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If you have bad credit, you may be finding it increasingly difficult to get vital loans. While this is generally a sign that you should try to avoid further borrowing, there are certain circumstances in which it is just vital that you get credit. This may include paying rent, especially if you have young children, paying school fees or paying for medical treatment. A bad credit rating can also hinder your attempts to get insurance, rent a home and sometimes get a job.

Repair Your Credit

If you are facing problems such as these, you should consider trying to repair your credit rating. Credit repair is a general term often applied to the controversial practice of improving or rehabilitating one's financial reputation (creditworthiness) among creditors. To improve a credit rating damaged by poor credit habits, in the long run only one thing will work: changing those habits.

Making arrangements with the creditors to repay them is often one of the steps in improving one's credit habits. Creditors may accept slow payment schedules, as an alternative to writing off the debt. In some cases, creditors may accept a less-than-full repayment (pennies on the dollar). The key here is contact with the creditor and taking action to retire the debt.

At the same time, reviving an old debt that is no longer collectible can actually do additional damage to one's credit reputation. It is best to be aware of the circumstances regarding the debts collect-ability, statute of limitations, and legal and illegal collection practices, before contacting a creditor on a very old debt.

FACT

In December 2003, Congress passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act), which included the right to a free annual credit report on request and a number of provisions designed to improve the accuracy of credit reports.

On June 4, the Federal Trade Commission finalized its rule for implementing the new consumer right to a free credit report, rolling it out over a nine-month period, beginning on the west coast in December 2004 and finishing on the east coast in September 2005.

From 1994 to 2004, the state PIRGs and other consumer organizations have issued numerous reports showing that sloppy credit reporting agency practices are at fault for errors in consumer credit reports.

Inaccurate credit reports could damage 1 in 4 consumer's ability to buy a home, rent an apartment, obtain credit, open a bank account, or even get a job.