Credit Guides And Credit Services

At MBNA, an investigation similarly consists of a comparison of the disputed data with information in its database, the Customer Information System (CIS). One of the first to delve into its practices was Leonard Bennett, a Newport News, Virginia attorney who represented Linda Johnson. The lawsuit swirled around an MBNA MasterCard opened by plaintiff Linda Johnson s ex-husband, Edward Slater, in 1987 - four years before he married her. They had since divorced. Johnson said she was only an authorized user, which meant she was not responsible for paying the account. In December 2000, Slater filed for bankruptcy, and MBNA promptly removed his name from the account. That same month, MBNA contacted Johnson and informed her that she was responsible for the approximately $17, 000 balance on the account. After obtaining copies of her credit report from Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union, Johnson disputed the MBNA account with each of them. Experian and Trans Union sent automated consumer dispute verifications (ACDVs) to MBNA specifically indicating Johnson s claim that she was not a co-obligor on the account. credit pacific service union

MBNA agents responded by comparing the disputed data with the account information contained in MBNA s computerized Customer Information System (CIS). Since the two were identical, MBNA verified that the disputed information was correct. In other words, MBNA did nothing more than confirm that it indeed reported the original (inaccurate) data. The CRAs continued to report it on Johnson s credit report. credit first service union

Tricia Furr, an MBNA credit reporting specialist, confirmed that MBNA s Desktop Procedure manual directs specialists to confirm a match of two out of three identifiers - name, address and/or SSN. Once a two-out-of-three match is established, MBNA can inform the CRA that the disputed information is verified as reported. Ms. Furr said that MBNA s reinvestigations do not go beyond the information contained in its own CIS.¹²⁷ card credit mobile service

Furr

: I looked at the balance that we have on CIS and the history of the account as compared to the trade line as opposed to what we had on our Customer Information screen... Bennett: In performing the investigation and re-investigation of consumer disputes, once it receives an ACDV¹²⁸ from a credit reporting agency, when are MBNA s credit reporting specialists supposed to look beyond the Customer Information System for investigation ...I am asking the practices and procedures now. card credit discover service

Furr

: The Customer Information System is the only thing that we have to use for verification. So, there is no where else to look. Bennett: Do you ever pull documents, like old statements, and check payments and credit card applications Furr: No, sir. ¹²⁷ The depositions of MBNA personnel were taken in the case, Linda Johnson v. MBNA America Bank, N.A., Slip Op. No. 3:02 cv 523, U.S. District Court For The Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond Division). credit public service union

¹²⁸

The dispute form is known as an ACDV, or Automated Consumer Dispute Verification Reading from MBNA s internal records, MBNA Vice President Edward Hughes quoted an MBNA employee s communication to a customer s attorney: It would be up to (c)ard holder to prove MBNA was reporting wrong, not MBNA proving right. card credit processing service

Here Comes The Judge

In a sense, Hughes statement proved to be wrong. Linda Johnson was one of the few consumers who sued and actually had the chance to tell her story to a jury. MBNA argued that it verification methods complied with the FCRA. The jury disagreed, and awarded Johnson $90, 300. Judge Richard Williams affirmed the jury verdict. According to [MBNA], the duty to investigate means that any investigation is sufficient, no matter how cursory. Such a construction is illogical. There would be no point in having the statute, and the requirement of an investigation, if there was no qualitative component to the investigation. The statute itself does impose a qualitative component to the [MBNA s] negligence Judge Williams said.¹²⁹ center credit service union

MBNA appealed Judge Williams decision. But on February 11, 2004, a three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed, finding that MBNA s standard response to consumer disputes did not amount to a true reinvestigation under the FCRA. card credit service wireless

¹²⁹ Johnson v. MBNA

, op. cit., bench ruling February 24, 2003 MBNA argues that the language of 1681s-2(b)(1)(A), requiring furnishers of credit information to conduct an investigation regarding disputed information, imposes only a minimal duty on creditors to briefly review their records to determine whether the disputed information is correct, the panel wrote, in an opinion authored by Chief Judge William W. Wilkens. Stated differently, MBNA contends that this provision does not contain any qualitative component that would allow courts or juries to assess whether the creditor s investigation was reasonable. ¹³⁰ credit security service union

