A minimum payment is generally calculated as 2-3% of your balance, or 1% of your balance plus interest and fees. This minimum payment is specifically calculated to maximize the amount of interest you pay, and the length of your repayment. Keep in mind, the interest you pay is profit for the credit card companies.

To put this into perspective, a consumer paying $10,000 in credit card debt at the national average industry rate of 19.24%, would end up paying roughly $19,500 for that debt when all is said and done.

Surprisingly, this information is shown right on your statement, just very small and quite difficult to understand. The CARD Act requires statements to now show how long it will take you to get out of a given debt if making just the minimum payment, and it’s shocking.

For high balances, it will take decades to repay the debt. And, you will have paid nearly double for the credit spent. All of this because debt is a business. For creditors and collectors, the longer you stay in high interest debt, the more they make.

You have debt collection rights

Very few people know about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1977 awarded significant rights to consumers against creditor and collector harassment. For instance, did you know that if you ask a creditor to stop contacting you, they must comply?
If they don’t, they can be fined for every phone call, and it can even result in compensation for the debtor.

Of course, telling your creditor not to contact you by no means the debt is forgiven or forgotten, you still owe it. A collector can still pursue legal action to collect this debt. They simply can’t contact you regarding it. This is a good tactic for aggressive collectors that harass consumers into making a payment.

Whatever you do, avoid late payments.

Late charges on credit cards can be as high as $75 – not to mention the additional struggle this causes when you fall behind. A late payment, when quickly corrected can be no big deal. But when it becomes common, or you’re not able to quickly rectify, the problem can snowball.

How many times have you said, I’ll push it back a week and just pay it then? A week goes by, another bill has taken precedence – but don’t forget, you’ve committed to paying last week’s bill, too. This compounding effect can be felt quickly, and is very difficult to dig out from.

Make sure you don’t gracefully miss the end of your grace period.

A grace period can be a blessing… and a curse. While it can afford you some much needed time to realign your finances, it has to be managed. When a grace period ends, you could be facing some pretty tough repayment terms.

For many consumers, they simply forget they’re operating in a grace period. You’ll quickly realize it when you receive the first statement with accrued interest.

Credit card cash advances are paid last.

People sometimes use their credit card for a cash advance. typically this function of a credit card carries a higher interest rate than your standard purchase rate.

When you make a payment towards your card balance, you don’t get to choose which part of your balance the payment goes toward. Credit card companies will save your cash advance for last, after all, it’s garnishing the most interest.

If you must take a cash advance from your card, it’s wise to do so on one without an existing balance. This way you’re certain your payments on that card are going towards the higher interest advance balance.

High interest and credit cards go hand in hand.

Credit cards carry high interest. This is a fact. While some may reach 30% or more, the national average as of 2019 is 19.24%. This fact is what makes credit card debt some of the most dangerous kind.

With this type of interest, making minimum payments will lead to years of repayment, and more than double your original balance. Unless you’re making additional payments directly to the principal, you’ll find yourself in an endless cycle of interest payments.

Interest is profit for credit card companies, and profits are up.

Credit card companies want you to make the minimum payment. It usually represents about 1-3% of your balance, with the majority going to interest. For instance, the average credit card debt in the states is currently $8,402 per household. Using the average interest rate of 19.24% and making minimum payments, this debt would take 93 months to pay off, and you will have paid a total of $16,275.

As you can see, it is very much in the card companies interest for you to continue making minimum payments. If you find yourself in this position, it’s best to explore debt relief options. Obviously if you’re spending recklessly and able to make some lifestyle changes, this should be entertained first.

The post 7 Things the Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You To Know appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

Credit monitoring services are deployed primarily to keep an eye on your credit profile, including your credit report and credit score. It can be treated as an early warning system of any potential fraud that can prevent further damage.

Lately, monitoring services are becoming increasingly popular. Technology has embraced the concept with robust credit monitoring apps and software. So much so that it begs the question, do you need to pay someone to monitor your credit? That part is up to you. While consumers do have the tools needed, they don’t always have the time, or desire to monitor their own credit.

This is where credit monitoring services come in. Instead of spending your own time monitoring your credit, you can pay a company to do so. They’ll only let you know when something arises.

The question is, are they really worth the investment?

Can a consumer monitor their credit independently?

Credit monitoring services often showcase themselves as guardians of your credit profile. They are in a sense, but this protection comes at a cost. A consumer can absolutely monitor their own credit, and in most cases, for free.

A monitoring service may be ideal for elderly people, saving them the hassle of learning new software.

How to be your own credit monitor?

The first thing to know is that credit monitoring can be done completely free. Of course, there is cost involved, but that comes in the form of time and effort spent on your part to manage your credit yourself.

Request a credit freeze.

