Bad Credit - Just How Serious Is It?

If you've had a little bit of trouble financially lately, you're not alone. And of course, this little bit of trouble might have affected your credit rating. If so, not to worry.

People are slapped with bad credit ratings for several reasons. In many cases, it's through no fault of their own. As an example, you might get a bad credit score just because someone at the credit bureau itself mistakenly entered inaccurate data. It may also be that you have a very common name, for example, and someone sharing your name defaulted on a loan, went into bankruptcy, or had some other financial hardship situation, and that person's information got entered in your credit report. Other situations include a recent move, where a credit card bill got lost in the mail and you forgot to pay it. Although this can be expensive, it's an honest mistake. Certainly, it should not so adversely affect your credit report.

If you have a bad credit rating, this does not mean that your reputation or access to financial services is damaged forever. Indeed, you can fix this situation almost immediately, but you have to do some work to do that. However, if you are consistently behind on financial payments, or have other financial struggles that are "permanent," this is not a quick fix situation and credit counseling may be the best bet for you.

Indeed, bad credit is so common that the US Trustee Program of the Department Of Justice has approved of credit counseling agencies so that they can help people with credit difficulties. Their web site is www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/cc_approved.htm, and there are a list of credit counseling agencies available in your area that you can contact to help you.

Why Does Bad Credit Exist? In many cases, of course, the reasons you have bad credit are completely under your control. Among them are compulsive shopping, overspending, living beyond your means, et cetera. However, in many cases, you cannot control the reasons bad credit have happened to you, such as when personnel at the credit bureaus incorrectly enter your personal information. If you correct errors made in these types of situations, your credit rating will be restored quite easily and quickly.

There are other reasons why individuals have bad credit: being laid off the job - unfortunately, we live in an era of downsizing. Companies are slashing their budgets and trimming down staff numbers. When you are laid off unexpectedly, this can trigger off a string of events, some of which may affect your credit standing;

A second reason this may occur for you is if you are suddenly facing foreclosure for your home. Even people with steady jobs face this situation, since many bought overpriced homes in the previously inflated market through lenders who were willing to cut corners to help them buy homes they really couldn't afford. Many of these homes also had such risky elements as adjustable-rate mortgages, where the rate starts out at a very reasonable level and which the homeowner can pay easily. Then, however, rates can suddenly spike and this can increase the mortgage payment by hundreds or even a thousand or more dollars a month. Facing these types of situations, even homeowners who have previously been responsible about making mortgage payments are suddenly faced with a mortgage they cannot pay. In this case, foreclosure is often the only way the situation can rectify itself.

divorce is another popular reason for credit problems - credit counselors say that this is one of the more common reasons for earning a bad credit rating. When assets have to be divided up between husband and wife and there are alimony and child support payments looming in the horizon, money becomes scarce;

failing health can ruin a lot of credit ratings - people who fall ill unexpectedly or are suddenly suffering from a disability will not be able to continue working. We see here a domino effect: loss of health = loss of job = loss of earning potential = limited cash

Finally, the one situation that many Americans find themselves in and that can be avoided is simply overspending on "frivolous" expenses that they don't need. To do this, they "borrow" money from credit cards to live beyond their means when it's simply not necessary. Increasingly, today, society lives on "plastic," and many people have 2, 3, 4 or more credit cards that they use at will to buy things on credit they could easily do without. When it gets bad enough, even minimum payments are impossible to make and this can cause an adverse credit rating.

Avoiding Bad Credit Here's the golden rule on bad credit: before making any major purchases, request for a free copy of your credit report from Equifax or Trans Union. When you read something that you believe is false or inaccurate in the report, write a letter immediately and ask for proof or ask that the report be corrected immediately. Whatever you say to the credit bureau should be executed in writing. This is the only way you can show proof that you acted in good faith. Don't wait for weeks before questioning your credit report.

If you want to repair your bad credit and restore and then maintain your healthy credit rating, you should:

Keep careful track of both expenses and income. Once you do this over the course of a month, you will doubtless find many ways where you can "trim the fat." For example, if you eat out every day at work, you can save yourself several dollars a day, or as much as $50-$60 a week, if you pack your lunch instead of eating out, and reserve lunch out as an occasional treat instead of an everyday occurrence. To best create your budget, first start by jotting down all of your "must-have" expenses. These include your mortgage or rent payments, any car payments, student loan payments, food and basic utility and fuel expenses, insurance, etc. *All* of these expenses should comprise no more than about 60-70% of your total take-home income, with your mortgage and home expenses comprising no more than 30 to 35%, or about half of your "must-have" expenses. The remaining 30% or so should be divided such that you're saving 10 to 15% in retirement and investments of your income every month if you're under 35 years of age, or 20% if you are over 35.

Try to only spend less than 10% on "frivolous" expenses. Those things that you simply "want", but don't really "need"!

When you pay off debt, pay off the highest interest rate cards first. To do this, make the minimum payments on all of your other cards, then take the highest interest rate card and put all of your available "debt" cash toward that payment. Do this until you have paid off your highest interest rate card, then go on to the next. Make minimum payments on all of the lower interest rate cards, then take your highest interest rate card that still has a balance on it, and pay as much toward that as you can. You'll soon see that you can be debt free very quickly, as long as you practice discipline and diligence.

Finally, pay all bills on time - this applies to your mortgage, utilities, taxes and other bills. If you miss making punctual payments too frequently, this oversight on your part will be reflected in your credit report. Bad credit is no reason to panic. Be vigilant over your credit report, be prudent in your spending and be disciplined in respecting your budget.

Article Source: Main Articles

Steven J. Talrechi has been writing about credit reporting and credit reporting practices for over 10 years. He specializes in helping others get a second chance checking account and second chance bank account when they have been turned down by banks.

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