[ad_1] Your credit score is a three-digit figure that gives lenders an idea of your overall credit health, and this metric can be a lot more important than people realize. After all, you typically need good credit to rent an apartment or qualify for a rewards credit card, and information on your credit reports may be requested by employers before they hire you for a job. Good credit can also help you secure a mortgage or the best auto loans, whereas a bad credit score can prevent you from qualifying at all. Fortunately, there are standard steps to take if you want to keep your credit score in good shape. For example, paying all your bills on time and keeping your credit utilization in check can go a long way toward helping you build credit you’ll need later in life. In the meantime, you’ll also want to check your credit reports for incorrect reporting and false information, all of which can negatively impact your score without you even knowing. Just remember that having negative items removed from your credit reports only works if they are actually untrue. The CFPB points this out very specifically on their website: “You generally cannot have negative but accurate information removed from your credit report,” they write, adding that most negative information will remain on your credit reports for seven years. #ap4942-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Archivo, sans-serif}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-indicator{text-align:right;color:#4a4a4a}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;margin-bottom:8px}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap4942-ww-text{display:block}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap4942-ww-label{display:none}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-icon{margin:auto;display:inline-block;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px;cursor:pointer}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-text{display:none}#ap4942-ww #ap4942-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. 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Let an expert help! Credit Repair companies help identify and dispute mistakes on your credit report that could be weighing down your score. Click your state to learn more. HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennesseeRIRhode IslandCTConnecticutMAMassachusettsMaineNHNew HampshireVTVermontNew YorkNJNew JerseyDEDelawareMDMarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginiaDCWashington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexas Repair My Credit How Credit Scores Are Calculated In addition to checking your credit reports for errors, you should have a general idea of how credit scores are calculated. You probably have additional questions you want answered as well. For example, what is a good credit score? And, what is a bad credit score? First off, you should know that the most important credit scoring model is the FICO scoring. Meanwhile, VantageScore is the second most commonly used credit scoring model. Since FICO credit scores are used by 90% of top lenders, we’ll focus on this type of credit score for the purpose of this guide. Like VantageScore, FICO credit scores fall between 300 and 850 with higher scores being superior to lower credit scores. According to myFICO.com, FICO credit scores are also separated into the following ranges: Exceptional: 800+ Very Good: 740 to 799 Good: 670 to 739 Fair: 580 to 559 Poor: 580 or less If you’re wondering where you stand, you should know that Experian reported that the average FICO score came in at 714 in late 2021. This means that, for the time being, most American consumers have what is considered a “good” credit score. #ap66370-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Archivo, sans-serif}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-indicator{text-align:right;color:#4a4a4a}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;margin-bottom:8px}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap66370-ww-text{display:block}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap66370-ww-label{display:none}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-icon{margin:auto;display:inline-block;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px;cursor:pointer}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-text{display:none}#ap66370-ww #ap66370-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.Ad #ap66370-w-text{padding:20px 0 10px;margin:0 auto;text-align:center;font-family:”Lato”, Arial, Roboto, sans-serif}#ap66370-w-text #ap66370-w-text-title{color:#212529;font-size:20px;font-weight:700;line-height:30px}#ap66370-w-text #ap66370-w-text-subtitle{color:#9b9b9b;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;line-height:24px}#ap66370-w-text #ap66370-w-disclosure{color:#9b9b9b;margin-top:10px;font-size:12px}#ap66370-w-text #ap66370-w-text-btn{margin-top:25px;padding:9px 13px;display:inline-block;color:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:20px;text-decoration:none;background-color:#1261c9;border-radius:2px}#ap66370-w-text #ap66370-w-text-btn:hover{color:#fff;background-color:#508fc9} With Credit Repair, you can get back to the financial health you need. Bad credit can take a toll on your personal finance and beyond. Click below and find out how to start repairing today. Repair My Credit What to Do If You Find Something Wrong in Your Reports To keep your credit score in the best possible shape, you should make sure you read over your credit reports from all three credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — at least a few times each year. Doing so can help you spot inconsistencies in your credit reports, and even false reporting or mistakes. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), checking your credit reports is also one way to spot signs of identity theft early in the process. To get a look at your credit reports from all three bureaus, you should use the website AnnualCreditReport.com. This portal lets you check all of your credit reports for free up to once per week, and you can complete the entire process online. How to Dispute Negative Items On Your Credit Reports If you find any errors on your credit reports, and especially errors that may be hurting your score, you should take steps to have them removed. Just remember that you will only have success having negative reporting removed from your reports if the information is actually incorrect. The FTC notes that you’ll need to dispute any incorrect reporting with both the credit bureaus that report the information and the company that supplied the data. If your Experian credit report shows a late payment on your Wells Fargo car payment, for example, you would need to dispute the information with both Experian and Wells Fargo. If the false information was on all three of your credit reports, on the other hand, you would need to send the same information to Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, and Wells Fargo. Steps you’ll need to take to dispute information on your credit reports include: Step 1: Explain in writing what you think is wrong on your credit reports, along with the reason the information is incorrect. Step 2: Send printed copies of your credit reports with your letter, and make sure to highlight or circle the incorrect