FAQ

This is a number on a scale of 300 to 850 that predicts how creditworthy you are for paying back loans. Your credit score will determine what kind of credit cards and loans lenders will give to you. Usually, the higher your score, the better the offers you will receive.

The two most common types of scores are your FICO Score and your VantageScore. These scores get calculated based on your credit report information.

670 or lower is considered poor or only fair credit.

Within the five scoring tiers, a good credit score is anything above 670.

Your credit scores can range from 300 – 850.

Credit scores can go down a lot faster than going up, so it may be helpful to review the credit-harming items below:

• Bankruptcy or foreclosure
• Paying your bills late
• Not paying attention to negative items on your report
• Too many credit applications
• Having high balances on your credit cards

Visit our Services page to see how we can help you improve your credit score.

There are five major contributing factors to your credit score:

• payment history
• amount of debt
• length of credit history
• credit mix
• and new credit

Doing the following three things can improve your credit score:

• managing your credit wisely by paying your bills on time
• paying debt down
• and maintaining your current accounts

Beyond these five factors, your credit could contain negative items that are unfair or inaccurate, which can stay on your reports for up to seven to 10 years.

Visit our Services page to see how we can help you improve your credit score.

We often refer to credit scores as a single number, but that’s not actually the case. Each of the three credit bureaus gives you a customized credit score based on the information on your credit report, and you have a FICO® Score as well.

Essentially, a credit bureau is a company that tracks your ability to pay. They collect information relating to your financial habits, then make this information available to lending institutions and credit card companies. There are three credit bureaus–Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

The three main credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. When lenders want to see your credit report, they will request it from one or more of these reporting agencies.

Your report and score can differ from bureau to bureau because they don’t always have the same information, so we recommend you check each report separately to confirm that everything is on the up-and-up.

No, your credit score is just one piece of your credit report. Your credit report also includes identifying information, trade lines, credit history, credit inquiries, public records, collections and other late payment information.

There are five main factors to your credit score–payment history, credit usage, credit age, credit mix and recent credit. Your payment history is the biggest contributor on the list, and can be directly affected by credit repair.

Your credit report contains things like your identifying information, trade lines, credit limits, account names, credit history, credit inquiries, public records, collections, late payment information, and of course, and your credit score.

Short answer? Maybe. Employers are allowed by federal law to see a modified version of your credit report for purposes of hiring and promotion, meaning it could cost you a job or promotion.

How long you’ve had access to credit can affect your credit score, but there’s no specific amount of time required. Generally, the longer you’ve had a trade line, the better.

There are many factors that go into being approved for a mortgage, but you’ll need at least a score of 620 to be approved for a traditional home loan.

The minimum accepted score for a car loan will depend on the amount of money being requested, but some lenders will approve scores as low as 500–assuming you don’t mind paying extra money in interest.

While that depends on the amount you’re asking for, you can get a personal loan with a score as low 500–assuming you don’t mind paying extra money in interest.

Your credit report is generally only looked at by those who are considering loaning you money, like a bank, car dealership or credit card issuer.

Your FICO® Score is a three-digit number determined by the information on your credit report. While FICO® doesn’t collect the data themselves, it’s their algorithm that determines your score. Considering their score is used in 90% of all lending decisions, it’s very helpful to know where you stand.

The law entitles you to an accurate, fair and substantiated credit profile. If something on your credit isn’t right, you can correct or repair it with the credit bureaus and your creditors.

Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee anything. But we can promise to help you work to address any unfair or inaccurate negative items hurting your credit profile..

Honestly, we can’t say. There’s no way to predict in advance how long it will take to repair your credit, as every credit situation is different. That being said, past members have seen an average increase of 40 points in just four months*, and have typically stayed with us for six months.

Also, Credit Therapist offers a variety of service levels, and the strength and amount of credit repair increases with each upgrade. If you’re interested in a product with more credit repair baked in, give us a call at (888) 418-2690.

*Your results will vary and are not guaranteed.

