A recent news release by FICO Inc. revealed that 25.5% of Americans have credit scores below 599. This is a staggering number if you really think about it. One quarter of consumers, or about 43 MILLION people, are now categorized as having credit poor enough to prevent them from getting credit cards, auto loans or mortgages under the tighter underwriting guidelines banks now use.
Did you know that your rates for auto and home insurance can be affected by your credit score? Or, that prospective employers may not hire you (even though you may be the most qualified applicant) because of your credit score. Pretty scary, huh?
So, what do you do if your credit scores are sub-par? It depends. If they are above 640, there are a few tweaks you can easily make to bump your scores. Give me a call and we can go over these fixes.
If your scores are below 599, and you plan to buy a new car, home, or change jobs in the next couple of years, you should probably consider a credit restoration program. Over the years, I have seen many different programs and companies. Some were out and out scam artists. Others were incompetent. A few were the real deal and actually got results for their clients.
The company that I refer my credit-challenged customers to is Clean Slate Credit Services. One of the things I like about them is they offer a money-back guarantee if they are unable to raise your scores to 640 or better. (Of course, you have some responsibilities in this partnership also.) The thing that has impressed me the most about Clean Slate is a comment the owner, Edie Webber, made to me. She said, “While most credit restoration companies focus on cleaning up your credit, our vision is about transforming lives.”
Check out this video and see what Clean Slate Credit Services is all about. (Edie is the person in the video.) You can enroll in the service right from the site. Or, just call me if you have any questions.