A consumer can request their credit be “frozen” at any time. This will block any requests or changes to your report or score during the freeze. Because there are three major reporting bureaus, this request needs to be made with all three.

Sign up for a service from a personal finance website or credit company offering free credit monitoring.

Companies like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame offer free tools so you can watch for fluctuations in your credit. These services even offer free advice and tips for specific credit situations.

Pull your free, full credit report once a year for a deep dive.

Once a year a consumer can pull their complete credit score and report. This is a great opportunity to deep dive into the past years credit history. You can take advantage of this consumer right by visiting freecreditreport.com.

What credit monitoring can’t do?

Here are some feature facts which the credit monitoring companies can’t do:

• Promise prevention of credit card or identity theft fraud.
• Avoid your receiving or opening phishing emails.
• Guarantee detection of fraud.
• Correct errors on your credit report.
• Stop taxpayer identity theft.

Paying for a credit monitoring service.

If you’re unsure the do-it-yourself method is for you, or just willing to pay for extra protection, look for a company that offers both credit monitoring and theft alerts.

If you find yourself in any of the below categories, you may be a good candidate for professional credit monitoring services.

• You are a victim of identity theft or if your SSN is disclosed in a data breach. This also applies if you lose your social security card.
• You don’t want to credit freeze your reports. You may have upcoming purchases you need your credit visible for. If this is the case, freezing your credit for protection won’t be an option.
• You don’t have the desire, know-how, or time to monitor your credit independently.

Be cautious when monitoring services are offered for “free”.

If you fall victim to a data breach or other security mishap, it’s common to be offered free monitoring services. But be cautious to read the fine print, and understand when the offered free service ends and how to cancel it. Even as a gesture of good faith, that free service likely has an expiration, and a monthly cost that follows.

For example, the free service you are offered might include monitoring from just one of the three major agencies, and only for one year. So, you’re now partially protected. True credit monitoring requires visibility into all three credit reports to be certain no discrepancies are present.

Credit report and credit scores from all three bureaus can be accessed for free by visiting annualcreditreport.com and from some other websites too, such as Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, and Quizzle.

Credit Karma: Best Free Credit Monitoring.

CreditKarma.com proves to be the best free credit monitoring service. They have built great credibility and offer an easy to use interface for any skill level.

Credit Karma updates your credit score – Vantage Score 3.0 – every time you log on to your account. It updates your credit report info weekly. Along with monitoring your credit score, you can also receive alerts when unusual activity is suspected on any of your two credit reports. While the service from Credit Karma is free, it’s only drawback is that you will not get access to one of your credit reports.

Credit Karma does not include Experian data, one of the big three credit reporting agencies. However, Experian.com offers their own monitoring. While this is an additional service to sign up for, it’s also completely free and quite simple. Bottom line is that you can accomplish most credit monitoring tasks on your own, for free or very close to it. Pay for credit monitoring only if you know you have been a victim of identity theft. Don’t let monitoring lull you into complacency.

It’s easy to hire a company and think your cares are over. The reality is, the safest way to maintain your credit is by monitoring it yourself. No one knows your financial situation like you. You’ll be much more in tune with discrepancies and mistakes on your own report than a company with no familiarity into your financial history.

The post Is a credit monitoring service worth the cost? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

A strong foundation for financial health lies in maintaining your debts at a manageable level. The general idea being to keep yourself in a positive equity position when looking at your debt-to-income ratio. While your debt to income ratio doesn’t directly affect your credit score, it is an indicator of money management.

Sometimes we forget a lending decision isn’t simply based on your score. Other factor on your report are taken into account. Your debt-to-income ratio helps a lender determine if you can “afford” to take on new debt, whether you technically qualify for it or not.

This benefits multiple credit situations. Those with poor credit, good income, and a very low debt-to-income ratio may find themselves qualified with certain lenders.

Consumers with good credit and a low debt-to-income should have little to no problem taking on new credit. The situation to avoid is: poor credit, high debt-to-income ratio, and low income. This is a very high risk scenario to most all lenders.

What exactly is a debt-to-income Ratio?

The debt-to-income or DTI ratio refers to the comparison of the monthly debt expenses to the monthly gross or net income. It’s calculated by dividing all your monthly debt payments by your monthly gross income.

Here, your monthly debt payments include the sum of all payments towards your debt such as credit card payments, loan payments, car loans, and other debts. Your monthly gross income includes the income before deduction of taxes. The result is your debt-to-income ratio.

For example, if your monthly debt payments are $2000. This includes $400 in credit card payments, $200 in car loans, and $1400 in rent. If you earn $ 60,000 annually, the gross income would be $5000 per month. Your DTI is calculated by dividing $2000 by $5000, which gives you 0.4 or 40 percent.

