Mastering Credit: The Ultimate DIY Credit Repair Guide

Society relies heavily on credit for most financial decisions. Today, good credit is not just important for getting a loan or a credit card. Many businesses have to check your credit before deciding whether or not they will extend their products and services to you.  Mortgage lenders need to be sure that you will pay your mortgage responsibly before they can finance you. Without good credit, the mortgage lender concludes that giving you a loan is risky for them. If they still approve, regardless of your poor credit, they will charge you a very high interest rate. Bad credit will see you pay a higher mortgage amount or worse, your mortgage application will be declined. Just because you are not currently interested in buying a house does not mean that your credit does not matter. Landlords will, in most cases, consult your credit before renting you a house or apartment. Your lease is considered a loan. You require a loan to purchase a car unless you have the full amount at hand. Your credit score affects the loan amount and interest rate and whether or not you will be given the loan in the first place. With excellent credit, you will qualify for a higher loan amount and the interest rate will be lower. A poor credit score translates to limited options. Not many lenders will be ready to finance you and the few that will be willing might charge a very high interest rate.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Ch. 1 – Credit Reports 

Ch. 2 - How to Build Credit

Ch. 3 – Details Matter 

Ch. 4 - FICO Credit Score

Ch. 5 - What Is A Good Credit Score?

Ch. 6 - How to Raise Your Credit Scores

Ch. 7 - Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian

Ch. 8 - Consumer Credit Report

Ch. 9 - Free Credit Score or Report

Ch. 10 - How Credit Cards Impact Your Credit Score

Ch. 11 - Mistakes to Avoid When Disputing Credit Report Errors

Ch. 12 - How to Remove A Charge-Off 

Ch. 13 - How to Remove Late Payments 

Ch. 14 - How to Remove Collections 

Ch. 15 - How to Remove A Foreclosure from Your Credit Report

Ch. 16 - How to Remove A Bankruptcy 

Ch. 17 - How to Remove A Repossession from Your Credit Report

Ch. 18 - Removing A Judgment 

Ch. 19 – How to Remove A Tax Lien from Your Credit Report

Ch. 20 – How to Remove Credit Inquiries from Your Credit Report

Ch. 21 - Sample Credit Dispute Letter

Ch. 22 - Cease and Desist Letter for Debt Collectors

Ch. 23 - Sample Debt Validation Letter

Ch. 24 - How to Deal with Debt Collection Agencies

Ch. 25 - ChexSystems 

Ch. 26 - How to Request Debt Validation from Debt Collectors

Ch. 27 - Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection

Ch. 28 - The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Ch. 29 - Authorized User 

Ch. 30 - Credit Card Piggybacking 

Ch. 31 - Before and After Bankruptcy

Conclusion