In today's economy it is now more important than ever to maintain a good credit score as credit card and lending companies have become more restrictive when it comes to credit approval. Whether you have a low credit score or are in a financial crisis, there are several legal steps that you can take without paying for a lawyer or debt counselor to repair your credit. One of the first steps you must take is to obtain a copy of your credit report that contains your credit information from all three of the major credit bureaus.

You are legally entitled by law to one free credit report per year that contains your credit rating from all three of the major credit bureaus that include Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It is essential to check these reports for any errors such as credit accounts that you do not hold and late payments that you may not have incurred. Unfortunately, many errors are made by lenders and credit bureaus on a daily basis and these can significantly lower your credit score. If you should find errors, these can be removed by filing a dispute with the credit bureau or lender responsible.

Simply applying for credit cards or loans also affects your credit score; therefore, you should be conservative and limit the number of credit applications you fill out. Another effective way to improve your credit rating is by obtaining a sub-prime merchandising card. These are basically the same as a major credit card except they can only be used with specific merchandisers - typically the one who gives you the card. By making small purchases and paying off the balance will increase your credit score. There are numerous other ways that you can legally manipulate your credit score even when you are in a financial crisis, have bad credit, or no credit. If you would like more information on these methods including the proper forms required to file a dispute, please visit us today!