In this particular example, a lender might see this as a risky debt-to-income. The ideal DTI is under 36%.

Why is Debt-to-Income Ratio important?

Your DTI is a benchmark which gives lenders an idea as to how much debt their borrowers can afford to take on. Lenders can use this information to determine if you can afford the payments of your requested loan. They may also use this ratio to determine the maximum amount they’re willing to lend you.

However, on its own, the DTI ratio will not affect your FICO credit score. With that said, it’s a critical part of your overall credit health and can have a direct impact in a credit decision.

Debt to income doesn’t contribute directly to a consumer’s FICO score but plays a role in your buying power.

Even though the DTI ratio is not used to calculate your FICO credit score, you should still pay close attention to it. DTI is a big factor deployed by lenders to decide whether to lend to you as it features your ability to take an additional financial obligation.

Because this number is a window into your financial obligations vs your income, it helps to determine buying power. Buying power is a consumer’s potential for credit approval. Your credit score itself is one factor used to determine buying power.

DTI effects lending of credit cards, car loans, mortgages, etc.

In addition to credit cards, lenders examine your DTI before lending you a mortgage. The maximum DTI required for a mortgage is 43%, but you should aim for a DTI of 36% or less. It also plays a key factor in whether you receive a credit card when you apply.

What happens when you have a high DTI ratio?

If DTI is more than 40%, lenders are likely to consider you a high-risk borrower, regardless of how good your FICO credit score is.

A high debt-to-income of 37% or more is an indication to the lender that your debt consumes too much of your income. Their concern is lending you more, raising your debt-to-income, and a disaster strikes. If your debt is more than 40% of your income, it’s difficult to handle an emergency while maintaining your payments.

Your DTI will pose too high of a risk for them to count on you paying a new debt as required.

Lenders use DTI in conjunction with FICO scores and report history to make lending decisions.

A high debt-to-income ratio can prevent you from acquiring any lines of new credit. DTI does play a more significant role in large purchase such as cars and homes. But, it’s also considered for credit card decisions and other personal loans.

Credit cards are generally high interest debts. They may be willing to lend to a consumer with a high debt-to-income ratio simply because of a good credit score. To a lender, this consumer wants to maintain their good credit, and is more likely to have a flexible budget for new debt. Of course, they also want that 25% interest rate 🙂

Conclusion

Your debt-to-income ratio in conjunction with your credit scores greatly affects lending decisions. This is true for credit card approvals, mortgage loans, car loans, and more. If you can manage to keep your debt-to-income ratio low, you may qualify for some lines of credit despite a low credit score.

The post How debt-to-income factors into lending decisions. appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

A credit card balance transfer is a common way of avoiding interest rates. This is done by frequently moving your debt to new sources, chasing low introductory rates. While this can be an effective way to avoid excessive interest rates, it can be equally dangerous.

For consumers with excellent money management skills, balance transfers are a staple of their financial plan. In fact, some people even view it as a game, consistently tricking the creditors by never paying interest.

If consumers go down this path and an unexpected loss of income occurs, things can go sideways quickly. Low interest introductory offers are followed by a hefty interest rate applied to the balance when they expire.

If your income is reduced, or credit damaged, you may not qualify for that next credit card. This is where consumers can get into trouble.

What is a Balance Transfer?

When you possess high-interest debt on one or more lines of credit, a balance transfer moves that debt to a new loan or credit card with a zero or low interest rate. This rate is introductory, and generally expires one year from signing up. This tactic ensures all your payments are going to principle, and never accruing interest.

To be clear, a balance transfer does not reduce the amount you owe in any way. Instead, its purpose is to get a lower interest rate, save money on finance charges and pay off the owed amount faster.

In order to qualify for an unsecured credit card with a 0% interest rate, you will have to maintain good credit.

Transfer-fee on balance transfer.

Many credit card issuers offer 0% interest balance transfers, but some of them also charge a transfer fee. This fee usually ranges from 0–5%. It’s very important to fully understand the scope of the promotion. Make sure you ask the right questions, and stay within the guidelines if you choose to transfer.

Some good questions to start with are:

• What is the introductory interest rate?
• How long does the promotional period last?
• Is there a balance transfer fee? If so, what is it?

How do balance transfers affect your credit score?

Balance transfers are generally deployed as a way to avoid high interest, late payments, or to try to improve credit scores. It can be a good way to pay down credit card debt. But, it can either help your credit score or hurt it depending on several factors.

Applying for credit cards with low introductory rates can negatively affect your credit scores. While a balance transfer saves money on interest in the short term, if you falter, the credit implications can be severe.

Is it effective to transfer credit card balances or does it just prolong the inevitable?

