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December 4th, 2008

About Credit Repair Debt Consolidation Strategy

Some companies suggest that debt consolidation may improve your overall credit score, but as a strategy for credit repair, debt consolidation may not be the best choice. According to Fair Isaac, the company that invented the FICO credit risk scores that lenders use, there are many factors which affect your credit score. These factors must all be considered before taking out a debt consolidation loan, particularly if your hope is to achieve a higher credit score.

A credit repair debt consolidation strategy assumes that monthly payments on credit card balances are unaffordable and therefore causing occasional late payments. FICO says that payment history accounts for about 35% of your score. They also say that delinquent payments can have a “major negative impact”. So, if a debt consolidation loan will help you to make your payments on time, then it could be a good thing.

FICO also says that simply moving around the balances on your credit cards and closing unused accounts will not improve your credit score. They suggest that you pay your bills on time and work towards paying off balances on revolving charge cards. So, for purposes of credit repair, debt consolidation might help if you are able to pay off credit card balances faster. This will all depend on the individual and the specifics of the debt consolidation loan.

If you are considering a credit repair debt consolidation loan, be sure to compare fees and interest rates among different companies. While multiple inquiries affect your credit score negatively, inquiries made over a short period of time, generally within a 30 day period, are only counted as one inquiry. This is a recent change made by FICO with the understanding that consumers now “shop” loans.

To achieve credit repair, debt consolidation is not your only choice. FICO suggests that you check your credit report for inaccuracies and report those to the applicable credit bureau. If you have a history of late payments, but you are now current with a specific lender, you may be able to have the lender remove those items from your credit report. Sometimes they will do this just to satisfy a customer.

Many companies suggest other methods of credit repair; debt consolidation may or may not be the best choice for you. A law firm that specializes in credit repair can give you the most accurate information and the best suggestions for your individual situation. For more information about credit repair, debt consolidation and other credit issues, visit the Credit Repair Blog.

The writers and editors of the Credit Repair Blog are dedicated to providing accurate information about credit repair. Visit us at http://creditfixnow.blogspot.com

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November 23rd, 2008

Debt Consolidation for Bad Credit

If you have bad credit, one of the strategies to reverse course and start improving your credit is a debt consolidation loan. Debt consolidation loans have been around for a while, but are extremely popular today as more and more people fall into the downward spiral of credit card and loan debt.

Debt consolidation is a tool to help a consumer climb out of high interest debt and revolving payments that force a consumer to only pay the minimum monthly balance. A debt consolidation loan takes all of your debt and pays them off in one blow, knocking out high interest payments and revolving credit card payments instantly. With the debt consolidation loan the consumer can now focus on one loan instead of several.

Debt consolidations loans have lots of benefits. Instead of having several very high interest loans, you have one manageable, usually lower interest loan to focus on. Debt consolidation loans also pay off your existing debt so any problems with old credit card lenders are wiped clean and you can start fresh with an old lender at a later date if you wish. Many credit cards require a minimum monthly payment which is usually all interest, why pay five bills each for $30 when you can pay only one bill for less and knock out the revolving interest payments.

As you can see debt consolidation for people with bad credit is an extremely powerful tool for anyone suffering from bad credit and can be one of the lifelines that can help people climb out of debt and start to improve their credit rating.

Many lenders offer debt consolidation loans. Usually a lender will require some collateral, it may be part of refinancing your mortgage or you can work with a lender for an unsecured loan. Another strategy is to apply for a high limit credit card with a low interest rate and transfer the balances of your old card to the new cards. However, be careful not to fall into the same trap as before when having cards with little or no debt on them. One way to protect yourself from falling into the bad credit trap again is to cancel your existing credit cards once you pay them off completely with your debt consolidation loan.

Connie Barker is the owner of several financial websites including those that deal with Debt Consolidation For Bad Credit

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October 8th, 2008

Debt Consolidation May Be More Important Than You Think

With the cost of just about everything on the rise, it is more critical than ever to get your debt under control. Have you reviewed your credit card statements lately?

Recently I did and found some shocking numbers. On almost all of my credit cards the interest rate had risen to what some might call “loan shark” status. That is why it is more important than ever to get your debt consolidation plans going now.

I don’t know about your comfort level but 27% and higher on credit card interest is scary.

Ok, so we agree, it’s time to get a jump start on this process. But the next logical question is how?

Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling in the right direction:

1. Do some research and find out what option you may have. There are many resources out there to help. If you do a search on Debt Consolidation, you’ll find many services that will help, as well as, articles to help you understand what you can and cannot do. Overall, you owe it to yourself and your family to tackle this bear now.

2. Contact a few resources to see how they can help. Be careful, your just doing due diligence and so you don’t want anybody running your credit reports at this point. Many of the resources will claim that they can help you out of this jam but your focus should be on information gathering. Don’t commit at this point.

3. Use the internet to find out what resources you have at your disposal. Using the internet to identify outstanding do-it-yourself resources could save you money and time. There are a lot of great programs out there that will help you achieve your goals.

4. Gather all of your information. Make sure you know exactly where you stand. It’s important that you put down all your outstanding debt on paper so you know your starting point.

5. Finally, you need to clear up what you don’t need. Stop spending on items that are really not important. This will be the hardest step. You’ll have to make some hard decisions and that won’t be fun but it is necessary if you are serious about getting out of debt.

Overall, you need to set a plan in motion, do some research and find out where you stand. Awareness is the first stage of action.

Greg Meares understands the stress caused with debt and debt consolidation (http://www.debtrepaironline.com). As a result, he has provided a very informative portal to provide people with free articles and other tools to take action and change their lives for the better. Visit: http://www.debtrepaironline.com to learn all about your solutions available.

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