Lexington Law

Ever since the Fair Credit Reporting Act made credit repair possible, creditors have been working to make it complicated and difficult. Our 22 years of experience fighting for consumers have helped us develop a vast arsenal of tools and strategies to make things easier for you — the way it should be.

Source: http://www.lexingtonlaw.com/credit-repair-services/how-it-works.html

Healthy credit is an essential bargaining tool that many Americans live without. According to Money-zine.com, over 40 percent of the population’s credit scores dip below 700. When you are focused on finding reputable credit repair services, how do you know who to trust?

Good credit can open doors and save you money. Despite these basic facts, many people choose to adopt the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to financial issues. Don’t join the group by waiting to get serious about credit repair. Improving your score could save you thousands in mortgage interest, car payments, credit card debt, and more. Consider Lexington Law as an advocate to help you navigate the road ahead. We aren’t your average credit repair law firm. During 20 years of service, we have helped over a half-million clients find better credit. Aside from our demonstrated results, client comfort and satisfaction is our top priority. We:

1. Invest in your confidence. You don’t have to pay up-front to see our credit repair services at work. We offer a free, no obligation consultation where our qualified staff will help you understand:
o The positives and negatives of your credit report
o The components of credit scoring
o The importance of good credit
o Ways to improve your score in everyday life
Moreover, clients engage our service for discrete monthly servicing periods and pay only for services previously (and completely) delivered. The bottom line: we want you to feel confident in your credit repair decisions. We want our skills to speak for themselves.

2. Design solutions to fit your needs. Different clients have different needs, and we work to fill them. Our three-tiered levels of service are designed to address your issues and suit your budget. Each level includes free support and anytime cancellation. Choose from:

o Lexington Regular—This option covers credit repair basics, including credit report consultation and credit bureau-directed investigations, challenges, and disputes as applicable.
o Concord Standard—Clients enrolled in this level enjoy everything provided in the Lexington Regular service but also benefit from the firm’s legal interventions directed to creditors and others who report information to the credit bureaus.
o Concord Premier—Lexington’s most popular and comprehensive level affords everything available in the Lexington Regular and Concord Standard services as well as TransUnion Credit Monitoring, monthly credit score improvement analyses, ReportWatch™ comparative alerts, and InquiryAssist™ for problematic credit report inquiries that can also damage your credit scores.

3. Don’t make empty promises. While other credit repair companies may offer guaranteed results, we follow the letter of the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA), which prohibits such claims. In the world of credit repair, there are no guarantees. What we can promise is exemplary service, legal and fair billing practices, and accurate representation. Our track record speaks for itself. Visit us at www.lexingtonlaw.com to learn more about our services.

We field thousands of excellent consumer questions every month. Clients want to know far more than the credit companies disclose regarding credit scores, credit reports, and how they might conduct their financial lives to improve both of those. In case you may have missed some of what we’ve covered in that regard here in the Lexington blog, we’ve put together a list of our “greatest hits” that may just comprise the information you’re seeking. Have a quick look:

1. What’s on Your Credit Report? Tackling credit repair requires all the facts, and learning how to read your credit report is Step One. Our credit repair services offer a free line-by-line evaluation of your information, allowing you to spot the problems in your own credit reporting and gain greater insight into your financial life. Read more.

2. How is My Credit Score Calculated? While it may seem arbitrary, credit scoring by The Big Three is actually determined by five distinct factors. A combination of your history, debt, reliability, new credit, and account diversity decides your scoring fate. That’s why it’s important to give each factor the attention it deserves. Read more.

3. Credit Reports and Collection Agencies: How to Combat Outdated Information. Countless people suffer from bad credit at the hands of unfair collection agencies. Unsubstantiated information and debt re-aging are among the culprits in this crime. Don’t be complacent when it comes to collection agency abuse. Fight for the credit you deserve. Read more.

4. Can’t Make Payments? What You Should Do. The economic recession has been difficult for many families, resulting in missed payments and plummeting credit scores. Despite financial hardship, not every blunder should result in a ruined reputation. First, there are ways to protect yourself. Second, the credit companies must follow the rules of credit reporting, or they can’t do it at all. Read more.

5. Five Reasons to Say ‘No’ to Cosigning. When times are tough, many people turn to their friends and family for help. Although cosigning may help your loved one secure a loan, it’s not the only way to show your support. Consider the downsides and your own credit repair efforts before offering your signature. Read more.