So, is a balance transfer really worth it. A credit transfer fee between 3 to 5 % of the balance is charged by most credit card companies. For example, if you’re repaying a $15,000 debt, some balance transfer offers will add 5% ($750) to your total as a charge for the balance transfer.

Once the promotional period is over, the full interest along with any fees will begin compounding. In short, it’s a strategy that can help you save extremely costly interest rates. But, you need to be careful about details like fees, interest rates and other restrictions on transfer amounts.

Transferring a balance, of course, does not mean the elimination of the debt. Instead, moving the balance to a low-interest credit card is a temporary reprieve. It typically comes with fees, and interest will surely have to be paid on whatever balance is transferred.

The hidden trick behind these balance transfers is consistency. Without it, you may find yourself in a bind when the introductory 0% APR period ends. In order to avoid this, it is vital to pay off the entire balance during the no-interest introductory period, or, continue your transfer plan if you can keep it up.

Bottom line

Balance transfers can prove to be a good subway to consolidate the credit card debts and more quick payments, provided close attention is paid to the terms and conditions.

The post Balance transfer: Beating high interest rates or path to perpetual debt? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

The whole world revolves around money. unfortunate, but all too often the case. When you’re young, you quickly spend money without giving a second thought to the possibility of adverse effects. You’re certainly not thinking of how to avoid debt.

It’s essential that children are educated about the value of money, so they understand it’s worth in the real world. Saving money is one of the most important things to learn if the goal is to establish a financial foundation.

Many of us learned to save money through experience. It was not really taught at school. But, by teaching and developing habits to avoid debt from an early age, we can empower the next generation. However, it is not as easy as it sounds though to inculcate the idea of money management. Listed below are a few ways that will help you teach the tots about managing money from an early age.

It all starts with a piggy bank

The piggy bank is one of the most common forms of “savings” for a youngster. For those that aren’t familiar, a piggy bank is a small plastic bank (usually shaped like a cute pig), for coins. As simple as that, but a couple coins every week fills his belly pretty quickly.

For young kids, it can be the simplest way to start saving money early. They can set goals, and then use the piggy bank to save towards those goals. The main lesson of the piggy bank is to teach saving for the future, and how money grows as you save it.

Open up a bank account

The next step is to open a bank account. Once the piggy bank has run its course, take your child to the bank to open up a savings account for them. A first savings account is a big deal for a kid. The feeling of responsibility, and your very own place to save all of that money. Of course, you’ll need to make some money first 🙂

With a new savings account comes many lessons. Interest if applicable and how it can increase wealth simply by saving money. How to deposit money, and review financial statements. You’ll find many other lessons in this process, maybe more than you hoped for!

Avoid debt using savings jars

Kids always long for the latest and greatest toy or a new action figure. The good news is, they can have it, they just need to make a few smart financial decisions.

Give them a jar for their desired toys and offer them small pocket change each week to bolster the savings.

For example, if you give your child five dollars a week, give it to them in one dollar bills, once a day. They can save all their cash for one purchase of one toy if they wish, or they can contribute to different “jars” for more than one saving goals. Some will learn the hard way, and spend that dollar every day. The lesson comes when a youngster learns discipline to put that dollar in the jar every day.

Each day may be tough as you learn discipline. But, the reward of a new toy at the end of the week cements the lesson of saving with a purpose. Not only does this result in a new toy, it teaches children to avoid debt by saving for their wants.

Creating a timeline

As a kid, it can be hard to grasp the concepts of money and time. In order to make the message clear, money education should be repetitive and ongoing. One way to keep money lessons ongoing is to create a timeline so that your child can visualize their set goals.

For example, if you give them five dollars a week and they want to save up fifty dollars. If they saved one hundred percent out of their pocket money, they’d reach their goal in ten weeks.

Every time an amount is saved, ask them to keep track of how much was saved. Let them know that they will get small perks at each checkpoint. Small rewards can encourage kids to retain their interest and keep going. Visuals are also helpful in explaining their goals for savings and about how their money is growing.

Teach your kids about why and how you are saving for their college education. Teaching little ones about saving money may seem like one of the toughest tasks. But using these tips, you can help your child understand the concept of saving money in a play-way method. It’s actually an investment of knowledge which truly pays the best interest.

The post Avoid debt by teaching money management early. appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

Times are tough for the general population’s credit. Even those who enjoyed easy approvals and low interest rates in years past are starting to feel the crunch. The reality is, your credit card or other unsecured debt always catches up to you. When this happens, we enter a rebuilding phase. There are many tools a consumer should be using to rebuild their credit, secured credit is a great addition.

Here’s a secret: It’s designed to.

Interest is the cash value of the credit extended to a borrower. Many people obtain credit cards and begin a vicious cycle of minimum payments. These payments do little to lessen the actual balance, and primarily pay the interest.