We offer several service levels to match your particular needs. Some of these are even free. You can call us at anytime to see which service is right for you.

Yep. You just need to contact the bureaus and your creditors to address any errors on your credit. That being said, this process is time consuming and confusing. Working with a reputable credit repair company like CreditTherapist.com can help you remove these items from your reports quickly and efficiently.

Think of credit repair like an investment. A little effort today could save you thousands of dollars (and a headache) tomorrow. We offer a variety of service levels to support every budget. Give us a call today and we’ll help you find the right service for your unique circumstance.

Of course. You have a right to a fair, accurate and substantiated credit profile. Credit repair is simply one of the ways to help you get there.

The credit bureaus and your creditors are required by law to remove any negative items on your report that they can’t prove are accurate, fair and substantiated. When these items are deleted from your payment history, we call that a removal.

Anything inaccurate, unfair or unverified can be challenged with the bureaus and your creditors. This includes collections, late payments, charge-offs, liens, bankruptcies, repossessions and more.

Anything in your credit history that could lower your score is a negative item. Things like collections, late payments, charge-offs, liens, bankruptcies, repossessions and more. Especially if these negative items came as a result of identity theft, divorce, medical debt, student debt or military leave, you may be able to remove them through credit repair.

No, but it might feel like it. Most negative items will fall off of your report after seven years, though it could take as long as 10. If you’d rather not wait that long, credit repair is a great alternative.

Yes, your creditors may report an item again, even after it’s been removed or deleted. That’s why it’s important to contact both the credit bureaus and your creditors. This will increase the likelihood that inaccurate or unfair negative items will not reappear on your credit.

According to CreditCards.com and CNNMoney, even a single negative item on your credit could cost you over 100 points.

NEGATIVE ITEM CREDIT SCORE DECREASENEGATIVE ITEM CREDIT SCORE DECREASELate Payment Up to 110 pointsDebt Settlement Up to 125 pointsForeclosure Up to 160 pointsBankruptcy Up to 240 pointsCollection Up to 110 pointsHard Inquiry Up to 15 points

Indirectly, yes. While filing for divorce won’t hurt your score, some of the symptoms of divorce could create credit problems. For example, many people miss a payment on their credit during the frenzy of divorce. Or in the aftermath, it may be unclear who is responsible to pay a debt, and payments may be missed. These missed or late payments could adversely impact your score.

Yes. When someone uses your name to obtain credit, that trade line, and any missed payments or collections associated with it, will show up on your credit reports. Even after you’ve recovered your identity, these issues could still be lurking on your credit report. Credit repair is essential to true identity theft restoration.

Yes, past-due medical bills can affect your credit. The good news is, there are laws to protect against certain practices in medical debt reporting. If your credit is being negatively affected by medical bills, credit repair may be a solution for you.

Yes, but they can also help your credit. Paying your student loans back on time will benefit your score. Alternatively, missing these payments can cause some significant damage to your credit profile. If that sounds like you, or if you’ve missed other payments as a result of your student loans, it may be time to look into credit repair.

While there are many laws that apply to your credit, the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) are the two laws we utilize the most.

On average our clients use our services for six to nine months. The sooner you start the better. Especially if you are planning to make a big purchase in the near future like a house or car.

No. Even after a questionable negative item is removed from your credit, the actual debt is still owed (assuming it was valid to begin with). If you don’t pay the debt, the creditor or collection agency may re-report the listing. Removing a negative item without addressing the debt is only a temporary solution. In fact, if you feel a negative credit listing is 100% accurate, timely and verifiable, we recommend you don’t dispute it.

Unless the collection is being falsely attributed to you, pay it. The collection is likely already hurting your credit score, and leaving it unpaid will only make the damage worse.

If the debt is one that you do not owe, our service levels offer debt validation procedures that can help you get the collection removed from your credit profile.

You might think so, but unfortunately it does not. When you pay an old debt, the negative credit item doesn’t disappear, but is typically listed as a paid delinquency, charge-off or collection. If your goal is to repair your credit, just paying off your debts won’t get you there.