Credit reporting agencies maintain electronic records of your credit activities. Today, there are three major national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. If you are planning on applying for a loan or credit anytime in the near future, it’s a good idea to obtain a copy of your credit report.

Several different credit reporting agencies exist, and different creditors can prefer to work with specific ones or with all of them. While many people know that credit reporting agencies exist, they may not be sure as to exactly what services these agencies perform.

What all this means is that you have to be aware of the state of your finances, and especially know what credit score you have. And just like the banks, you can get this information from a credit reporting agency. You can go through the agency to purchase a copy of your credit report. This is a document that provides details about your credit history and your record of payments, and it basically gives you an idea of how your creditors will see you as a loan applicant.

If you have been denied credit based on information in your credit report (the creditor must provide a reason for denial), you have 60 days from the day you receive a denial notice to receive a free copy of the credit report. Additionally, the law also entitles you to receive a free credit report every 12 months if you are unemployed and seeking work within the next 60 days, are on welfare or if your report is inaccurate as a result of credit fraud.

Alongside of the compiling of reports from creditors, the credit reporting agencies are also responsible for generating your credit score so that potential lenders and creditors can try and determine how much of a credit risk you may be. Your credit score has the potential to change with each positive or negative report that is received and placed into your file… positive reports can improve your score, while negative reports bring it down.

A credit report is a powerful piece of paper. Lenders look at it closely when deciding whether or not to give you a loan. Insurance companies can use it to determine your rates or whether they will cover you at all. Employers can access it and use it as a factor in offering you a job or promotion. With that much significance placed on your credit report, it is absolutely essential that the information it contains paints you in a good light.

One of the credit report repair secrets that companies are selling is information about obtaining your credit report. Some companies charge for credit report repair information, giving you what amounts to helpful hints; where to get your credit report; how to write a letter and other so called credit report repair information that you can find on your own for free. If you have any “proof” that the information is inaccurate, (statements, cancelled checks, the “proof” depends on the individual item) list it here and enclose a copy of this material with your credit report repair letter.

Credit report repair companies require an installment payment in the beginning and a monthly competitive fee thereafter. Not surprisingly, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union do not approve of credit report repair companies. Acting on your behalf, the credit report repair service takes your credit report, and using the fair credit reporting act and planned strategies, dispute any negative item on your credit report history that you have selected. Some companies may even offer an upgraded service to continue monitoring your reports for other negative damage to come. This option of credit report repair is far more expensive but is not as time consuming or nerve racking as filing and handling the disputes yourself.

Handling a credit report repair yourself or using a credit report repair company will take some time. Both options require an updated copy of all three credit reports. The credit reporting agencies have thirty days to respond to a filed dispute claim. The complete process may take much longer. Whichever method you choose to pursue, the key is patience and persistence.

If you find any inaccuracies, you can have your credit repaired by requesting, in writing, that the credit bureau investigate the disputed items. If you have any supporting documentation, include it, otherwise simply state where the confusion is and request that it’s looked into. This benefits you in two ways: first, if the credit bureau can not verify the information you are disputing, by default it must be removed from your file; second, if the bureau doesn’t respond to your request for an investigation within 30 days, the information in dispute must be removed.

The free instant credit report is processed online, you can never receive this report manually, and it usually takes some days to process. The offline or manual process is ordered for by either calling or sending a mail to the physical address of any of the national consumer bureaus. They will then process your request and give you a feed back. This process can take the maximum time of 15 days to finish, this time frame isn’t definite, and it can be faster or can even be delayed. Whether or not a report is free depends on the kind requested. There are basically three types, which are: the annual, the consumer and the business credit report.

The annual credit report is a report of the consumer credit history, given yearly on demand from all the three national consumer companies. The Fair Accurate Credit Transaction (FACT) Law mandated all three nationwide bureaus to give all consumers in the US a free copy of their credit report. So, every US citizen is entitled to a free report yearly. Other subsequent requests have to be paid for.

Many people want an answer to this. Knowing your current credit report is important, but one has to be equally cautious while getting this information. You need to check your credit report at least once in six months. Remember checking your credit report helps in protecting your credit rating. Moreover, it also helps you to keep a check on your creditors. There may be times when your creditor might fail to report a past due balance.

The business credit report which is an account of the credit history of any business and company like the consumer credit report, this is not a free instant credit report – it is paid for, online in the process of application.

An online instant credit report may not be infallible, as there may be mistakes such as wrong or misspelled names, faulty addresses and erroneous social security numbers. Anyone requesting a credit report must keep a vigilant eye on the credit history. There may be mistakes in reporting delinquencies, or missed payments might be mentioned that may not have occurred. Any discrepancy in the credit report must be reported to the credit bureau within a month. The company will look into the complaint and clear up the confusion.

How many credit cards do you need? There is no one correct answer to this question. However, as few as possible is really the best advice – it is easy to go overboard with credit and common sense tells you to keep spending on credit under control. You know as well as I do that common sense isn’t always what dictates the decisions people make though. There is a culture of instant gratification in this country – and while there is nothing inherently wrong with spending, there is with letting credit cards spending get out of control.

Credit cards are the one of the primary enablers of compulsive spending. Let’s have a look at some of the facts here:

Fact # 1: On average, a cardholder will have three bank cards and four gas or store credit cards for a staggering total of seven credit cards! This statistic courtesy of www.cardweb.com.

