Consumerist
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personal information
Your Credit Report Isn't The Only Report You Should Monitor
When an insurer decides whether to offer you a new policy, or whether to raise rates on a current one, he most likely pulls a CLUE report that lists any homeowner or automobile insurance loss claims (or sometimes even just inquiries) that you've made over the past 3-7 years. Hopefully you monitor your consumer credit report for errors, but as you can see, that's not the only one you should keep an eye on. More »
10:53 AM on Wed Nov 11 2009
By Chris Walters
9,864 views, 30 commentsMost discussed shepd: I've ordered my auto insurance report, and it still had accidents past the mandatory date of expiry for my province. more »
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credit
Denied A Credit Card? Try A Reconsideration Letter
Frugal Travel Guy has a story of how he was able to get a credit card for his son after the company first denied him. The magic bullet was a well-crafted "reconsideration letter." What's that? More » -
credit scores
Negotiating Reduced Payoff Can Hurt Credit Score
Did you know negotiating a reducedpaymentpayoff with a lender negatively affects your credit score? More » -
refinancing
How A Disputed Item On Your Credit Report Can Screw Up Your Home Loan
Thanks to federal regulations, when you dispute an account on your credit report and the dispute is resolved in your favor, the credit reporting agency is required to remove or correct the account. Credit reporting agencies often don't do this, though, and the Washington Post notes that it can come back and interfere with your next home loan application. More » -
bullies
HSBC Really, Really Doesn't Want Reader To Cancel Best Buy Credit Card
James applied for a Best Buy Mastercard from HSBC. The initial application was easy enough, but the three separate confusing calls from outsourced customer service reps, and the low limit and annual fee on the card he eventually received led him to cancel his account. This should have been a straightforward transaction, but company representatives tried to bully James into keeping the credit card. More » -
security defects
Thief Runs Up $10,000 Credit Card Bill Using Only Name, Address, Social, DOB
John says that his wife's identity was stolen two weeks ago and since TransUnion shows your full credit card numbers on your credit report, the thief was able to run up a $10,000 credit card bill in his wife's name. More » -
credit reports
FTC Wants Your Input On How To Improve AnnualCreditReport.com
The problem with annualcreditreport.com—other than its name—is that getting your reports from the site is a little like dealing with GoDaddy: you have to deal with upsells and side-sells at every step. You can indeed get your free credit reports from the site, but you'll also have to keep turning down other offers from the three participating bureaus. Hell, there are even ads (sorry, "sponsor" links) on the home page, the one place where you'd hope for the least consumer confusion. More » -
annual fees
Help! My Credit Card Is Adding An Annual Fee!
Michael is in a situation that we anticipate will become very, very common in the coming months. His credit card company has imposed a $99 annual fee. He can accept the fee, or close his account. Not only is this his only credit card, but it's the oldest credit line he has, so closing it would hurt his credit score. What would you do? More » -
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time warp
You Paid Your Bill 3 Hours Early? Then It's 30 Days Late
John's fiancee bought an Apple computer earlier this year, financing it with a Juniper Visa account, then paying the account off early. That's the responsible thing to do, right? Not according to Juniper, which branded her as a filthy, filthy deadbeat. The bank marked the payment she sent in as "late" for arriving three hours before the end of the billing cycle. More » -
intimidation tactics
Freescore.com Sues Yahoo To Reveal Blogger's Identity
Freescore.com is one of those online companies that offers a free trial, and then attempts to enroll its customers in a $30/month subscription service. Now they're suing Yahoo in an attempt to reveal an anonymous blogger who quoted a Reuters article when criticizing the service, and who pointed out that Freescore is owned by a company with a reputation for billing customers without permission. More » -
spy on yourself
Seven Free Sites To Track Your Personal Information
The Consumer Reports Money Adviser has compiled a great list of sites that store your personal information and will provide free copies of their reports to you if you ask. More » -
credit
36 Risk Factors Creditors Use To Deny You Credit
Lenders can use the data from your credit report to deny you credit for any one of several reasons. If you are denied, you receive a letter identifying the credit reporting agency that provided the report, along with a risk factor reason code. Bargaineering published a list of the common risk factor codes that lenders use to deem you unworthy of credit. For all three reporting agencies, the cardinal sins are owing too much and failing to pay your bills. The list of codes, inside. More » -
discrimination
Hiring Consultant Warns: "No Connection Between Credit History And Job Performance"
Almost half of all employers use credit reports to judge job applicants, even though credit histories have no relation to job performance. Personal finance goofs are only relevant for jobs that deal directly with money—cashiers, account managers, and the like. For everyone else, negative credit reports keep otherwise capable people from securing a job to help avoid further financial problems. So why do so many companies still ask for credit reports? More » -
ask consumerist
How Long Before That Debt Falls Off My Credit Report?
Reader Frank asks,
Is a true that after 7 years your bad credits go away?
By credit you mean debts, and, for the most part, the answer is yes. However, it depends. Some negative information can stay on your report for up to 15 years. Here's a breakdown of how long each of 10 different kinds of negative items stay on your report, aka, drag down your credit score: More »
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success stories
EECB Finally Gets Someone At Bank Of America To Listen, Admit Responsibility
Bank of America messed up Andy's credit score by failing to send him credit card statements or giving him online access to an old account he only recently started using again. They also refused to work with him over the phone, telling him each time he called that they had no record of his previous conversations with customer service and therefore no reason to believe him. More » -
credit scores
Take Your Score From 650 To 800 With The Credit Karma Report Card
Credit Karma recently launched the free Credit Report Card service that assigns letter grades to each component of your credit score. If you want to improve your credit score, try to bring up your performance in areas where you have low or failing grades. Not every component has the same bearing on your score, so underneath each section Credit Karma tells you how much weight it has. For those who look at their reports and scratch their head, the Credit Karma report card, which is drawn from your TransUnion report, makes understanding why your credit score is the way it is a snap. Full screen shot inside. More » -
employment inquiries
Why Credit History Employment Inquiries Matter
Last week, we covered a story in which a job seeker was denied a job because of his credit report.
Have you wondered why? More »
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When your credit score sustains a dent, make sure your car doesn't. Because higher car insurance is just what you need when you've lost your job. Auto insurers use customers' credit scores as part of the formula to determine premiums. Shop around—different companies assign different weights to credit score in their calculations. [MainStreet.com]
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credit reports
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