There are many companies that claim they will repair your credit. Sometimes there is no need to pay someone else to do the job that you can accomplish all on your own. The first step to clearing your credit is to check a copy of your credit report. Most people find their credit is not as bad as they anticipated. There are three main credit bureau companies that provide consumer credit reports and since they are competitors, they won't have the same exact information. Therefore, you need to get a copy of your personal report from each of them. When you receive a copy of your report, check it carefully. Verify each entry from your name and address, to every creditor listed on your report is absolutely correct. The bureaus only report the information they receive from creditors, so it is not an exact science and mistakes do happen. For each credit entry you are disputing provide the following information: Creditor, Account Number, Reason for Dispute. Sign and mail the form to the appropriate credit bureaus along with copies of any pertinent paperwork you may have. Keep a copy for your own records. Remember, all information on your credit report must be verified in order to be reported. Check your creditors to be certain the information you disputed was either verified and reported correctly, or removed. If you have existing collection accounts, now is the time to handle them. If your account has been turned over to a collection agency, deal directly with the agency. Contact the agency and offer to pay off the account at a settlement rate in exchange for deletion from your credit bureau. If they won't agree to delete it from your credit report, ask if they can simply show it as an unrated paid item. If you have several collection accounts, try to pay off or negotiate settlements on the small ones first. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and you won't feel like you're fighting a huge monster that can't be tamed. If you do it by yourself, you know it was done right! You to get better rates on loans and credit cards and you learned to check your report once a year to insure no errors exist.
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