Shouldn’t their credit be great after all this time?

The “average” American credit score doesn’t change much between millennials and generation X. In addition, older generations have taken on more housing debt than their younger counterparts.

The reality is, all generations are facing both credit and debt issues. Many of us will find ourselves rebuilding our credit multiple times through our lives. It’s important to know every tool available to you while rebuilding.

What is a Secured Line of Credit?

A secured line of credit is a loan funded by depositing money into a “credit” account to serve as full or partial collateral. It can be the most reliable option for a young borrower or post-bankruptcy borrower to build or rebuild a credit score.

This card has a fixed credit limit that is partially collateralized by funds in a savings account. Specifically, card-holder deposits a certain amount of money into savings account with the credit card company. This is used to protect the company from the card-holder’s security deposit.

Pertaining to the cardholder’s credit history, a deposit of 50% to 100% of the credit limit into the savings account. These funds truly belong to the card-holder only, and he can retrieve it if he pays off or cancels the secured credit card. Since it reduces the risk to the credit card company, they charge a lower interest rate. Secured cards especially prove useful to people with bad credit history.

Secured credit cards.

When you get a secured credit card, you “fund” it through your bank account. While credit score doesn’t play as large a factor in these types of loans, having a valid bank account does.

A certain amount is deposited in the account, and money can be borrowed up to that amount using the card. If the borrowed money cannot be repaid, the account can be accessed to cover the debt. The creditor can also charge substantial fees for a secured card.

Secured credit cards look just like any other credit card, so no one can identify it differently. If you have trouble qualifying for unsecured credit, you can use a secured card to establish a record of using credit responsibly.

A secured line of credit is a tool to help rebuild your credit.

Acquiring a secured credit card is useful in many ways like renting a car, reserving an airline flight and online payment of purchases. These cards provide a credit line that matches the same amount of cash you deposit with the lender as collateral. While it may not seem like true credit, it’s money being spent using the credit system. Because it’s flowing through the credit system, you’re receiving positive reporting by using it and paying it off regularly.

Benefits of using a secured credit card.

Re-Building your credit score: Banks that provide secured credit cards report any and all payment activities to the credit agencies. If your account is managed responsibly, it may be favorable to rebuild your credit score.

Getting a credit card under “impossible” conditions: Secured lines of credit are available to those with major derogatory items, such as recent collections, who would normally be rejected straightaway for a normal card.

Spending discipline: A secured credit card does not allow you to go on unlimited shopping sprees. Your limit is the amount available in credit at the moment. It basically forces you to live within your means.

Qualifying for an unsecured card: If you pay your payments timely every month, some lenders may convert your credit line to an unsecured one after a certain period of time.

Earning interest: Some lenders may pay a small amount of interest on the amount you have deposited to secure your line.

Disadvantages.

Small credit limits: While regular credit cards offer credit lines in the tens of thousands, most secured credit cards only allow credit lines of several hundred dollars, limiting your purchasing ability.

Higher rates and fees: These credit lines costs you more to own. A higher rate of interest and annual fees from most lenders is common. Some may charge a monthly fee also just to keep your account activated.

Deposits at risk: If you are not able to repay the balance, your lender may claim the money deposited.

Predatory lending: Many lenders offering secured lines of credit are legitimate, but look out for these warning signs: They offer terms grossly in your favor, or tempt you to purchase items as a condition for issuing the card

To conclude, a secured credit card may act as a tool used to improve your finances, if utilized responsibly. This type of credit is one of several tools all consumers rebuilding credit should have access to.

The post Rebuilding with secured credit. One of many tools consumers should use. appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

A great deal of attention is put on the three-digit credit score that summarizes your creditworthiness. Have you ever wondered how the credit reporting system came to be? Or, what are the credit systems in different countries in the world? Do you need to rebuild credit if you move to a new country? Let’s find out…

History of the credit system.

Until the 1970s, credit scores were not as important in lending as they are now. The modern iteration of the FICO score, based on credit files from the three credit agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion was introduced in 1989.

Before credit scores, people still had credit reports which were based on the loan officer’s subjective judgment. Meaning the reports were essentially accounts of past experiences, and at the mercy of the lender handling.

There was a time when walking in to a bank with a rock solid business plan, location, and product was enough. This is of course if the lender determined you were worthy based simply on your interaction with them. Eventually, the need for a universal credit system became evident.

Do other countries have credit reporting systems?

Each country has its own way of deciding the creditworthiness of the borrowers. While there is no single international credit rating or international credit score, a few countries use similar systems. Some, like Japan, use none at all. Other nations use completely different credit scoring systems, due to different country-specific regulations regarding credit reporting.

The credit bureau Equifax operates in 15 countries through Europe and Latin America and the complexity of reporting varies in each country with their own regulations.