The key term at issue here, investigation, is defined [by the dictionary] as a detailed inquiry or systematic examination. Thus, the plain meaning of investigation clearly requires some degree of careful inquiry by creditors, he wrote. credit report service

Further, he said, the statute uses the term investigation in the context of articulating a creditor s duties in the consumer dispute process outlined by the FCRA. It would make little sense to conclude that, in creating a system intended to give consumers a means to dispute and, ultimately, correct inaccurate information on their credit reports, Congress used the term investigation to include superficial, unreasonable inquiries by creditors. We therefore hold that 1681s-2(b)(1) requires creditors, after receiving notice of a consumer dispute from a credit reporting agency, to conduct a reasonable investigation of their records to determine whether the disputed information can be verified. blogspot com christian

MBNA also tried to argue that its investigation in Johnson s case was reasonable. But the court pointed to the specific nature of Johnson s dispute, and the testimony of MBNA agents that their investigation was primarily limited to (1) confirming that the name and address listed on the ACDVs were the same as the name and address contained in the Customer Information System, and (2) noting that the CIS contained a code indicating that Johnson was the sole responsible party on the account. christian counseling credit

The MBNA agents also testified that, in investigating consumer disputes generally, they do not look beyond the information contained in the CIS and never consult underlying documents such as account applications. Based on this evidence, a jury could reasonably conclude that MBNA acted unreasonably in failing to verify the accuracy of the information contained in the CIS, he wrote. credit federal service union

¹³⁰ Linda Johnson v. MBNA America Bank

: CA-4 - No. 31-1235; Feb. 11, 2004 Richard Rubin, a Sante Fe, New Mexico attorney who argued the case for Johnson before the Fourth Circuit, noted that the panel adopted his position that had MBNA simply told the truth and stated that its investigation was inconclusive, the CRAs would have deleted the tradeline as required by the FCRA, and the litigation never would have occurred. credit monitoring service

Veracity - History of the Credit Bureaus and Reporting Agencies (CRA)

condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana, Life of Reason, Reason in Common Sense, Scribner s, 1905, page 284 Credit bureaus had humble beginnings. Local credit bureaus started taking shape in the late 1800s, when merchants who increasingly offered credit needed to keep track of those who failed to repay. One of the first credit bureaus was established in Brooklyn in 1860.¹³¹ credit division service

Equifax was founded as the Retail Credit Co. in Atlanta in 1899 by brothers Cator and Guy Woolford, who compiled credit records of the city s citizens in a Merchants Guide that they sold to local grocers for $25 a year.¹³² card credit online service

Also in the 1890s, J.E.R. Chilton started to collect information on customers in Dallas, Texas. In 1906, the first national organization of credit bureaus was founded the National Association of Retail Credit Agencies. It later became the Associated Credit Bureaus (ACB); it is now known as the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). ¹³¹ Cole, R.H. (1992), Consumer and Commercial Credit Management (Irwin, Homewood) consumer counseling credit inc

¹³²

Serwer, Andy, Street Life: Credit Bureaus Exposed, Fortune.com, April 14, 2003 This original organization was set up as a network of six small credit bureaus. The number of credit bureaus increased remarkably in the 1920s as well as the 1950s with the introduction of credit cards and installment credit. During that period, the credit reporting market was homegrown: information was collected from local lenders and distributed locally.¹³³ card credit fleet service

Automation Consolidation

In the 1970s, however, the industry started to automate on a larger scale. Database concentration led to industry consolidation. The larger market-players began to bring smaller bureaus into their computer systems to benefit from their information collection. Smaller agencies used the computer processing power and network of the larger companies. Local credit bureaus either became affiliates of one of the bigger players, or remained independent as resellers of credit reports. card consolidation credit

In the 1970s, there were 2, 250 credit bureaus in the market. This number has been reduced to 1, 833 bureaus in 1997. Currently, it is estimated there are only 220 independent resellers. In the 1980s, there were five national credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, TRW, Equifax, Chilton Corporation and Pinger Systems. The Chilton Corporation eventually merged with TRW, whereas Pinger was sold to the Computer Science Corporation (CSC). CSC is a separate company, but for credit-reporting and operational purposes, it is now an affiliate of Equifax. credit free online report

Credit reporting was only one division of TRW. Other divisions were devoted to aerospace and automotive parts. TRW later purchased Chilton. In the mid-1990s, TRW sold its credit reporting division, renamed Experian, to an intermediary. Experian was later bought by Grand Universal Stores, a United Kingdom company that continues as owner. credit federal first service

