The Truth About Trigger Leadsby Mindy Leisure The first step in obtaining a mortgage is always going through the application process. You found the broker you want to use and fill out all the paperwork. Then you go home to find half a dozen voicemails and emails from different brokers claiming they can offer you … Read more
There are certain decisions that people make when it comes to credit that seem like smart choices up front, but can in fact actually damage credit scores. Obviously, one of the best ways to obtain and keep a good credit score is to pay your bills on time. But that’s really just one small part, … Read more
Identity theft increases by seven percent during tax season from March through June. What is the primary source of this identity theft? Your mailbox. If you use “snail mail” to pay bills or receive checks you need to be aware, especially during this time of year. These identity thieves are not the high tech savvy … Read more
Credit scores can be confusing at best. There is a lot of information floating around about credit and scores that just simply aren’t correct. So let’s start out the year by de bunking some of the “myths” that I constantly get questions about. Opting out will help a credit score. No it won’t. The bureaus … Read more
Fair Isaac Company (FICO) along with Experian and data aggregator Finicity announced last week that starting in January 2019 they will begin pilot testing a new credit score called “UltraFICO.” In addition to the information the scoring models already take into consideration, this new score will also factor in the money a consumer has in … Read more
In a study from Javelin Strategy and Research published in May, more than one million children were victims of identity theft in 2017. Of those, 66% were under the age of eight. Up until now it was next to impossible to freeze a child’s credit file because there was no history for them. Children are … Read more
Opting Out by Mindy Leisure Does “opting out” really help your credit score? For years I have had people tell me their clients opted out and it increased their credit score by 10 or more points. In reality this is a myth. Opting out has no bearing whatsoever on a person’s credit score. What is … Read more
There are many obvious actions that can cause a credit score to drop such as making late payments, maxing out a credit card, etc. But there is one seemingly innocent action that you’ve probably never thought of that could drop a credit score by 20 or 30 points. It may seem like a harmless thing … Read more
There have been a lot of questions cropping up surrounding the changes coming in June to credit reports. These changes are due to the settlement agreement from 2015 between the credit bureaus and state’s Attorney Generals. The last phase of this agreement is set to be in place as of June 8th, 2018. Due to … Read more
With the changes the credit bureaus (Experian, Trans Union and Equifax) have made first regarding judgments and now tax liens being removed from credit reports, it is important to have a backup to make sure none of these items actually exist. Just because they are no longer on credit reports does not mean a borrower … Read more