Is there an international credit system you can use in different countries or does each country have its own system?

Settling and moving to new countries would be significantly easier if we could use the same credit score system around the world. Unfortunately, there are no completely international credit agencies as of 2019.

While there is no common international credit rating or international credit score, a few countries use similar systems. This is because each of them uses a different combination of credit reporting agencies and are based on different factors.

Below are the credit reporting systems followed in some of the countries in the world:

• Japan: Credit in Japan is usually between the consumer and the bank and is based on factors like length of employment and salary.
• U.K.: Their credit system is much similar to the one in the U.S. It has three major credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, Callcredit. UK consumer credit is based on factors like payment history, age of accounts, and credit utilization.
• Netherlands: Here, a person with a steady income who isn’t defaulting on any existing debts is generally judged creditworthy.
• Canada: Its credit system is also similar to that of the US. TransUnion Canada and Equifax Canada are affiliated to the US TransUnion and Equifax credit agencies with the only difference that the Canadian credit scores range from 300 to 900 points with the majority requiring to score a 680 to receive good interest rate on a loan.
• Spain: It has a credit register to track all the loans, credits, bank endorsements, and risks in general that financial institutions have with their customers.

Credit history when moving abroad.

The credit reference agency like Equifax compiles the credit report by collecting information on your activity only in a particular country, so if you move to a new country, you have to essentially start right from the scratch!

For those thinking this seems like a great way to wipe the slate and start over, think again. Although your credit history may not follow you when you move abroad, any debts you owe will remain active. This means your creditors and debt haven’t gone anywhere. They will still pursue their balances regardless of where you live.

With that said, you do have the opportunity to start over with new credit in a new Country with a different system. Just don’t forget about those debts back home, they’re still affecting you in one way or another.

Rebuilding your credit.

If you’re moving abroad temporarily, it might not be the case that you need to close all your accounts. They will continue to be part of your credit history which include bank accounts and credit cards. If you are using a credit card abroad, however, you should notify the card issuer to avoid any problems.

If you have to start from scratch, then you will need to follow the same steps as someone who has never had a history of credit. For those of you who remember building credit from scratch, it can take some time.

Since there is no International credit check, this does not mean that people can escape from debts by moving to a new country. Government agencies enquire for any uncleared debts when applying for visas for different countries. If it appears that you have uncleared debts, the visa will not be approved.

Perhaps one day, there will be an international credit report recognized in multiple countries, making travel to a new country and life much easier.

The post How does credit reporting work outside of America? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

When an account becomes severely past due, the account is turned over to collections by the creditor. This generally occurs between 60 and 180 days of being overdue. The creditor will either pass it on to their in-house collections department, or sell the debt to a an outside collection agency. The collection agency then become the “owner” of the debt, and can begin pursuing you for repayment.

If you have old collections on your credit report, then you know it can drop your FICO score significantly. Let’s discuss how collection accounts from your credit profile can be removed?

When you are thinking about paying off old collection accounts, the date reported should be noted. The older the reporting date, the better. If you were to pay off the collection, you would be changing the date reported to today. This action will temporarily make the credit score go down.
My credit contains old collection accounts, should I pay those off first or focus on current/open debt?

There are different factors on which your payment of old collection accounts depends. If the collections are a settled amount and are not accruing interest or penalties, it is advisable to pay off the credit card first as it accrues interest on the debt.

The general rule is to pay off whatever is costing you more to have outstanding. This means the interest that accrues every month and of course, penalty you might incur from missing an agreed repayment schedule.

How paying off old debts affects your score

Debt collections are bad for your credit report for sure. Now, any past due account along with old collection accounts leaves a negative mark on your credit. The factors below will help you decide whether or not the old collections should be paid off first or not.

The Statute of Limitations

A debt actually becomes time-barred after an account has been inactive for a long period of time. The best way is to find out the statute of limitations in your state to help decide whether you should pay an old debt. Keep in mind, a debt statute may be reset if ANY activity occurs on the account, sometimes even acknowledgment of the account.

Moral Obligation

Since you’ve already consumed the goods or services financed by the debt, it’s your moral responsibility to pay for it. For old debt collections, you can have the debt collector first validate the debt. Then, decide if you should pay it off.

Impact on your credit score

According to FICO, paying an old collection debt won’t hurt your credit score, as long as it is not listed in the credit reports.

Future Credit card and Loan applications

New loan or credit card applications may not be approved easily as long as you have outstanding debt on your credit report. Or, if you get approved, you may not be offered a very good interest rate.

So never pay old collections?

Not exactly. Pay them when it makes sense to for you personal financial situation. Unfortunately, simply paying off a collection account without getting it removed from your credit reports won’t improve your credit scores. As long as a collection account is listed on your credit reports, it’ll have a negative impact on your credit scores.

