Do The Best Credit Repair Services Improve Your Credit Score?
The best credit repair services won’t set unrealistic expectations, but can take much of the hassle out of fixing your credit score. None of these companies perform magic, but the best credit repair services certainly can help a great deal in improving your credit score.
There are hundreds of companies offering credit repair services, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, most of them qualify as scams. Anyone claiming they can simply erase bad credit, or guarantee to raise your credit score, should be considered suspect.
According to the FTC, “No one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report.” Many of these companies will advise you to dispute all negative entries on your credit report. In most cases, this is illegal, just as following illegal advice is.
The best credit repair services won’t ask you to pay in order to get your credit reports. Under federal law, anyone can get their credit report from each of the three credit-reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) once every twelve months for free.
Most, if not all of the things these companies will do for you are things you can do yourself, but it may be very helpful for those who may not be aware of what their options are. Doing some of the work on your own might actually lower their fees, or of course you can simply do it all yourself instead.
One thing to keep in mind is the difference between credit repair services and “debt consolidators”. A debt consolidators will help to get your arms around your outstanding debt; they don’t try to fix your credit. In many cases, this might be a preferable alternative, particularly as a first step in improving your credit standing.
This is done by contacting your creditors on your behalf, and negotiating a ‘settlement’ agreement, often a fraction of the actual outstanding debt. Then they combine these amounts. You in turn pay a single amount each month to the company, who then sends a portion to each creditor.
Even the best credit repair services can’t help those who aren’t willing to help themselves. They won’t offer you the same sort of “bailout” that erases bad debt like a bankruptcy filing does. What they can accomplish, however is to help set you on the right path towards improving your credit score, which in turn will improve your financial future.
