All of us have probably been informed that our credit report is a very important document. Its importance will increase if we have been denied credit and realize that we must repair poor credit.

The three major credit reporting agencies are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The reports from all three agencies are needed because creditors and lenders may not all report to the same agency and the reports may be different. If you go to annualcreditreport.com you can find out the procedure for obtaining your reports. You can get a free report from all yearly.

The reports will all contain a section with the usual identifying information such as name, address, social security number, etc. The reports will not have information about you personally such as race, assets, salary.

There will be a section related to any credit lines. These credit lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each credit line was opened, credit limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.

Credit reporting agencies also receive information from the court system. This section will have a listing of bankruptcies, liens, judgments, divorce.

An inquiry from a credit reporting agency will be made each time you apply for any type of credit. These inquiries will be on your credit report and stay on for 2 years. Also, when you make your own inquiry, it will also be on the report.

If the information on your credit report is positive, this is to your benefit. If the report has negatives, this information will remain for 7 years. A bankruptcy remains for 10 years.

It is our personal responsibility to monitor our own credit profile, have errors changed and work to repair our credit. Definitely request your credit reports from all 3 agencies, find discrepancies and mistakes and get them fixed.

Reviewing the information below will help you understand why you should review and maintain your credit report, using credit score repair basics.

All of us have probably been informed that our credit report is a very important document. Its importance will increase if we have been denied a loan and realize that we must repair it or if we have been a victim of identity theft. Below you will find what is typically on your credit report and some precautions you can take to prevent identity theft from happening.

First its important to obtain copies of your report from all three credit bureaus. A good place to do this is at Equifax themselves. You can get the 3 in 1 credit report – I personally monitor my Fico score as well but you don’t have to. These are the bureaus that your creditors report to and you will need to investigate all three to determine what incorrect and derogatory items you have.

The reports will have several sections. Know that there will not be personal or private information about your race, net worth, or salary included. There will be the usual identifiers such as name, address, and social security number in the first section. There will be a section related to any trade lines. These lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each trade line was opened, limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.

The court system also provides information to the reporting agencies. Such reported information will include bankruptcies, divorce, judgments, and liens.

Each time you apply for a credit card, car loan, or other type of line of credit, an inquiry is made on your credit report. At the end of your credit report there is a list of all of the companies that have inquired about you. Make sure that you are paying special attention to that area, as that is an area that could warn you of someone trying to get credit in your name.

Of course, you want to do your best to keep your credit report clean. Every piece of negative information on your credit report will stay there for seven years. If you have a bankruptcy, it will stay there for ten years. .

It is important that we obtain and seriously review our reports to be aware of differences on each one, locate any and all errors. It is up to each individual to monitor his/her own profile, fix errors, and repair, if necessary.

You found yourself in a very bad financial situation. You may feel emotional, hopeless, guilty or all of them. You are afraid of hitting rock bottom. Before that happens, you need to take the necessary steps to get your financial life in order. You need to look long and hard at your credit use and spending habits. It doesn’t mean a “debt consolidation,” program or a home equity loan .The word is PLAN.

First of all, you are going to need to collect all your credit reports, credit card and bill payment records, mortgage and loan information. It is likely that some of your repair activities will be going on simultaneously. Debt worksheets are available online to help you.

Make sure your credit reports are accurate. This may involve some written communications with one or the other of the three major credit bureaus. Be persistent.

Record in black and white all of your financial obligations. This will affect the money management part of the plan. Do list all credit cards in order of highest to lowest interest rates. Also include the monthly minimum payment required for each card.

Now need to know your DISPOSABLE AND DISCRETIONARY INCOME. These “d” words are significant for your plan. Disposable income is the amount of money that comes out of your salary to cover necessary obligations like mortgage, food, utilities, insurance, car, credit cards. Subtract total disposable income from salary, you have discretionary income, the amount to be applied to debt.

Decide which credit cards, and loans that you will pay down in order. For the first one you decide to pay down, pay as much more than minimum as you can. Pay the minimum on the others. When the first is paid off, start applying that same amount to the next debt in line. It won’t be a fast process.

To immerse yourself in this change of pattern of handling money, you need commitment and will not feel comfortable for awhile. Lifestyle changes are needed. You will need to cease unnecessary spending, buy only essentials, avoid travel, eat at home, pay bills on time and stop charging.

The bottom line of the situation is that you are responsible for creating it. There is no credit angel. You need to fix it and use smart money management techniques to maintain your repairs.

Perhaps it is time to seriously look into your personal financial situation. We should always be monitoring our credit because it needs to remain GOOD. However, if you have recently been denied credit or if you are in shock from looking at your credit card balances or bank statements and you don ‘t seem to have enough cash flow, you need credit repair.

Even if you feel paralyzed by fear about seeing your financial history in black and white, you are the only one who can deal with your financial situation. So, confront your fear and arrange to receive your credit report(s).

We do know that our ability to get a mortgage, car loan, personal loan, credit cards is dependent on a good credit rating. We also need to know that there are other issues at stake for us if our credit risk is poor. Your level of debt and credit card payments have the most effect on your credit score. There are some areas affected by a poor credit rating that you might not know about. You need to increase your awareness of these areas which add more reason for you to repair your credit.

Negative effects of poor credit:

a. Denied car loan b. Denied employment c. Denied health, life, homeowner’s insurance d. Denial of /or high interest rates for credit cards and loans e. Denial of a cell phone contract f. Being unable to start your own business

Our financial world can be successful or miserable, but credit is the basis for our personal financial world and we need credit. Therefore, if you have defaulted (or are close), are having cash flow problems, large credit repair balances, credit repair is a necessity.

It is possible for you to repair your credit. You can research the ways to get your credit report(s). There are 3 major credit reporting bureaus. Compare your reports, and dispute any errors (see Fair Credit Reporting Act).

Reestablishing good credit is work, but well worth it. Contact your creditors and explain your situation. If creditors realize that you are serious about debt repayment, they will be more likely to work with you. Information is available to assist you.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is written as a protection for the consumer and not the credit reporting agencies. Please see www.ftc.gov/s/statutes/fcradoc.pdf for details of this important act.

You will learn that you have a right to see the information all credit reporting agencies have about you. All these credit agencies are in the business of making money and need to show a “profit.” The FRCA explains what consumers are entitled to see and consumer rights.

There is much information on your credit report regarding your financial picture. Even though most of the entries may be accurate, it is possible that you may find false and/or outdated information in these documents. This could be an unwelcome surprise.

According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) tells us that we can fix any problems with our credit reports ourselves without any help from a possibly disreputable company. According to the FCRA, the only “negative information” that can remain on your credit report is “negative information” that can be proven to be true.

Get your credit reports, compare, mark any entries that you believe are false. If it’s negative and true, it has to stay. Then you will make your case for why information is false.

All of your data regarding inaccurate information will need to be documented and provide your proof of an error. This will be sent to the Credit Bureaus who must respond. It will be up to them to prove all information is true.

Only you can decide if you will be able to carry out this process on your own behalf. If not, you may consider “Credit Counseling.” This also needs to be done very carefully. Avoid those agencies that promise to change your credit almost overnight. It’s probably too good to be true. In addition, you may be asked to pay an “upfront” fee and monthly fee. These are also agencies that need to make money. They could be SCAMS.

You can be sure that there are honest companies and people who will provide help. Try finding referrals from others to help find a reputable person who will address your needs.