How to dispute information in your credit report

Posted on Oct 13 2010 by

Dear Experian,

How do you dispute something on your credit report?

- ONT

Secured credit card could help build a positive credit history

Posted on Oct 13 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Will a secured credit card establish and built a credit score for my 19-year-old son?

- WND

Deciding whether to cosign a car loan for your son or daughter

Posted on Oct 13 2010 by

Dear Experian,

My son has less than perfect credit but was told by his bank he could get a car loan with a co-signer. I have extremely high scores and do not want them lowered for any reason under my control. Assuming all of his loan payments are made on time and the loan always remains current, will this negatively affect my credit scores?

- BOA

Buy-here-pay-here dealer not likely to report payments

Posted on Sep 28 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I bought a car from a buy-here-pay-here place and paid off the car in full. Can I add that to my credit report?

- HOL

Separating your credit from your ex-spouse

Posted on Sep 28 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I am separating from my husband and do not want his creditworthiness joined with me anymore. How do I separate my creditworthiness from his?

- SHU

Notify your lenders when you know you will be facing financial difficulty

Posted on Sep 28 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I am wondering if we should let the three national credit reporting companies know that due to the recession right now we are having difficulty with some of our payments. We have had no work for two years and are really struggling at the moment. My husband is on disability but is still looking for work. Our credit up to this point has been good.

- MJB

What to do if you become a victim of cyber-fraud

Posted on Sep 28 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I made an online purchase from a site that now appears to be a fraud, and I’m worried that my credit card may be at risk. I did not receive the merchandise and cannot get a response from the retailer. What should I do?

- GHR

Credit report does not show that an application was declined

Posted on Sep 15 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I have a good credit score. I decided not to continue on a refinance application due to bad customer service. They sent me a declination letter, stating the refinance was rejected due to my credit. Will this rejection show up on or impact my credit?

- NYS

Income isn’t the key factor in getting credit card

Posted on Sep 15 2010 by

Dear Experian,

How could it be that I make $80,000 a year but I can’t get a retail credit card?

- TNI

Protecting your children from identity theft

Posted on Sep 15 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Identity theft is a growing problem for children. Can I put a security freeze on my three-year-old daughter’s file even though there most likely is no activity? If this is not possible can I call to see if there is activity under her Social Security number?

- MJJ

Why accounts in bankruptcy continue to be part of your credit report

Posted on Sep 15 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Why are the accounts that are under a bankruptcy listed individually? Doesn’t the bankruptcy cover that?

- ELZ

Why you might be required to mail a request for your credit report

Posted on Sep 01 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I tried to get my credit report from Experian online, and a box popped up saying I could get it by mail, but not online, because of security reasons. Do you know why? Is it because there’s something suspicious on my report? How can I find out?

- TCH

Parents refuse to cosign for student loan to protect credit standing

Posted on Sep 01 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I am trying to get a student loan, but my parent’s refuse to cosign because they fear cosigning for my student loan will affect their credit score, thus lowering their chances of getting a mortgage. This is so important because this will be my final year of college. Is this true?

- YOD

Meaning of “proportion of balances to high credit on revolving accounts”

Posted on Sep 01 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Can you explain one of the factors for my credit score? The listed factor is “Proportion of balances to high credit on bank revolving or all revolving accounts.”

- RNO

Credit card denied despite good credit history

Posted on Sep 01 2010 by

Dear Experian,

If my credit history is good, why would a credit card company not issue me a credit card?

- KRG

Notifying Experian of dispute results at other consumer reporting companies

Posted on Aug 18 2010 by

Dear Experian,

If an item is disputed through another credit reporting agency and an investigation is conducted and decision issued, must I dispute the same item with Experian or just submit the results of the other investigation?

- DEN

Student loan delinquencies are reported in the same way as other accounts

Posted on Aug 18 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Can you tell me how long late payments on a student loan are reported on my credit report?

- RNT

No special instructions are needed for reading your credit report

Posted on Aug 18 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Do you have online booklets explaining how you can read a credit report?

- STC

Bankruptcy remains on your credit report for up to 10 years

Posted on Aug 18 2010 by

Dear Experian,

How long does a bankruptcy stay on your report? It has been almost six years and I am still denied credit on that basis alone.

- LBE

Recovering a lost PIN when your credit file is frozen

Posted on Aug 04 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I lost my pin for credit thaws and freezes. How do I go about getting another one? Can I do it over the phone or would it be better if I did that in writing?

- WVS

Can mother keep car after daughter makes the payments

Posted on Aug 04 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I just finished making a final payment on my car. However, the car is under my mom’s name. She is refusing to transfer ownership of the car to my name now that it has been paid off. What legal actions can I take? Or does this mean that I have to give the car back to her?

- KHW

Who can add an Active Duty Alert and when it makes sense to do so

Posted on Aug 04 2010 by

Dear Experian,

What is an “Active Duty Alert?” Are there pros and cons to placing my account on this status?

- AEB

Steps to take after wallet is stolen

Posted on Aug 04 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I had my wallet stolen. My entire life was in my wallet including a check book, my Social Security card, driver’s license, identification and passwords to all my personal information, and all my credit cards. I have cancelled all my credit cards but am afraid that they will use my information for other reasons. As it is my credit is not great. What should I do?

- MJG

Paying credit card bills early doesn’t hurt scores

Posted on Jul 21 2010 by

Dear Experian,

Does paying credit card bills ahead of time hurt your credit scores?

- AVE

Score didn’t improve after bankruptcy removed

Posted on Jul 21 2010 by

Dear Experian,

I recently had a bankruptcy removed from my credit report, but it didn’t change my score. When or how do you update the credit score?

- PLM