Credit Repair: the Cost of Errors
Credit Report Errors Mean Consumers Lose
In 1998 the Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) published a now famous report called, Mistakes Do Happen: Credit Report Errors Mean Consumers Lose. This report detailed the results of the PIRGs sixth study on the accuracy of credit reports. The results, in their words, were troubling, and revealed that an alarming number of credit reports contain serious errors. Here are some of the highpoints (or low points) of their study findings.
Serious Errors can Have High Costs
Seventy percent of all of the credit reports investigated contained errors. The errors uncovered by the study were broken down into categories based on the severity of the errors. The worst of the errors occurred in twenty nine percent of the credit reports and were likely to result in the outright denial of credit. This type of error included accounts that are incorrectly marked as delinquent, accounts that do not belong to the consumer, and derogatory public records such as judgments that belong to someone else.
Not a Small Issue
The types of errors noted above are obviously very serious. It should be emphasized that twenty nine percent is a horrendously large number. This number alone indicates that you have more than a one in four chance of having errors on your report that will cause you to be denied credit. An additional result of this misreporting may include your placement into a sub-prime credit category and result in you receiving a higher cost loan than you would otherwise have received. Translated into dollars there is the potential for a life changing impact on your financial wellbeing.
Little Things Count
Forty one percent of the credit reports reviewed contained personal identifying information that was out of date or belonged to someone else. These erroneous items included incorrect Social Security numbers - often belonging to total strangers, wrong birthdates, addresses that had never been lived at, and employers that the consumers had never worked for. Here again it is essential to consider, not only the massive numbers of errors that are indicated by the study results, but the implications of these results. These statistics show a massive potential for every credit report to contain potentially costly errors.
Missing Accounts Can Hurt
Twenty percent of the credit reports reviewed were missing major account information such as auto loans, mortgages, and other consumer accounts that could have demonstrated the credit worthiness of the consumer. Credit repair programs like ours discover these omissions on a daily basis. In many cases a credit report is as damaged by the absence of these major accounts as it would be by the presence of erroneous derogatory accounts.
Closed Versus Open Accounts
Twenty six percent of the credit reports contained accounts that had been closed by the consumer but remained listed as open accounts. Keeping in mind the significance that the FICO scoring method places on the number and status of current accounts it is clear that even this seemingly harmless omission by the credit bureaus can potentially cause expensive and intolerable damage to ones credit. In the majority of these cases it was concluded that this error could make it appear that the consumer is currently over extended and cause the denial of a credit application.
Credit Bureaus Are Not Government Agencies
The information noted above is an indication of the severity of the reporting problems that occur. We have been helping our clients with credit repair since 1989. I often find myself correcting customers' impression that the credit bureaus are in some way connected to the government. This belief is understandable. The credit bureaus have a major impact on your financial life. But although the bureaus seem like an omniscient Big Brother, they actually have no connection to the government at all. In fact, they are under constant scrutiny and have been fined many millions of dollars for their failure to cooperate with consumers' efforts to fix reporting errors.
Your Rights
Significant legislation has been enacted to protect you from the impact of the credit bureaus inaccuracies. The right that you have to receive copies of your three credit reports for free on an annual basis is not a friendly public service by the credit bureaus. The bureaus have been required to provide this service as one of the protective measures included on the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. Your credit report can have a major impact on your financial life. Give your credit the attention that it deserves and review your reports regularly.
Copyright © 2007 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Related Tags: money, credit repair, debt, credit, self improvement, personal finance, budget, credit scores, money saving tips, home finance
Jim Kemish is the president and founder of Power Mortgage, a Florida mortgage company based in Delray Beach, Florida. Power Mortgage Corp was established in 1989 and serves the states of Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Jim is also the President of Sky Blue Credit, a national credit repair business. For great mortgage and credit tips visit the Florida Mortgage Blog.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- What's In Your Credit Report?
IdentificationYour name, address, social security number, birthdate and previous and current employm - Pros And Cons Of Low Purchase Rate Credit Cards
Low interest credit cards are outstanding until the time period runs out. Most of these offers promo - Bad Credit Loan Scams
There are several bad credit loan scams out there. These are usually aimed at those that don't have - Successful Credit Repair Methods
If you bad credit, you are not alone. Fact of the matter is there are tens of thousands in the count - Auto Loans Bad Credit: Bad Credit Is Not An Obstacle Now
Now a days, people want their own Cars. Though there are Public Transport Systems, they do not watch - Credit Card Services For Your Business
Co Branded Credit cards can be very beneficial for you if you have a business. These cards are onlin - Will The Actual Natural Motion Endure Large Food? -- Horizon Milk
The natural food business may be going through major work day in energy in the past 10 years. Becaus - Prices Of Dlp Lamp Alternative Parts - Dlp Bulbs
Since you will have to purchase a DLP> lamp each and every few years, it might be useful to know the - Dlp Bulbs -- Facts About Dlp Lamp Replacement
With regards to technical breakthroughs there aren't many things that are more popular than tvs and - Ways Which Anybody May Restore Their Very Own Credit Rating Easily - Credit Repair For Dummies
If you listen to a lot of the actual ads which are available regarding credit>, more than likely you
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Credit - Repair
To make the life more comfortable people purchase lots of things from clothing to cars and homes tha - Helpful Tips For Using Low Interest Rate Credit Cards
People with good credit ratings often receive offers for low interest rate credit cards. A credit ca - Benefits to Businesses Accepting Credit Cards
Many business owners report a sharp increase in profit when they begin accepting credit cards as a m - How To Remove A Bankruptcy From Your Credit Report
Credit report repair can be a long, tedious process and one of the hardest items to get removed is a - Putting Low Interest Rate Credit Cards To Work
If you have a solid credit rating, then you may receive offers for low interest rate credit cards. Y - Buying A Car With A Personal Contract Purchase Loan
If you are looking to buy a car but are unsure whether or not a new car is worthwhile, then you shou - Credit Repair - Tips And Tricks That Work
When you apply for credit, your lender will request a credit report from a credit reporting agency. - Bad Credit Debt Consolidation
No doubt there are numerous bad credit personal loans but hunting for a secured loan for bad credit - Before You Buy
Check out the market in the area you want to buy. Find out what price houses are going for and - Top 10 Keys To Creating A Good Credit Score
We know it can be unfair but credit is used for everything these days. Utility companies are even us