Whether you’re dealing with bad credit now or you’ve cleaned up credit problems in the past, there are steps you can take to rebuild a good credit history. Wiping out problems isn’t always enough.

If you’re looking to improve your own credit history in the future, here are some steps and tips you can follow. read more..

It’s important that you (and all consumers) understand your credit situation as much as possible. Knowing where you stand now can influence major financial decisions in the future — from which debts to tackle first to determining how much you want to borrow for a major purchase like a new home.

Here are three things you can do to better monitor your ongoing credit situation so you always have the information you need to make responsible decisions. read more..

You’ve probably heard that you need “good” credit to get approved for a credit card or loan. But what makes your credit history good or bad? And if your credit history isn’t where you’d like it to be, what can you do to improve it? In other words, how do you get “good” credit?

Let’s look at a few things that represent a good credit history, and how you can improve your own credit even if you’ve made some financial mistakes in the past. read more..

We’ve talked about why and when you should check your credit file. We’ve talked about what to do if you find mistakes there, and even what to do if your creditor won’t fix credit file mistakes when you first contact them. You know mistakes in your credit file can hurt your chances of getting credit when you need it. But how do those mistakes actually happen?

Before trying to repair credit card errors it can help to know how they were introduced to your credit history in the first place. Here are some of the ways that might happen. read more..

You know that it’s important to check your credit file regularly. Not only can you identify and deal with potential fraud that way, but you can also find mistakes that could negatively impact your perceived creditworthiness.

What happens when you do find a mistake in information reported by a creditor, and they won’t agree to fix that information when you bring it to their attention? Here are a few suggestions on escalating the issue. read more..