Get Your Credit Score for Free, and Improve It

Ever wonder what your Credit Score is? Ever been denied credit? Do the offers you do get come with a high interest rate? If so, you're likely one of the more than 30 million people in the United States with credit blemishes severe enough (credit score under 620) to make obtaining loans and credit cards with reasonable terms difficult.

So what can you do to improve your credit score? The Federal Trade Commission recommends the first step you take is to request a copy of your credit report and study it carefully. A lot of times, low scores can be blamed on errors in your report.

By law, credit bureaus must keep your information accurate, which includes keeping it up-to-date. If your report says you have filed for bankruptcy when you have not, or that you failed to pay a bill and were sued for nonpayment, but fails to reflect that you eventually made good on the debt, then it is not up to date.

You have a right, and duty to yourself, to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. You can do this by writing a letter to the creditor that includes your name, address, account number and the nature of your dispute. But it often takes weeks to get a response.

"If you plan to apply for credit to buy a new house, car or some other high ticket item in the near future, time is of the essence. Get your credit score, then you need the mistakes corrected immediately so you can qualify for the terms you deserve," says Daniel Scoffield of ConsumerDirect, a company founded by a group of seasoned credit bureau and financial services executives. "A lot of people get frustrated when they try to clean up their credit because of all the road blocks put in their way. You have to contact the creditor, get them to open an investigation and follow up to make sure they report their findings to the credit bureaus. It doesn't have to be that hard."

ConsumerDirect offers everyone who signs up for their service a free credit analysis and score, as well as access to tools that allow them to dispute information contained in their credit report instantly. All you have to do is click on the button that says "Credit Report Error," fill out the form, which asks for the name of the creditor, your account number and what's wrong, and ConsumerDirect's automated system will take it from there.

"Most of our customers are able to make improvements to their credit in a matter of days, rather than weeks," says Scoffield. "We have a lot of happy, loyal customers."

Need help getting your credit cleaned up fast? Log on to www.consumerdirect.com today and try the service for free for 5 days.

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