While it’s discouraging to know that paying collection accounts won’t directly help your credit scores, remember that as this information gets older, it’ll have lesser of an impact. That’s particularly true if new, positive credit references are in process.

Paying off an old debt won’t necessarily do much to reduce the negative credit score caused by the delinquency.

How to Remove Collection Accounts from Your Credit Reports

The stain of collection accounts on the credit reports lowering the credit score can be removed using the following steps.

• Do a little homework to get information from your credit reports and your own records. Pull all reports, review and have a good understanding of your credit picture.
• Dispute any lingering debts or error in collection accounts.
• Seek Goodwill Deletion if you already paid the debt.

Benefits of Paying the Old Debt

You may not want to spend money to clear off an old collection debt. But, it can be a good feeling, and it does have some benefits.
Improves points in the payment history portion of your credit score report.

• Debt-to-income ratio decreases
• New credit can be easier to obtain as you will have less obligations.
• If the collections are a settled amount and do not accrue interest or penalties, it’s advisable to pay the credit card first as it is accruing interest on the debt.

The rule of thumb is to pay off whatever is costing you more to have outstanding. This means interest that accrues every month and any penalty you might incur from missing an agreed upon repayment schedule.

It’s a stressful, tedious process to clear off your collections account. That said, you must still persevere and get it done to avoid further negative marks on your credit account.

The post Should my old collections accounts be paid off first or focus on current debt? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

The task of landing in your dream apartment doesn’t end with just signing a lease notice, paying the rent, and shifting your things. You also have to set up some or all of your utilities. These include Electricity, Water, gas, sewer, and TV/Internet, etc. Are you prepared to pay a deposit to open these accounts?

When you create a new account with utility companies, they require you to pay a deposit in advance before they will turn on your utilities. As with the other security and pet deposits, utility deposits are meant to insure against losses that may result from your unpaid or underpaid bills.

The deposits are based on your credit score, which is checked during the signup process for most utilities. Often times, the initial deposit is equal to one month utility cost of the previous resident at that address. However, with bad credit it may be 2 or 3 times that amount.

When I moved into my first apartment, age 18, I remember paying a $350 deposit for electric in a 650 square foot loft. I had very little credit, and what I did have wasn’t good. This changed in later years, once my credit was back on track the deposits were lower or non-existent.

You have to pay a deposit on utilities, and other recurring services.

If you are a new utility customer, utility companies create a new account which means they are actually issuing you credit. Because you are going to use the utilities and services before their payments are made. A utility is much like an unsecured debt. Obviously, they can’t repossess used water or power, so they rely on your credit to determine trustworthiness. Therefore, individuals with a good credit history will be welcomed by them with little to no deposit.

There are utility deposits to be paid on almost all utilities and recurring services like Electricity, Water, Telephone, Sewer, Natural Gas, etc. Moreover, Service connection fee is also applied to newer, transferring or reconnecting after disconnection for non-payment residential utility accounts.

These reconnection fees are typically $30 to $40 and add up quickly if you’re habitually behind on your payments.

What factors contribute to deposit amounts for consumers? How can I avoid deposits?

Your utility deposit may be reduced or waived if your credit history is good. If you have a bad credit history, you may have to pay a higher deposit amount. The good news is, unlike a car loan, the utility company is not going “turn you down” – they are just going to impose higher deposit amounts on you.

Also, utility companies may ask new customers to provide a “letter of guarantee,” a letter from a person who agrees to pay the bill if their customer fails to do so.

Utility deposit amounts vary widely

The amounts for utility deposits vary widely, as there are no strict regulations on what service providers and landlords can charge. For example,

According to Duke Energy, which covers several states across the Southeast, electricity deposit may range anywhere from $100 to $250 depending on the user’s monthly bill.

Other utility companies require a lump sum deposit of $300 or more for residential electricity service agreements. If your cable or Internet provider requires a deposit, it may also cover equipment usage. Some utility companies will charge new customers a deposit amount equal to the cost of a month’s service.

Security Deposits.

A security deposit is a deposit of money deferred to the landlord to ensure that rent will be paid and other responsibilities of the lease performed (e.g., paying for any type of damage caused by the tenant). The laws pertaining to these deposits vary from state to state.

Security Deposits: Receipts and Interest

On receiving a last month’s rent and/or a security deposit, the landlord should give the tenant a receipt for each prepayment. If he or she does not, it is perfectly advisable for the tenant to claim one. In many states, the landlord is required to give the tenant a receipt.

What can I do to improve my credit and not have to pay a deposit?

Your credit score numbers give an impression of your financial management. Hence, a good credit history will tempt utility companies to create your new account easily. Adversely, a bad credit score will end up in higher deposit amounts due to lack of faith and trust on your money management. Here are a few tips to improve your credit score.

