Artipot - Free Ezine Articles
 
Home » Finance » Credit

Tips To Help Students Repair Credit Score

By Mike Selvon
Nov 22, 2008
Stories litter small town America telling of college students who found themselves in $5,000 worth of debt and, unable to tell their parents, these young students took their own lives. They had no idea that there are credit card debt reduction companies that could have broken their financial obligations into one reasonable monthly payment, or that they could repair credit score history by writing a few letters.

The first step to repairing your credit score history is to understand the breakdown of that three-digit number and what factors into your score. Your payment history comprises 35% of the score, so always pay every bill and payment in advance.

This tells the lender how likely you are to pay them in full and on-time, without hassle. Also, the more recent the mistake, the worse it will be for your score. Another 30% of the score is based on outstanding debt, such as how much you owe on car loans or home loans and how many credit cards you have at their limits.

You should have no more than 3 credit cards at 25% or less of their limits. This indicates whether you're out-of-control, using up your limits, and whether you're literally living off credit or not. The length of time you've had credit will account for 15% percent of your score because lenders want to see that you have a long-standing history of paying responsibly.

Furthermore, 10% of the score is based on the number of inquiries on your report. If you are applying furiously for tons of cards, then this indicates that you're in some kind of financial trouble.

The last 10% of the score is based on the types of credit you currently have, which should be a mix of unsecured cards and revolving loans to show you're capable of managing money. Credit report repair should start with making timely payments, then working balances down to 30% of your limit, then on to things like type of credit.

To repair credit score numbers, you'll need improved credit history. You can achieve this by figuring out what caused you to fall behind and devising a new spending plan that can reduce your debt and set you up for a win. Often, you can negotiate new due dates or ask for reduced monthly payments from your creditors.

Collection accounts will sometimes send you a settlement letter, allowing you to pay less than the original amount; sometimes as little as half! As for your credit score, paying it off in full will look better than accepting the settlement offer, but be sure you negotiate with your collector before you pay a single dime, requesting that they remove the blemish from your credit, and get that in writing!

Experts say that to repair credit score numbers, you should not close out accounts. It's much better to use each card once a month and pay them all off in full. Generally, shredding and canceling your cards is bad when you're trying to repair bad credit because it shows two things: one, that you have less available credit and are therefore using more of your limit, and also that you have a shorter credit history.

If you've got way too many cards, then close out your newest accounts so you don't lose your long history. Phase out your accounts over several months, rather than hastily all at once. Verify that the accounts you've closed are reported as "closed by consumer." On the rest of your cards, keep moderate limits, keep your balances low (30% of available) and avoid revolving balances.
About the Author
Please Rate:

Rating:

(Average: Not rated)
Views:36 
Print Article Email Article Reprint Article Comments (0)
More Articles from Credit
Top Articles in Credit