You should always monitor your credit report to make sure that there are no inaccuracies. If there are, you need to have them removed immediately. Its been said that 1 in 4 Americans have incorrect derogatory information on their credit report, and some would place this number even higher. This negative information on your report lowers your credit score, and can cost you thousands of dollars on your next mortgage loan if you don't have it corrected.You can receive a free copy of your credit report from all 3 credit bureaus yearly at [www.annualcreditreport.com[/url]. If you find any erroneous information be sure to dispute the information right away.
You should try to receive your credit report every 6 months. Go through it and make sure that everything on there is reporting correctly and that there is nothing strange. If there is something that catches your eye, make sure to send a certified mail to the credit reporting agency disputing the item that appears.
You can also contact your creditors directly to inform them if they are reporting inaccurate information. It is important to get their promises in writing and keep good records. You must follow up with both the creditors and credit bureaus to make sure that they have made the corrections they promised.
The easiest way to keep your credit report clean is to pay your bills on time. This will give you the best chance of having good credit, qualifying for the best rates on everything and having a nice looking credit report. While things do happen and items do get placed inaccurately on credit reports you should still monitor your credit and get a copy of your report at least once per year even if you have never been late on anything.
If you find errors on your credit report, pay close attention to which credit bureaus are reporting the erroneous items. Be sure to dispute or initiate a request for investigation with all the credit bureaus reporting these incorrect entries. Disputing with only one bureau does not automatically correct the records of the other two bureaus.
Keeping your credit clean should be a priority. You should be diligent enough to give yourself a "credit checkup" every year, much like you would make it a priority to get a medical or dental checkup.
Even though negative items are only supposed to remain on your credit report for 7 years, sometimes the credit bureaus fail to update your file. In this case, a simple dispute should get the old item removed and may improve your credit score.
There are services that will help you monitor your credit report for a fee. Generally they are a waste of money. Take your credit seriously and review it twice a year. Have the numbers to the repositories ready to dispute any items reporting incorrectly. Damage to your credit can cost you thousands.
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