Accurate credit reports

Check your credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Free credit reports can be accessed via AnnualCreditReport.com – Ensure they are correct. You don’t want any mistakes on there costing you money and credit score points.

Avoid your late payments

Set up payment-due date alerts and get organized with all your credit cards and loans. Even better, use auto-draft payment options for some or all of your bills. This ensures you’re never late, and keeps your credit score healthy.

Clear off any outstanding debts

It’s important that you clear off all outstanding dues to get a good credit score. Old collections, debts never paid, forgotten credit cards don’t go away just because you’ve forgotten them. Review your credit report and make a plan to pay off each outstanding debt. This may take some time, but will raise your score significantly once complete.

Use a credit card wisely – Good credit means you wont have to pay a deposit for most things.

If you qualify for a credit card, and don’t currently have one, consider getting one. Now, the card you’re going to qualify for will have an outrageous interest rate.

This is the cost of poor credit. However, if you use the card wisely, you can build your credit and not feel the impact of the APR too severely.

One of the best ways to use a credit card for rebuilding is what I like to call “the gas card” – Put you weekly gas fill up on your card, take the money you would have spent on it and set it aside. At the end of the month, pay your balance in full. This will lead to very little interest paid, because your debt has not sat with the lender for more than a month. And, it will build your credit as lenders will view you as a consistent payor, always good in the banks eyes.

The post I have to pay a deposit on everything: What can I do to improve my credit? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.

In order to pay off your loan sooner, you ought to make extra payments towards your principal balance. Most people are not aware that extra payments do not always go directly to the principal, but are applied to the interest instead.

Remember, the interest is the lenders profit. If you make a $250 payment on a $100 minimum due balance, where does the $150 go? For you, it makes sense to go directly towards the principal, which reduces your debt much quicker than paying interest. For the bank, they’d prefer to apply it towards the principal and balance just like a normal payment.

It looks like a very simple and straightforward process, but there are things you can do to make sure the extra payments go directly to the principal amount not interest.

How Are Extra Payments Applied to Your Loan?

When you make extra payments, your intention is to lower the original amount of debt. You can get rid of your debt sooner by doing this because no portion of your payment is removed for interest.

Some banks provide the option of applying the full amount to the principal of the loan or credit cards directly. Generally, in order to do this you need to call them directly to make a payment. This way you can verbally tell them you want the payment applied to the principle.

Are There any hidden Fees for Extra Payments or Principal Only Payments?

According to the terms of the loan, some banks charge a fee for extra payments on the loan. In other cases, they may charge on a principal only payment.

Though it might be frustrating to pay a fee, you will still save money on interest if you pay the loan or credit card off sooner. Interest payments for a few months will usually be less than a penalty of $1,000.

Choose the Best Strategy for Extra Payments

Now you understand the fees associated with extra payments and the way your payments are applied to the principal.  With this information, you can now work on the best strategy to pay off your loan. You may need to pay just one large monthly payment on the loan in order to avoid fees and to pay it off as quickly as possible. If you are paid multiple times a month, you may need to put the money for payments into savings so you will not be tempted to spend it.

If no extra fee is charged by the bank, you can opt for paying the extra amount received by bonuses or tax returns. This strategy will also help you to avoid overspending your money so that you don’t fall in an over-debt situation.

Making the Last chunk of Payment

When it’s time to pay off your loan, you ought to contact your bank and enquire about the final payment figure. The interest accrued will change daily. The bank may quote the amount of payoff for a set period. You can make the extra payment personally if you wish to, or you can do the same by email or pay it online.

Four alternatives to paying extra towards your mortgage principal

Before you plan to make extra principal payments on your mortgage, it’s best to plan to take into account your overall financial goals. Assess your current financial position and future goals to identify the ideal use for your funds.

1. Clearing off credit card debt

If you’re having a tough time with credit card debt like many Americans, it’s more than likely you don’t have enough available cash to pay extra on your mortgage. Your credit card rates are going to be significantly higher than your home loan interest rate so it makes sense to tackle credit card debt first.

2. Refinance to an affordable rate

This can prove to save you more and still let you keep the extra money you’d pay toward your principal for other alternatives.

3. Build up an emergency fund

It is recommended to save for an emergency and unexpected costs. Without those financial reserves in place, you could put your extra money to put toward it if you’re making extra mortgage payments.

Conclusion.

Focusing on clearing just one debt at a time will enable you to channelize your extra payments and also to clear your debt faster because this will lower the principal on one loan and reduce the amount of interest payment. Paying off your highest interest loans first can help you in saving money.

The post How do I ensure my extra payments are going to the principal and not interest? appeared first on Consumer Credit News.