Are you in "Credit Prison"?

Boy, it seems like it sometimes.  Perhaps you have experienced a job loss, health problem, business loss or a divorce.  The result was late payments or perhaps a foreclosure or bankruptcy. 

With 7 to 10 year time frames for having the negative items removed from your credit reports, it sure does feel like one is doomed when it comes to credit following such an event.  The result of less than stellar credit is higher interest rates on mortgages, car loans, personal loans, and credit cards; higher insurance rates; and even the inability to get a job or rent an apartment without a cosigner.  However, there are things that you can do now to help rebuild your credit.  You can legally repair your credit, without resorting to illegal tactics such as getting a new identity (clearly a fraud), by legally challenging the credit bureaus to remove any and all inaccurate, outdated and unvalidated negative items from your credit reports.

How do you do this?

Well, you could hire an attorney who is highly experienced in credit law.  

They challenge the credit bureaus and your creditors to "validate" each and every negative item on your credit report.  If the item can't be validated (not just verified) and some aspect of the reported item is inaccurate, the law requires the credit reporting agencies to remove such inaccurate, outdated and unvalidated items including bankruptcies, liens, judgments, late pays, repossessions, and foreclosures. But most attorneys will charge you thousands of dollars.

You could hire a credit repair company who writes dispute letters for you and who knows the best and most effective ways to challenge negative information and improve credit scores. Many of these are scams and some can be very costly charging upfront and monthly fees that total hundreds if not thousands of dollars to do the same thing you can do.  However, many are reputable and professional.  Make sure anyone offering credit repair services meet all aspects of the CROA (Credit Repair Organizations Act).  For example, they can't charge you any upfront money or monthly fees until after the agreed upon service has been provided to you.  Many states have special regulations for Credit Repair Organizations.  Check them out for your state, contact the Better Business Bureau for your area to see if there are any complaints against the CRO you are considering.

Or, you could DIY, "Do It Yourself".  With the right training and knowledge you can do a pretty good job yourself.  You do this by investing in credit repair courses and eBooks.  Learn all that you can and then start the process of challenging inaccurate, outdated and unvalidated negative items.  This is not an overnight project.  It takes time and perseverance.  Go to our special website set up for the credit repair do-it-yourselfer: