Archive for May, 2008

Ask your mortgage professional…

…to perform a cost analysis to determine if consolidating your credit card debt and mortgage into one loan will be beneficial. It is difficult to determine what is the best decision until you do the math and let a comparison show you how much you can save from a debt consolidation loan. Many times, the […]

Most lenders will use the…

…middle of the three credit bureau credit scores when reviewing your loan application file. There are some exceptions.

Many people are tempted to…

…enlist the help of a consumer credit counseling agency. Although they can help get your bills in order, there are a few negatives that can go along with this decision.For example, on your credit report most of your creditors will report that you are in consumer credit counseling. This can be seen as a negative […]

The three major credit bureaus…

…Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union all use their own unique scoring models. Most lenders will look at all three of your credit bureau reports and scores, commonly referred to as a tri-merge report. The difference between the three credit bureau scores can be significant due to the different scoring models that each bureau uses.

Some important tools to help…

…you measure if a refinance loan is beneficial are; Have you reached your credit limits on cards and loans?Have you carried a large balance on your cards for longer than 2 years?Has my interest rate increased due to late or slow pays?Will it take you longer than three years to pay off your current balances?Are […]

Designers of credit scoring…

…models review a set of consumers - often over a million. The credit profiles of the consumers are examined to identify common variables they exhibited. The designers then build statistical models that assign weights to each variable, and these variables are combined to create a credit score. Models for specific types of loans, such as […]

Another advantage of a…

…debt consolidation refinance is that the interest you pay is probably tax deductible. This can be a huge advantage come tax season. Be sure to ask your accountant if your mortgage interest will be tax deductible.

One way to get out of…

…debt is to refinance your mortgage and consolidate all, most, or some of your debt into your mortgage. To do this you would need to have some equity available in your home. By refinancing your mortgage you can save hundreds of dollars per month and many times even thousands of dollars per month off of […]

If you have zero credit…

…and cannot qualify for a credit card or car loan, never mind a mortgage, a secured credit card is always a great place to start. Most banks provide secure credit cards. You bring them the amount you wish to open the card with. Some banks may have minimum limit requirements. For a $300 card you […]

The first thing to do…

…is to figure out how much debt you actually have. most people don’t realize the amount of debt they have and how much it costs them each month. Once you do that, you need to get a plan established to pay the debt off in the shortest amount of time possible. The fastest way to […]

If you have any errors on…

…your credit report then this is where you want to focus your imagery.Call the creditors that have reported the error and obtain a status letter about the history of your account. This might take some effort if this is a collection agency but well worth the effort.Once you have the letters stating your status, mail […]

A very important part…

…of getting out of debt is to stop the debt from increasing. This can be done by paying your bills on time and reducing the debt amount. Also, rolling the credit card debt into your mortgage will lower the interest charged and help you get out of debt.

When is the last time you…

…requested a credit limit increase? A higher credit limit can increase your score because it reduces the ratio of credit used to maximum balance. A good general rule for optimizing your credit score is to call you credit card companies every six months to request a credit limit increase.

Most people don’t even realize…

…how much interest they are paying on their credit card balances. Credit card companies headquartered in Delaware or Utah or the Dakotas are not regulated as to how much interest they can charge, and if you take a look at your statement very closely, you will probably find that your credit card issuer is in […]

Many credit vendors offer…

…rapid rescore type products, which tell you exactly what items to correct and what effect it will have on the credit score. Usually, you can fax the documentation needed and have the score raised within a few days. There is an extra charge for this type of rapid rescore.

If you are like most Americans…

…now days you probably have a large amount of unsecured high interest debt. This is usually on high interest credit cards and unsecured personal loans.

The first thing you…

…should do when trying to improve your credit score is to obtain a current credit report from all 3 credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian). This will let you know exactly what is hurting your score the most, and give you a chance to identify anything that is being reported inaccurately. Dispute any errors immediately […]

Delinquencies are just one reason…

…credit scores fall. Most people do not realize that balances on revolving credit has a huge impact on your scores as well. As a rule of thumb, you ideally want to keep your balances on credit cards, equity lines, etc. below 35%.

The most widely used…

…benchmark for HELOCs is the prime rate. If you have a open ended second mortgage, you can track the prime rate in the “Wall Street Journal,” which is the official source.

You can achieve financial…

…independence if you eliminate your debt. This can be done by restructuring your debt. If you utilize your savings you can get an unfair advantage over the credit card companies. This will allow you to be debt free in 5-7 years

Interest paid on credit…

…card debt is not generally tax deductible, but mortgage interest generally is.

U.S. Consumer debt totals…

…over 2 trillion dollars and the average household carries more than $8,000 in credit card debt and more than half of those households only make the minimum monthly payments.

Credit card debt is the…

…number one reason people don’t achieve wealth. most Americans just manage their debt and never do anything to get rid of it. you just keep paying and paying. your balance never goes down, but the interest continues. the key to being financially strong is to be debt free

There are many things most…

…Americans don’t know about credit cards. For example, did you know that even if you make all of your credit card payments on time, your credit card company can raise your interest rates automatically if you are late on other payments, like car or phone payments, or if you take on additional debt? This practice […]

Ever worry about your credit…

…card debt and how you plan to pay it off? Well listen to this, 9 of 10 Americans claim credit card debt has never been a source of worry.

Debt. The ugly word we…

…all experience at least during some point of our lives and for some of us will have to manage till the end. Effective management of debt can also lead to riches while poor management of debt can lead to rags. Here are some interesting facts you may have or may not have known about that […]

Many states are currently working…

…on legislation to limit the interest rates a payday loan company can charge the consumer.

If…

…you have had a bankruptcy, you can expect it to stay on your credit report for up to 7 full years. Although it will still show, there are ways to still increase your credit score after a bankruptcy.

Statistics show that the…

…payday loan industry’s profit comes primarily from repeat borrowers, who are unable to pay their loans off on the due date and repeatedly renew their payday loans, paying fees each time. To use payday loans effectively they must be paid off on time.

Even with the fees and interest…

…charged by Payday loan companies, Payday loans can still offer a tremendous benefit to consumers who are in a temporary tight spot. It would be very beneficial to use a Payday loan company versus being 30 days or more late on your credit report, especially if you have the money coming in, but just a […]