The Fair Credit Reporting Act was established to protect your rights. Knowing these rights can be a huge asset if you ever find yourself in deep water financially. If you have credit then you have a right to know what your credit report says. This is enforced by the terms of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This act guarantees you certain rights that were not enforced so strictly previously. Businesses and lenders use your credit report when deciding if you are a good risk borrower. If you are then you will be approved for the credit or the loan you are applying for. The FCRA sets the guidelines that ensure the privacy of your credit report is respected and that your report is kept up to date. The FCRA also sets the limits on how long certain information can be kept on your credit report and set the rules as to how you and the lender would go about fixing any errors or omission that may find their way into your credit history. Here are some of the guidelines that you should know incase you ever have any problems with your creditors and your credit report: Each and every one of us has the right to see what is in our credit report. When you have applied unsuccessfully for credit you have the right to know why you were rejected as well as which agency provided the report to the lender. If you ask the creditor which credit reporting agency they used when considering your loan they by law have to give you their name and address. And once you get in touch with them they must give you a copy of your report when you ask for it and they are not allowed to charge you more than the copying and postage costs. If you see any errors on your report once you get a chance to look it over, you have the right to dispute them. It does sometimes happen that a settled debt stays listed as unpaid, if this or something similar happens to you just contact your creditor immediately. First call them and then follow up with a letter along with any documentation that can back up your claim. The agency has 30 upon receipt of your letter to fix their error. Once things have been fixed on the creditors end you have the right to receive a new corrected copy of your credit report. Not only can you have a new copy sent top you but you can also have one sent to any company or agency who has requested a copy (for credit reasons) of the old error ridden one in the last six months. If your report had been looked at for employment reasons in the last two years you can have a new copy sent to all of these companies as well. Another right that we all have is the right to fair collection practices. This is a right that too often gets over looked. Here are some of the guidelines that all debt collectors must follow or else they will be considered to be harassing you. You may only be contacted during certain hours of the day They cannot contact you at your place of employment without your previous consent They are not allowed to share your information, including the fat that they are trying to collect from you with anyone They are not permitted to lie or trick you into paying And last but definitely not least, if you send them a written request to stop contacting you they must by law obey. Credit is becoming more and more important all of the time, we use it to buy to rent and to get a good job. This is why it is so important for people to know what their rights are so that they do not get taken advantage of. |
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