The costs associated with a low credit score are difficult to calculate precisely. However, a look at the savings and losses from bad credit reveals significant penalties. consumer credit service

On the bright side, even a modest increase to your credit score can save you thousands in interest on your car loan, home mortgage, or credit card APR rates. So, how does a low credit score affect you Bad credit costs you money. Lots of it! Credit Repair Home | All FAQs | Previous FAQ | Next FAQ Credit Repair FAQ - The Rest of the Story... center credit family service

Bad credit is expensive. A low credit score on a home mortgage can cost hundreds of points in interest penalties alone. For example, say you have an outstanding mortgage of $150, 000 - the chart below shows what bad credit means for your interest rates and the ultimate cost of your home equity acquisition. A low credit score can literally double the cost of your home! Over the Course of a 30-year Fixed-Rate Home Loan, whether New Mortgage or Refinance, a High Credit Rating can Save You Tens of Thousands of Dollars on Interest Payments Alone - often Hundreds of Dollars per Month! credit reporting service

Bad Credit - Auto Loans and Vehicle Financing

Assume you have an outstanding car loan for $15, 000. Quick math illustrates the cost of a low credit score. Bad credit can cost you thousands of dollars even on an auto loan! Automotive Vehicle Loans: Thousands of Dollars can be Saved if you Move from a Low or Bad Credit Rating to a High or Great FICO Credit Score when obtaining your loan cca credit division service

Bad Credit - Credit Card Interest and Monthly Payments

Let s assume you are carrying $8, 000 in credit card debt. Additionally, let s assume that you budget $175/month to service this debt. Below are the results of bad credit, average credit, and excellent credit scores on your payment sundown and amounts. As shown, a consumer with bad credit will pay more with higher interest rates, and at a high APR, consumers with bad credit can make minimum payments and yet remain in debt for decades. Bad credit means higher interest rates, period. credit free report service

Credit Card Interest Rates Use a Fairly New Set of Rules and a Risk Model that Means a Low Credit Score Equals Higher Interest Rates and APR that goes through the roof

Examples like those above illustrate the hidden costs of attempting a major purchase with bad credit. Even one percent in higher interest rates can cost you tens or hundreds of thousands more in interest payments alone. card credit customer discover

Optimizing your credit profile and emerging from a bad credit profile, especially before a major purchase, is not just something to think about; bad credit must be repaired. If you have bad credit, get a trusted credit repair service on your side - get Veracity. Enroll in Credit Repair About Veracity Credit Consultants Contact Veracity Full Refund Policy Veracity Site Map Privacy Statement Terms of Use credit repair report service

Credit Repair Case Studies Credit Repair FAQ Credit Repair Client Testimonials Credit Repair Enrollment How To Improve Your Credit Score Why is Veracity the best credit repair company for me

Veracity is one of the best credit repair companies because we get results. By offering the best credit repair service, the best credit report analysis, immediate action plans, ongoing updates, and the most experienced credit repair consultants, we outperform most competition significantly. credit legal repair service

Veracity is one of the fastest-growing credit repair companies in America, and this growth is a testament to our quality. Most new clients arrive based on word of mouth referrals from current and past clients, or by referrals from professionals such as mortgage brokers and loan officers. If you have bad credit, Veracity is your credit repair company of choice. cic credit monitoring service

Veracity s credit repair strategy removes the stress of doing it yourself yet provides personalized service for thousands of active clients. With a service that combines credit repair and direct financial consulting, Veracity is hard to beat! ccs credit division service

Credit Repair Home

| All FAQs | Previous FAQ | Next FAQ Credit Repair FAQ - The Rest of the Story... Credit problems are different for everyone. While just about everyone wants to fix their credit problems quickly, the goals, baseline credit scores, credit report data, and negative items vary widely among consumers. credit service union worker

As a result, we feel there is no benefit to a cookie cutter credit repair strategy. To yield optimal results for all credit report problems, Veracity s Credit Repair Solution emphasizes one-on-one consultation. Each and every one of our clients receives a custom credit repair action plan based on their unique credit repair goals and issues. 1st credit service union