Fact # 2: Three fifths of U.S. households are responsible for nearly 560 billion dollars of credit card debt. This comes to $11,000 per household of credit card debt. This figure is from Motley Fool, citing testimony by Robert Manning before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Fact # 3: Have you ever asked yourself why minimum payments are low? The answer is obvious. By asking consumers to make small minimum payments, they encourage the consumer to carry more debt. The lower the minimum payment, the larger the debt someone will owe. Who wins in the end?

Fact # 4:This fact comes from Jim at Blueprint For Financial Prosperity. Like cable and phone companies, credit card companies want to keep your business and will make concessions in order to retain you as a customer. If your interest payments are too high, call your credit card company – they will very often lower your interest rate.

Fact # 5: Students who carry a credit card debt of over $1,000.00 tend to drink and smoke more, take medication for depression and have lower grade averages in school. If you think we made this up, it was actually taken from some studies and none other than Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Franklin Galvin, said so.

You’ve got those facts to mull over. Let’s go back to the question of how many credit cards you really need. If we had our way, we’d make it illegal for individuals to carry more than two credit cards. But we’d be banished from this land if we ever campaigned for it.

Of course, no one can tell you how many credit cards you can or should have. Your financial planner or banker may scowl, but they can’t make you give them up.

If we may propose something – If you’ve got more than two cards, why not lock up the excess cards in a secure place to keep temptation at bay? Another idea – When your statement comes each month, make a payment larger than the minimum. After all, the idea is to get out of debt and this will make things happen faster.

Christmas is almost here. You’re at liberty to use your credit cards in any matter you want. This is the time of the year where everyone uses credit cards without holding back or thinking twice since the holidays always put us in a cash crunch. But do yourself a little favor. For your New Year’s resolution, how about making a promise not to use your credit card more than once a month? This is like imposing some kind of military-like discipline, but then again, everyone agrees that uncontrollable credit can be compared to a cobra with a poisonous venom.

Just two more facts for you: U.S. cardholders charge as much as 1.8 trillion dollars every year. 1.8 trillion dollars – just think about that number for a minute. 11% of American cardholders pay interest rates of more than 25%! Both of these figures come to us from the U.S. GAO (General Accounting Office).

Isn’t it about time we looked at our credit card spending more closely and conducted a self-criticism analysis?

The best thing we could have is freedom from debt – and the statistics on debt carried by a lot of U.S. citizens bear this out. Don’t let yourself become trapped by the cycle of credit card spending and debt – make getting out of debt your top priority this year.

We know that not every person is willing or able to limit themselves to only two credit cards. If you can keep on top of payments and keep your spending under control, then you can have all the cards you like. Another suggestion, if we may – don’t take your cards with you when you go shopping. If you have to pay cash for your purchases, you’d be surprised what you can go without.

Patience is a virtue – wait to make those non-essential purchases until you can make them with cash. Don’t be too surprised if you don’t even want them anymore by the time you can pay cash. Best of all, you’ll be helping to keep yourself out of debt.

It is unfortunate that in today’s economy, debt rules all. From the deepest spots of our wallets, we have charged ourselves to the point of no return. The commercials and ads promising a better car, newer home and more of this and that are all based on lines of credit and bank loans. Our children have been raised in this economy where paying for something means a monthly payment and a low or high interest rate; this is why debt elimination is needed. With debt comes the need for the debt elimination and the strive to become debt free.

Debt elimination is the art of taking a life full of debt and moving that life past the point of owing and into the point of owning. Debt elimination can mean less stress, an overall happier life and more money in your pocket. Here are the top 5 tips to debt elimination and becoming debt free.

Pay Cash – This step may seem like a given but becoming debt free with debt elimination is about eliminating the creation of new debt which a lot of people have trouble with. New debt free choices can create a more sound debt elimination path in life. It is often hard to accept the fact that we can not have everything we want and even though we can afford the monthly payment, that is still debt. Free yourself from this debt by buying only with cash; the savior of debt elimination.

Credit Cards Be Gone – This is often the hardest step for people who are trying to live life in a debt free way. The credit cards they hold offer them a better lifestyle, one that is full of buying more and more things. These things need to be placed on a budget and saved for in order to choose debt elimination and live as a debt free person. Debt free does not mean charging less on your cards, it means not charging at all.

Minimum is Not Good – In order to pay off the credit card debt you owe and become debt free, you need to eliminate debt from your bills. The debt created on credit cards is a revolving debt. Free to take up most of your budget for the next 30 years if you choose to pay the minimum payments. Paying off those cards will require higher payments on a more frequent schedule. Debt free and debt elimination is not an easy choice, but it will feel good.

Don’t Think Monthly – Too many people think about life in monthly payments. Debt free means leaving those monthly payments behind, so think total cost and stay on the debt elimination path.

Bankruptcy is Not a Choice – Bankruptcy is not a debt free option. Being debt free and debt elimination means keeping track of our money, not pushing the bills under the rug. In order to live debt free and remain debt free, we need to learn how to choose debt elimination.

There was a time in life when debt free was the only way to live. Since then, the world has been taken over by the interest rate. Just as we learned to live outside of our means, we can learn to eliminate debt ad live debt free. A debt free lifestyle and debt elimination is there for the taking, we just have to want to be debt free.