6. Lower Your Credit Utilization: Tips and Tricks. Credit utilization is a frequently overlooked aspect of credit repair. While you may have manageable debt, the amount you owe vs. your total credit limit could be dampening your credit scores. Our credit repair services teach you how to maintain a healthy balance, ratios included. Read more.

7. A History of Consumer Rights and Improvements. The evolution of consumer protection is a fascinating and important process. Gaining knowledge about the laws that govern credit repair is a great way to see your financial life from a new perspective and assert yourself when necessary. Learn more.

8. How and Why Credit Impacts Employment. Unemployment surged to record highs during the recent economic troubles, making it imperative to leverage every possible competitive edge in the job market. Unfortunately, your credit history is a factor in the hiring process in most locales, and your score could make or break your employment chances. Learn more.

9. Student Loans and Credit Scores: Three Things to Consider. Student loans seem to always be among the many issues raised during difficult economic times. Rising education costs and limited federal assistance sometime force students to confront a dismal selection of exploitative private lenders. Despite the benefits of education, taking on a mortgage-sized debt poses a lasting threat to young Americans. Read more.

10. Three Steps to Lowering Loan Interest Rates. The recent recession did afford one small benefit: lower interest rates. Those with good credit scores have been able to cash in on refinancing options and bargains within the world of lending. For that reason, if your credit is less than perfect, consider pursuing credit repair before the market rebounds—a lower rate could save you thousands in the long run. Read more.

Tax time is upon us, and you know what that means: either big refunds or big bills. Paying taxes is a necessary evil, but you shouldn’t rely on Uncle Sam to provide you with a fair deal. Clerical errors and deduction oversights could be costing you thousands each year—money better applied to credit repair: Remember that every dollar spent on reducing credit card debt will likely work to raise your credit scores. For that reason, consider the following deductions, and apply them to your life. A larger refund —and a higher credit score—may be your reward.

1. Green home updates. The latest DIY credit repair service is an environmental one as well. Rather than a tax deduction, this tax credit allows you to claim up to $500 of certain expenses to be subtracted directly from the tax balance owed. Such green home expenses include:
• Solar panels
• Solar water heaters
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Insulation
• Efficient windows

2. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Homebuyers with down payments of 20% or less understand PMI all too well. It is a fee attached to a mortgage to safeguard the bank in cases of default. Once the equity in your home exceeds 20%, PMI fees are usually waived. As part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, PMI payments were tagged as tax deductible along with mortgage interest. Households with annual incomes of up to $109,000 benefit from this deduction. Why not take advantage of Uncle Sam’s attempt at credit repair service? Deduct your PMI while you still can.

3. Good deeds gone wrong. It’s been a tough year for many families and businesses. Kindness may have incited you to lend money to a relative or friend to aid their credit repair efforts. The only problem? Sometimes they won’t pay you back. Unlike big businesses, losing money yourself isn’t as simple as charging it off. Despite the red tape, you may qualify to reclaim up to $3,000 in bad debt per married couple, or $1,500 for spouses filing separately. Legitimizing “worthless” debt involves:

• Proving the loan was made in the first place
• Records of attempts to collect the debt, whether through direct contact or through the court system
• Proof that the debt is worthless, e.g., if your relative simply refuses to repay or had the debt charged off in bankruptcy

It may be a long shot, but deducting $3,000 from your taxable income total could buy a lot of credit repair and improvement. Don’t give up so easily.

4. Part-time commuting costs. Good news for you part-timers holding down multiple jobs: a tax break is on the way. While the everyday costs of commuting to work are not tax deductible, time spent commuting from one job to another is considered a business expense. Count up the hours spent driving from Job 1 to Job 2 and verify the info with your tax preparer. The money saved may be applied to bringing down your revolving credit balances and enhancing your credit repair efforts as a direct result.

5. Elderly parent care. If you face the daunting task of caring for an ill or elderly parent, tax time could present a much-needed break. Children providing more than 50% of financial support to their parents may deduct applicable living and medical expenses from their personal taxes. This break comes with one caveat: support provided must exceed 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Do the math to see if you qualify. You deserve a refund.

According to Experian, 20 percent of Americans are living with low credit scores. If you are one of the many, seeking qualified credit repair services should be at the top of your to-do list. However, while you know you need credit repair, you may still be wondering how the process works.

Credit repair can be a complex process. While average credit repair companies may promise a complete credit overhaul and claim supernatural abilities to erase every dark spot from your credit reports, such tactics are far from legal. If a credit repair company bases its strategy upon disputing negative items—especially accurate ones—then you have a problem. Lexington Law outshines the competition by having achieved great results while telling the truth. continue reading “How Do Credit Repair Services Work?” »