The sole objective of our credit repair specialists is to understand your needs, and to then work with you to create a credit repair strategy that addresses your specific credit problems and goals. No other credit repair company offers this level of consultation or unlimited credit repair expert accessibility. card chase credit customer

We know that the discovery of credit problems often comes at the worst of times. Because we know time is of the essence, Veracity delivers the fastest credit report repair results because we start your credit repair case process immediately: we initiate the credit dispute process within hours of enrollment. card chase credit service

The reason we provide personalized service is because we understand how many factors influence your credit score. Negative information (late payments, collections, liens, bankruptcies, charge-offs, repossessions, foreclosures) is important to address, and Veracity s credit disputes are powerful and effective. However, we don t forget the other two-thirds of your credit report, and Veracity is the only credit repair company that consults on how to improve the other 65% of your score. citi credit monitoring service

The benefit of optimizing your entire report is that it s the best way how to improve your credit score, which can enable you to obtain a credit card, home mortgage, auto loan, and more. Because great credit is so important, many of our clients remains with Veracity even after their short-terms goals are satisfied. credit plus service union

As a result, our credit management service gets faster, better results by using a comprehensive credit repair solution tailored to your individual needs. If you want the best for your credit, get the best credit repair company available: Veracity. credit farm service

Credit Repair Case Studies Credit Repair FAQ Credit Repair Client Testimonials Credit Repair Enrollment How To Improve Your Credit Score Can I Fix or Improve My Credit Report or Credit Score on My Own

Yes. Many consumers either want to try credit repair on their own, or have read per the FTC that do it yourself credit repair is just as effective as any credit repair company s services. If you simply must give yourself a headache, the web is packed with inexpensive credit repair kits, numerous restoration tips from credit repair forums and books, and sample dispute letters are freely available. 1st credit federal service

Of course, we know there s a good reason why Veracity s credit repair is so popular... you get what you pay for with free advice, and the reality of the do it yourself credit repair process is that a lack of time and experience dooms self-help credit repair to failure for many consumers. The alternative is common sense: it helps to work with experienced credit repair professionals. credit paychex service tax

Our congratulations and support goes to those consumers who spend untold hours defiantly reading credit repair books or forums - and who then type, print, fold, stamp, address, and send dispute letters, wait for results, and repeat the process as needed. But for the price, our clients prefer Veracity credit repair. With one phone call, you can hand your credit repair needs to Veracity and let us do the work... quickly, legally, and efficiently. And disputing isn t everything! credit service tax

Credit Repair Home

| All FAQs | Previous FAQ | Next FAQ Credit Repair FAQ - The Rest of the Story... If you made it this far, the FTC probably has you convinced that there s nothing a credit repair agency can do that you can t do yourself. While we ll not comment on that statement s validity, Veracity can provide resources to help your DIY credit repair be as successful as possible. After all, our ultimate goal is not merely to provide affordable credit repair services... we want to see all credit reports accurately reflect credit history. aeon credit service

A primary resource is the FTC, which supplies an overview of obtaining your reports and correcting errors; quality credit report dispute letters are also available from a variety of Internet resources. credit one service union

If you are interested in going beyond basic credit repair know-how, a seminal text on credit, credit bureaus, your FICO score, other credit scoring models, the history of credit risk modeling, and more makes it easy to recommend one of the best books ever written on the subject, Mr. Evan Hendricks Credit Scores and Credit Reports. bad cell credit phone service

As for how to read your reports, to best identify any discrepancies or reporting errors that may require credit repair and dispute letters, MSN Money has archived a Bankrate article on deciphering credit reports posted here. counseling credit debt service

That s a decent start. If you need any further assistance, please call or chat with our credit repair experts, especially if your do it yourself credit repair bogs down. However you go about it, Veracity s credit repair team is ready to help you optimize accuracy for your most important financial asset: your credit reports and credit scores. card credit payment service

Veracity - When to Consider Professional Credit Repair Credit Repair Case Studies Credit Repair FAQ Credit Repair Client Testimonials Credit Repair Enrollment How To Improve Your Credit Score Why Should I Consider Credit Repair or Credit Restoration

An optimized set of credit reports and a higher credit score is essential for all consumers. Credit Repair, the service, addresses the fact that most credit reports contain errors. card credit merchant

