, the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and Transunion – pooled their resources to create a website that allows you to get your free credit report from all three agencies in one place: www.annualcreditreport.com. Remember that you only get one free annual credit report per year so if you need to have your credit checked later on, you’ll most likely have to pay for it.

Obtaining a Free Credit Report Online

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You know that your credit score, or FICO score, is a number that is used by lenders to evaluate your creditworthiness as a borrower. Your score is based on information from your credit report. If you want to buy a car, apply for a mortgage, or get a credit card, the lender will assess the likelihood of your default on a loan and whether you will make timely payments if they extend credit to you by examining this number.

By making payments on time, not defaulting on any loans and adhering to all rules and regulations of all of your financial relationships, you can ensure a good credit score.  Unfortunately, sometimes may go wrong affecting your good credit standing.  If you have fallen behind in a mortgage payment or filed for bankruptcy, these things will stay on your credit report for certain periods of time.

Most Blemishes on Your Credit Report are Removed After 7 Years

This is a guest post by Mr Credit Cards from www.askmrcreditcard.com.

We all know that your credit score is used to determine if you get accepted for a credit card. Did you know that it has ramifications far beyond mere credit cards?

Think money isn’t a romantic subject? It can be. After all, consider what can happen to the love when you don’t come together on vital financial issues. Confusion, anger, resentment–even divorce can take its place. Here are my top eight topics to tackle and resolve before saying “I do.”

1. Your financial and lifestyle dreams: You may want to save for penthouse living and a home in the Hamptons, but your partner could be aspiring for a more austere existence. Discuss what each of you wants to do with the money you make and accumulate together. This information will be integral to avoiding serious conflict later.

Have you ever applied for a job only to discover later that the company ran a credit check on you, which may or may not have affected you being hired? If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Many companies are now taking it upon themselves to check your credit as a screening tool to determine whether you’re a desirable employee. But how in the world are they doing it?

How Employers Are Checking Your Credit

Disputing a bad item on your credit report can be very gratifying since you know it will eventually be removed. However, the question is: how long will it take? You probably have already been briefed that if you want a legitimate debt to be removed, it can take 7-10 years depending on what that debt is. Removing a bad debt is a little bit different.

What is Considered a Bad Debt On a Credit Report?

Ryan Guina is an entrepreneur and writer. He has worked for Fortune 500 companies and served six years in the USAF. He writes about money management and small business topics at Cash Money Life and military money topics at The Military Wallet. You can follow his twitter feed.

Your credit report includes very important documentation of your credit history, which is used by lenders to assess risk as well as employers and other agencies which have a vested interest in how well you manage your credit and finances. For this reason, it is imperative each consumer not only take the necessary steps to improve their credit management but also to remain abreast of the information reported to the credit bureaus.