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The Credit Repair Professional

The credit repair business requires a clear grasp of the interaction of many factors. Credit bureaus, creditors, and collectors are each regulated under their own set of federal laws. There are state laws that may supercede the federal laws. In the background of all of this activity is Fair Isaac and Company that formulates your FICO Score based on the makeup of the information on your report. Credit repair professionals must have a working knowledge of all of these factors and more.

And the Not-So-Professional

True credit repair professionals provide an incredibly valuable service. But there are also those that misrepresent themselves and the services they offer. These deceptive practices will waste your money, and in some cases leave you worse off than ever. Here is our list of the top offences…

Authorized User Alert

Some so-called credit repair companies have been brokering “authorized user” status on credit card accounts. This involves making the customer an authorized user on someone else’s credit card to boost the customers FICO score. This is not illegal, but you should be aware that Fair Isaac and Company, in response to this practice, has eliminated authorized user benefits from the new FICO scoring model. According to Fair Isaac, one of the three credit bureaus will begin using the new scoring model in September 2007. The other two credit bureaus will adopt the new model by mid-2008.

The New Identity Trap

There is a busy little credit repair sub-culture that offers to help you establish a new identity by applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) which they suggest that you use in place of your Social Security Number. This amazes us! And it is a serious crime that could put you in prison. Steer clear.

Promises Promises

Watch out for companies that guarantee results such as a specific increase in your credit scores in a specific period of time. Professional, reputable credit repair companies can produce dramatic results! But given the fact that there is no way to predict the responsiveness of the credit bureaus, creditors, or collectors it is inappropriate to make such promises, and a sure sign of bad business.

The One-Dimensional Credit Repair Problem Read more of this >>