But Sallie Mae never told anyone. It came to light in the Autumn of 2003 when Chris Neuswanger, a Colorado mortgage broker, noticed that a young home-buying client had been pushed into a high-rate loan solely because two of his three credit bureau reports omitted his large, on-time student loan payments with Sallie Mae, depressing his credit score by 40 points. Eric Borgeson, a 31-year old architect, said Sallie Mae s less-than-full reporting practice cost him $200 a month more than it should have, plus higher closing costs and a $5, 000 prepayment penalty. I got shafted by Sallie Mae, said Borgeson, who reportedly was considering legal action. Kenneth Harney of the Washington Post broke the story.²⁹³ counseling credit family

Caroline Wright, a 34-year-old student from Virginia, told the Post s Michelle Singletary that a mortgage broker told Wright she would have trouble getting a good interest rate on a home loan if her on-time payments to Sallie Mae were missing from her Experian and Trans Union reports files. annual credit report request

²⁹²

www.salliemae.com ²⁹³ Harney, Kenneth, Sallie Mae s History Lesson, Washington Post, November 15, 2003, pg. F1 They weren t protecting me, Wright said. They were doing exactly the opposite. ²⁹⁴ The controversy came in the latter stages of Congress s consideration of amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Once the story broke, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) prepared legislation to require Sallie Mae to resume reporting to all three credit bureaus. Soon thereafter, Sallie Mae sent a letter, promising to continue reporting to Experian and Trans Union. Undeterred, Durbin said he would offer his amendment as part of the Higher Education Act, instead of the FCRA. area bay credit service

Students Credit Cards

Another challenge facing graduates is a high level of credit card debt, often at high interest rates. Prof. Robert Manning of Rochester Institute of Technology, and author of Credit Card Nation, ²⁹⁵ told Congress, What is striking in the acknowledgement of the credit card industry is that college students are a desirable market because of their ignorance of personal finance and their lack of consumer debt. ²⁹⁶ atlanta consumer counseling

The marketing of credit cards has shifted rapidly over the last five years from college upperclassmen to college freshmen and high school seniors. More significantly is the recognition that student consumption has a large debt component that is increasingly financed by family loans, federally subsidized student loans, summer earnings, and part-time employment during the academic year, and even with other credit cards. account card credit merchant

²⁹⁴

Singletary, Michelle, Giving Students Due Credit for History, Washington Post, Nov. 6, 2003, pg. E3 ²⁹⁵ Credit Card Nation: America s Dangerous Addiction to Consumer Credit (Basic Books, 2001). ²⁹⁶ Statement of Prof. Robert Manning before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Consumer Credit, June 12, 2003. http://financialservices.house.gov/media/pdf/061203rm.pdf aspire card credit customer

Three out of five students with credit cards in our survey had already maxed them out during their freshmen year and, three out of five freshmen with multiple credit cards were already using bank cards to pay for other revolving credit accounts. Furthermore, this survey reveals that nearly three-fourths of students use their student loans to pay for their credit cards. Not incidentally, recent studies indicate that this indiscriminate marketing to college students has led to high incidences of fraud and identity theft among this young adult population, Manning testified.²⁹⁷ card counseling credit service

Not surprisingly, Manning recommends that students check their credit reports. Clearly, today s graduates face greater challenges in managing their finances so as not to jeopardize their finances. The National Consumers League has a page on its Web site dedicated to student debt issues.²⁹⁸ Divorce Divorce can have a dramatic impact on the divorcee s credit score and credit report. A major problem is that divorcees often don t realize the extent to which their credit relationships can continue to entangle each other s lives well after divorce. Or, they are so overwhelmed with the emotional and logistical difficulties of separation that there is little time left for separating and straightening out credit relationships. But that is precisely what you need to do: ensure that your name is no longer on accounts for which you are not responsible for paying. During the divorce, the husband and wife usually work out a division of debts that receives final approval from the judge. Divorcees often think that any debt assigned to their ex-spouse by the court frees them from that debt for ever after. card credit online processing

²⁹⁷ Id

. ²⁹⁸ www.nclnet.org/moneyandcredit/index.htm The problem is that your creditors usually don t know about your divorce. In terms of the credit report, problems arise when the ex-spouse who is responsible for paying an account, fails to, and the other spouse, according to the creditor s records, is still a co-signer or joint user or otherwise associated with the account. The failure to pay goes on the credit report of the innocent spouse, creating a fresh derogatory that slams that spouse s credit score. consolidated counseling credit

