Should you pay for credit repair?

This post comes from Brandon Ballenger at partner site Money Talks News.

You have a strong incentive to make your credit report look as good as possible. A great credit history means a higher credit score, which in turn means more borrowing options at better rates, potentially lower insurance premiums and other benefits. In short, it literally pays to have good credit.

But if your credit history isn't looking its best, you can do more than just wait years for bad marks to expire. You can, and should, do what you can to repair it. And as with many things subject to repair, that leaves you with two options: doing it yourself or paying someone else. 

In the video below, Stacy Johnson explains the DIY approach. Check it out, then read on for more about steps you can take to polish your report without spending a buck.

Up to $800 for "basic" credit repair? There's no good reason to pay that when you can do anything that someone else can for, at most, the cost of mailing a few letters. Here's exactly what a pro would do, and what you can do yourself:

There are other ways to get a report without paying. According to the Federal Trade Commission, if you've been denied credit, insurance or a job based on your report, you have two months to request a copy of the offending report. You can also get one if you're unemployed and seeking work, receiving welfare or are a victim of fraud. Of course, you can also pay to get a copy. The cost shouldn't exceed $11.

If you're trying to get a problem fixed and a month goes by with no response from the credit-reporting agency, send it off a second time, but add a paragraph like this:

You haven't responded to my previous request in a timely fashion, which, as you should know, is illegal. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681i) says, "If the completeness or accuracy of any item of information contained in a consumer's file at a consumer-reporting agency is disputed by the consumer and the consumer notifies the agency directly of such dispute, the agency shall reinvestigate free of charge and record the current status of the disputed information, or delete the item from the file before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the agency receives the notice of the dispute from the consumer."

 

I don't know how that statement could be any clearer. Since more than 30 days have passed since my initial inquiry, I'll be expecting written confirmation that the items listed in my original dispute have been permanently removed from my credit history.

The bureau typically has a month to respond to disputes and will notify you of the results either way. If there's an error, the bureau will fix it and automatically report it to the other two. It will also send notice of the error to anyone who has requested your report in the past six months, at your request.

• Let it expire.
• Convince the creditor to remove it.
• Dispute an account the creditor has no proof of.

The first option is the easiest but takes the longest. Most credit sins are eventually forgiven and forgotten, but it takes seven years (from the first delinquency date) for most to disappear from your report. Bankruptcies stay for 10.

Next, you can try persuading the creditor to drop an item. With the exception of child support, there's nothing in the law saying anyone has to report negative information. There's also no law against having it removed. So it's possible to simply contact the creditor and ask it to remove negatives from your history. The odds aren't great, but it happens.

Two things will help convince a creditor to remove accurate negative information from your credit history: continuing to be a customer or offering to settle an unpaid balance. Write a letter explaining what you want and what you have to offer in exchange -- either your continued business or a cash settlement on an unpaid balance. If you opt to use an unpaid bill as leverage,don't pay anything before getting it in writing.

The last method of removing accurate negative information comes down to dumb luck. By law, credit-reporting agencies have to verify information you dispute. Verification means contacting the creditor that originally reported the negative information and asking it if it's accurate. If a creditor lost the paperwork, went out of business or simply can't be located, the information can't be verified and has to be removed.

It's similar to pleading innocent to a speeding ticket and hoping the cop doesn't show up in court.

If none of these options work, you can still add a brief explanation (a couple of sentences) to any item on your report that you disagree with. For example, if there's a good reason you missed a couple of payments -- job loss, medical problems, natural disaster -- you can say so. In an age of computers and credit scores, this probably won't help, but it may be better than doing nothing.

The steps above are virtually the only way to influence a credit history, so there's nothing a pro can do better than you. So while you can pursue professional credit repair, be aware that you're paying big bucks for something that doesn't require special expertise.

And also be aware there are tons of scams in the credit repair business. Check out the FTC's page on credit repair for examples and warning signs. Better idea: If you need help, check out a credit counseling agency for free assistance. Learn where to look in "Finding help with debt."

More on Money Talks News and MSN Money:

• 3 tips to raise your credit score -- fast
• Credit scores: 9 things that don't matter, 5 that do
• The true cost of bad credit
• Estimate your credit score for free
• 9 fast fixes for your credit scores
• Can you beat your state's average credit score?