Mistakes Happen: Credit Report Errors Can Cause Bad Credit
Your credit report is a history of your financial activities used by creditors and other businesses to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance and employment. It is essentially your financial reputation. Unfortunately, the data contained in credit reports, which are bought and sold daily to nearly anyone who requests and pays for them, does not always paint an accurate picture. more

How Unpaid Medical Bills Can Lead to Bad Credit
Many people overlook their medical bills and do not realize the negative effect these outstanding bills could have on their credit score. With the rising costs of health care and the poor state of our insurance companies, medical collections are on the rise. After you receive medical services, your physician or hospital will bill you for any portion that wasn't covered by insurance. more

Monitor Your Credit Report, Without Paying Monthly Fees
Your credit report is one of the most important pieces of personal information you can have. It is needed for large purchases, banking, to deal with daily living expenses and in some cases even for employment. The statistics on credit reports errors are shocking. more

Understanding Inquiries
An inquiry is a record of someone checking your credit information. Inquiries are recorded so that potential creditors and lenders can view how often you have applied for new credit. The inquiry section of your credit report lists details about each inquiry made into your credit history, such as the name of the inquirer and the dates of inquiry. more

Who Can Access Your Credit Report
A credit bureau is an agency that compiles and distributes personal credit and other information to creditors. The three consumer reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The credit bureau gathers information about an individual's credit history on an ongoing basis. more

What Is Your Credit Report
Your credit report is like your financial report card. It is a history of your financial activities used by creditors and other businesses to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance and employment. more

How Long Negative Items Stay On Your Credit Report
Your credit report is filled with different types of information from your employment history to your credit card and mortgage activity. Your credit report also contains negative information like collection accounts, bankruptcies and tax liens. more

New Rules Let Consumers Dispute Credit Report Errors With Merchants
Beginning July 1, 2010, under a set of newly introduced guidelines, consumers will gain the right to take up disputes over credit report inaccuracies directly with the businesses that supplied the questionable data to credit reporting agencies. more