Thus, it is vital that divorcees identify all of their accounts and separate them completely. This includes mortgages, credit cards, bank loans, debit cards, store charge cards, lines of credit, and overdraft checking. Some authors suggest that spouses begin separating accounts as soon as they consider separating.²⁹⁹ check credit service

Of course, it s also crucial that divorcees obtain their credit reports to check the accuracy of information. Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is the most derogatory item that can appear on your credit report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a bankruptcy can stay on your report for 10 years. But that does not mean you can no longer get credit. As Gerri Detweiler, a renowned expert on credit explains in her 1997 book, The Ultimate Credit Handbook, (Plume) people can rebuild their credit after bankruptcy or other traumas. It requires patience and a plan. It starts with checking the credit report to see where you stand. If you still have open accounts, try to negotiate with creditors to improve the way they report on you to the credit bureaus, Detweiler advises. Try to catch up on any accounts for which there might be late payments. card credit online payment

²⁹⁹

Ventura, John The Credit Repair Kit (Dearborn 1998 3rd Edition); or see Sember, Brette McWhorter, Repair Your Own Credit and Deal With Debt (Sphinx 2003 2nd Edition) Next, try to re-establish positive lines of credit. A bank card, paid on time over time, is one of the stronger credit references you can add. In the beginning, she says, you might need to get a secured credit card, which requires you to deposit money so use of the card is secured against those deposits.³⁰⁰ But be careful: both Detweiler and the FTC warn there are a lot of scam artists offering secured credit cards. The BankCard Holders of America (BHA) provides a list of institutions offering secured cards.³⁰¹ civil credit ontario service

Perhaps the best scholarship on bankruptcy is found in the books of Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren.³⁰² Warren has pointed out that of the 1.66 million bankruptcies filed in fiscal year 2003, nearly 40% were by husband-wife couples, meaning that the number of people who actually filed for bankruptcy in that year was 2.14 million.³⁰³ antonio credit san security

Warren said that women were both the fastest growing and largest demographic group in bankruptcy. There were 1, 661, 996 bankruptcies filed in fiscal year 2003, up 7.4% from the 1, 547, 669 filings in fiscal year 2002. Since 1994, when filings totaled 837, 797, bankruptcies in federal courts have increased 98%. From 1991-95, annual bankruptcy filings hovered around 870, 000. The biggest noticeable jump occurred in 1995-1996, when they went from 874, 642 to 1, 125, 006.³⁰⁴ Interestingly, that is when credit card companies sharply escalated their use of direct marketing solicitations offering pre-approved credit card offers. It is estimated that the industry now sends out five billion unsolicited credit card applications annually. card cardmember chase credit

³⁰⁰

Detweiler continues to advise consumers and publish, see www.ultimatecredit.com, and www.DebtConsolidationRX.com, or for her new E-Book, www. .com ³⁰¹ Send a check or money order for $4.00 to: Secured Credit Card List BHA Customer Service, 524 Branch Drive Salem, VA 24153. Also see http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/secured.htm ³⁰² Warren, Elizabeth, Bankruptcy (West 2002), and, Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi, The Two-Income Trap, (Basic Books 2003) clean credit repair service

³⁰³

http://www.bankruptcyaction.com/USbankstats.htm ³⁰⁴ http://www.abiworld.org/stats/1980annual.html Many consumers who complete a bankruptcy find that bad debts that were supposed to be discharged as part of the bankruptcy are later erroneously included on credit reports. Robert Weed, an Alexandria, Virginia attorney, said he regularly must file motions in federal bankruptcy court in order to get creditors to stop reporting discharged debts and to get the credit reporting agencies to remove them. credit management service

Included In Bankruptcy

A special problem arises for individuals who are co-signers, or are otherwise legally obligated for credit cards or loans, when the other co-signer files for bankruptcy. For many years, the CRAs would report such accounts as Included In Bankruptcy even if the non-bankrupt co-signer met his or her obligation and paid the bill on time. This had an adverse impact on the creditworthiness of non-bankrupt consumers. Not only did it seem to have a negative impact on their credit scores, but also major institutions like Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and insurance companies do an automated scan of credit reports for serious derogatory items like bankruptcy, foreclosure, or judgment. This meant that a co-signer could be denied credit for an account that he or she in fact paid responsibly. colorado credit public service

monebaggasse