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Top 5 Credit Misconceptions


We have all heard the rumors?from neighbors, relatives or friends. There are a wide variety of myths floating around about what you should and shouldn't do to improve your credit reports and credit scores. The buck stops here! Phelps Creek Financial Coaching has exposed these urban legends to provide you with the truth about credit...

1. Your score will drop if you check your credit - Fortunately, this one is definitely not true.Checking your own report and score is counted as a "soft inquiry" and doesn't harm your credit at all. Only "hard inquiries" from a lender or creditor, made when you apply for credit, can bring your credit score down a few points. Worried about damaging your credit while shopping around for a loan? Multiple inquiries for the same purpose within a short amount of time (a few weeks) are grouped together into a less damaging period of inquiry.

2. Closing old accounts will improve your credit score - To close or not to close, that is the question. Many people advocate closing old and inactive accounts as a way for improving your credit. In most cases, closing accounts will actually have the opposite effect. Canceling old credit accounts can lower yourcredit score by making your credit history appear shorter. Think twice before closing the oldest account on your credit report. If you want to reduce your levels of available credit, ask for your credit limits to be reduced or close newer accounts instead.

3. Once you pay off a negative record, it is removed from your credit report - Negative records such as collection accounts, bankruptcies and charge-offs will remain on your credit report for 7-10 years after they are first posted. Paying off the account before the end of the set term doesn't remove it from your credit report, but will cause the account to be marked as "paid." It is still a good idea to pay your debts, it can improve yourcredit score, but the major improvement will come when the record expires.

4. Being a co-signer doesn't make you responsible for the account - When you open a joint account, co-sign on a loan or become an authorized user on someone's credit card, you are taking on legal responsibility for the account. Any activity on these shared accounts, good or bad, will show up on both people's credit reports. If you co-sign for a friend's auto loan and they don't make the payments, your credit profile will be hurt by their actions and visa versa. The only way to stop this double reporting is to refinance the loan or to have the creditor officially remove you from the account.

5. Paying off a debt will add 50 points to your credit score - Yourcredit score is calculated using a complex algorithm that takes into account hundreds of factors and values. It is very hard to predict how many points you can gain by changing one factor. For a person with a high credit score, just one late payment can cause a significant drop. If a person has a low credit score, it may not cause a large drop at all. There is no magical way to improve your credit score, just keep paying your bills on time, reducing your debts and removing negative inaccuracies from your credit report. Good financial behavior and time are the two most important factors on your credit score.

Cindy S. Morus (www.phelps-creek.com) is a Certified Financial Recovery Counselor specializing in showing women and their families how to achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. She is also a Certified Credit Report Reviewer and Get Clients NOW!? licensee. Contact her at 541-387-2995 or cmorus@phelps-creek.com She is also the publisher and editor of "Financial Fitness", an internet gazette dedicated to helping people improve their financial fitness no matter what decisions were made in the past.


MORE RESOURCES:

Credit - Google News

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Forbes (blog)

Cardholders swiping debit cards more as credit card use falls
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How Obama's tax credit helps, hurts IT spending - Computerworld


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Obama Does Right by Research and Development Tax CreditForbes (blog)
Healthcare industries applaud R&D tax credit proposalThe Hill (blog)
Obama Calls for Permanent R&D Tax CreditPC World
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Consumers cool it with credit cards for 23rd month in a row - Chicago Sun-Times


kypost.com

Consumers cool it with credit cards for 23rd month in a row
Chicago Sun-Times
Consumer borrowing fell again in July (by 1.8 percent) as households cut back on their credit card use for a 23rd consecutive month. ...
Ahead of the Bell: Consumer CreditBusinessWeek
Starwatch consumer | Going easy on the credit cardsKansas City Star
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Credit crunch - Chico News & Review


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Chico News & Review
A new survey of the Professional Risk Managers' International Association reveals that, while they expect interest in new credit to rise, ...
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Vale Surpasses Banco Bradesco With $1.75 Billion Bond Sale: Brazil Credit - Bloomberg


Vale Surpasses Banco Bradesco With $1.75 Billion Bond Sale: Brazil Credit
Bloomberg
The cost of protecting the nation's debt against non- payment for five years with credit-default swaps rose four basis point to 127 yesterday, according to ...

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Asia-Pacific Bond Risk Falls, Credit-Default Swap Prices Show - BusinessWeek


Asia-Pacific Bond Risk Falls, Credit-Default Swap Prices Show
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Alico refinances term loan, credit line - BusinessWeek


Alico refinances term loan, credit line
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Land management company Alico Inc. said Wednesday it has obtained $100 million in credit to refinance its term note and revolving credit line with Farm ...
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Energy Bonds Outperform as BP Shrugs Off Junk-Debt Stigma: Credit Markets - Bloomberg


Energy Bonds Outperform as BP Shrugs Off Junk-Debt Stigma: Credit Markets
Bloomberg
Fitch Ratings lifted BP's credit grade by three steps yesterday, before the London-based oil company published its internal investigation of the April 20 ...
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Credit Suisse Can't Collect From Yellowstone Founder - Bloomberg


OregonLive.com

Credit Suisse Can't Collect From Yellowstone Founder
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Credit Suisse Group AG's “greedy antics” bar it from collecting $229 million on a soured loan the bank ...
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