As a result of the sub-prime credit and lending crisis, lenders are demanding a higher credit score to approve new credit. So, it is more important than ever to clean up any bad information on your credit reports. Below are three easy and simple steps to cleaning up your credit report and necessary actions to improve your credit score.

1. The First Step to Clean Credit The first step to cleaning bad credit is to get a copy of your credit report from all 3 credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Every year you are entitled to one free report from AnnualCreditReport.com.

Alternatively, you can get all three reports plus your scores for $1 here. Otherwise, you can request a copy in the event you have recently been denied new credit.

2. The Second Step to Clean Credit Identify credit information that damages a good credit score. This includes...

• collections
• late payments
• repossessions
• charge offs
• bankruptcy
• judgments
• included in bankruptcy
• garnishment
• paid for less
• settled accounts
• liens
• 'hard' inquiries

Recent negative items are more damaging than older items.

3. The Third and Final Step to Clean Credit Any questionable information must be disputed and deleted as soon as possible. It may take up to 60 days or more to fully resolve credit errors so it is important to get started as soon as possible!

What Can You Legally Dispute?

Bankers and credit bureaus may intimidate you and prevent you from disputing questionable information on your report. However, this is in direct contradiction to State and Federal Courts who apply a liberal standard to what is "inaccurate."

In other words, perhaps you technically were late on paying your credit card bill. However, it may have been due to the credit card company sending your invoice to the wrong address or failing to send your monthly statement.

Here are some additional reasons to support your credit report dispute:

• the account does not belong to you
• the item is out-of-date
• you were never late
• you agreed to an alternative payment plan
• the account was sold in violation of the contract
• the balance is wrong

We suggest that you file your disputes by certified or registered mail. Cleaning up a bad credit report is possible and 100% legal. However, it does require persistence, patience, and an understanding of the relevant State and Federal credit laws.

"I just want to share with you my story about how my credit situation. If you are someone struggling with bad credit, then I was walking in your exact same shoes...

And today - if you look behind me - this is the house that I bought.

So, obviously my credit situation has changed.

Basically, while I was in college I ran up my credit cards and acquired a lot of unmanageable debt which destroyed my credit rating.

About a-year-and-a-half ago when I went to try to buy a house, the banks laughed at me and made me feel bad about what happened in college. (They basically implied that I was a deadbeat SCUMBAG even though it really wasn't all my fault).

I knew that I had to fix my credit, but didn't know how to do it myself so I went to Lexington Law.

Now, literally within several months, I was able to purchase a $300,000 new home without any trouble at all obtaining a mortgage.

So instead of going into banks with bad credit and being looked at as a scumbag, the banks were more than willing to help.

In fact, when I applied for my mortgage and the banker ran my credit, he came back and was saying...

"Wow! Sure thing sir. We'd love to help you out."

Lexington Law literally changed my life.

I went from being the person who has bad credit to being the person who is living in what I consider my dream home at age 29.

Some examples of the things that were on my report that are now gone were: all sorts of charge offs, collections, and I even had credit report judgments listed against me (which I heard is one of the worst things you can have on your credit.)

I had basically every kind of negative listing shy of a bankruptcy.

Lexington Law has raised my credit score at least 237 points. I just checked my FICO score which is now a 737. When I started with Lexington Law, it was below 500!"

I encourage anyone struggling with bad credit to pick up the phone and give Lexington Law a call.

 

It was super-encouraging to see my credit score improve each month as the negative items were deleted from my credit reports. I thought some of the bad credit was permanent since creditors misled me into believing that delinquent information would stay on my credit report for the next seven years.

However, through their dispute process and "goodwill interventions," Lexington Law proved it is possible to remove any questionable negative item. (it is the same as pleading 'not guilty' in a court of law).

Additionally, the paralegal assigned to my case showed me other credit rebuilding techniques such as:

• How to add up to three years of positive payment history to your credit with your regular phone or utility bills (these are things I pay each month anyway so it was a real "no-brainer)
  
• How boost your credit score by optimizing your 'Utilization Ratio' - this involves transferring balances and there is a Right Way and Wrong Way to do this
  
• How Lexington Law can erase your damaging credit inquiries (applying for credit puts a small "ding" on your credit. Inquiry Investigation helps you remove these "dings")

Deleting the negative credit items like charge offs and the credit card judgment, combined with the credit rebuilding techniques, rapidly improved my credit score. In fact, in month two my score went up 74 points!

After living with bad credit for so long, it was really encouraging to see that I was making progress in the right direction.

Not only did the attorneys at Lexington Law show me results, they also provided excellent customer service along the way. If you are someone who enjoys that "personal touch", then you may like how Lexington Law assigns a paralegal to your case.

My paralegal (Stephanie) was always available to discuss the status of my case over the phone and email. Even though I didn't expect or ask for it, my attorney would also periodically give me a call to check in.

Here are some strategies Lexington Law used to delete the really stubborn bad credit - such as the credit card judgment:

• Unlimited dispute & delete
• Goodwill interventions
• Escalated information requests
• Debt validation
• Inquiry assist

You can also access you case online anytime you like. (I enjoyed logging in just to see all the deletions!)

If you are struggling with a bad credit score because of negative credit items, then I truly hope that you start repairing your credit today. I know how humiliating bad credit is and I know how easy it is just to 'sweep it under the rug' and pretend it will go away on its own.

I realize that your situation is probably a little different than mine, however, Lexington Law has already deleted questionable charge offs, a credit card judgment, late payments, collection items, and inquiries from my credit report and raised my credit score to a 737!

Here is a shot of my credit score online last month -:

To get started repairing your credit, call Lexington Law today direct at:
1-800-232-2903 (toll-free)
www.LexingtonLaw.com

Or, if you want a Lexington Law paralegal to call you, click here.