Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Best Credit Repair Services - Do They Really Work?

By Leona Allen

The best credit repair services won't create false hope for a "miracle cure", but they definitely do help with the sometimes overwhelming task of improving your credit score. These companies aren't a panacea for financial mismanagement, however the best credit repair usually can help significantly to improve your credit score.

Hundreds of companies offer credit repair services today, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, most of them are scams. If they claim that they can erase bad credit, or guarantee to raise your credit score, you should be very wary.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, you can't remove accurate and timely negative information legally from a credit report. Even though many of these companies will suggest you dispute all negative entries on your credit report, you do so at your own risk. In most cases, this is illegal, even if you are following their advice.

The best credit repair services won't ask you to pay in order to get your credit reports. Under federal law, anyone can get their credit report from each of the three credit-reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) once every twelve months for free.

Much of what these companies do are things you can do yourself, however they can often help inform those who may not be aware of all their options. Taking on some of these tasks can help lower fees, or you can chose to do the whole thing yourself.

It is important to differentiate between credit repair services and "debt consolidators". A debt consolidator does not try to fix your credit, but rather works to help you bring your outstanding debt under control.

Debt consolidators do this by contacting your creditors on your behalf. They will negotiate a 'settlement' agreement, usually just a fraction of the actual amount owed. The debt consolidator will combine these settlements into a single amount. They will give you an amount within your budget to send them each month, and in turn they send a portion to each creditor.

The best credit repair services won't help much if the factors that led to credit problems don't change. Further, they don't provide the kind of "bailout" that erases bad debt like filing bankruptcy will. That being said, what they can do is help you to get your feet back on the ground and help set you on the road to improving your credit score, and in turn your whole financial future. - 16036

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