credit report - Improve Your Credit With An Auto Loan

If you plan on financing your next vehicle, you should take some time to shop for car loan quotes. Naturally you want to get the best possible interest rate, since auto loan interest rates are closely tied to your credit rating and credit score. Although you will need an excellent credit scored to get the best auto loan rates, most people are still able to secure some kind of auto financing. Free quotes are widely available online, and by comparing a number of quotes, you will get an idea of what to expect. The first step in shopping for a car loan is to order a free copy of your credit report. If you find erroneous items on the credit report, you should get them removed before financing a vehicle. Once you review your credit report and learn your credit score, you will have some idea of the interest rate you can expect to pay. If you find that your credit is poor, there are steps you can take to improve your credit score. Close accounts that you use rarely or never, because having too many open credit accounts can adversely affect your credit score. Avoid having accounts maxed out, and try not to make any late payments before applying for your auto loan. Be aware that an excessive number of inquiries into your credit can have an adverse effect on your credit score. However, some inquiries count toward your FICO score and others don't. If you authorize a lender to check your credit before applying for a loan or other type of credit, it will affect your FICO score. If you request a copy of your own credit report, or a business requests a copy of your report before performing a service or offering merchandise, it will not count against your credit score. Likewise, inquiries by a potential employer will not affect your FICO score. There are a few steps you can take to improve your credit score before you apply for an auto loan: - Close credit accounts which you seldom use, as having too many accounts may lower your credit score. - Try to keep balances paid down as much as possible. A number of maxed out accounts could be viewed as a sign of the potential inability of an applicant to be able to make the payments. - Obtain a copy of your credit report and check it for errors. Many people find inaccuracies on their credit reports that have lowered their credit score. You have the right to have corrections made to any inaccurate items on your credit report. Once you have confirmed that your credit report contains only accurate information, you should build a history of timely payments, lowering your debt to income ratio and decreasing your total amount of debt. Increasing your credit score takes time, since negative items can remain on your credit report for seven years, and ten in the case of bankruptcy. Fortunately, older items are less important than your recent credit activity. Now that you have the foundation for improving your credit in place, you are ready to begin shopping for auto loan quotes. Getting online quotes is a quick and efficient way to test the waters and see what kind of rates and terms you will be able to procure. Obviously you want the best car loan rates possible, but you should also be aware of the terms offered and the length of the loan. If lower monthly payments are your goal, you may greatly extend the time it takes to pay off the loan. Don't overlook banks and credit unions where you already do business as sources of auto loan financing. They may offer you significantly lower interest rates and give you more flexibility in the repayment terms of your car loan. Don't eliminate dealer financing as an option when purchasing a vehicle; just be aware that car dealers often add extra points in exchange for a lower interest rate, or charge more for the vehicle itself. Unless you are able to pay off your loan early, it will usually take several years to repay. Making timely auto loan payments will help increase your credit score, which will allow you to get a less expensive loan the next time you purchase a vehicle. In fact, demonstrating responsibility with an auto loan is one of the best ways to improve your credit. Gregg Pennington writes articles on a number of topics including auto loans, loan consolidation, credit and debt. For more information about auto loans visit http://www.onlinemoneysources.net/auto-loans.html Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Pennington credit report - Credit Report Secrets: Do You Know What They Reveal? If you've ever applied for a credit card or loan, you've probably had your credit report reviewed by the lender. Your credit report has a huge impact on your financial future, so it's well worth your time to be sure that you understand what your credit report says about you. Even if you're not interested in obtaining credit, your credit report can impact other areas of your life. Potential employers view your credit report to assess your trustworthiness as an employee. Landlords frequently check the credit reports of their tenants before allowing them to sign or renew their lease. So whether you knew it or not, your credit report can have a major impact on your quality of life. With this said I'm sure you can now see that there is a benefit to obtaining and then verifying that the information on your credit report is accurate and true. You can request copies of your report from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of these national consumer-reporting companies to provide you with a yearly free copy of your credit report upon your request. Basically, your credit report is a summary of how you pay your bills; repay loans; how much credit you have available; what your monthly debts are; and other types of information that can help a prospective lender decide if you are a good credit risk. Your credit report is made up of several sections. The first section contains personal identifying information such as your name, current and previous addresses, social security number, telephone number, birth date, and your current and previous employers. Your bill paying history with banks, retail stores, finance companies, mortgage companies, and others who have granted you credit is one of the most important parts of your credit report. Public records that might indicate your credit worthiness, such as tax liens, court judgments, and bankruptcies are also included in the section detailing your credit history. Your credit report includes a comprehensive listing of all credit granters and other individuals who have received a copy of your credit report. In addition, lists of companies that have received your name and address in order to offer you credit are also included in your credit report. Most credit bureaus allow both the consumer and the creditor to make statements if there is a dispute about something on the report. If applicable, your credit report will include these dispute statements. Your credit report does not include bank account balances, race, religion, health, criminal records, driving records, or annual income. You've probably heard about a FICO credit score as well. Credit scores are based on formulas that use the information in your report, but they're not considered part of your credit report. Problems with your credit report will result in you either being denied credit or receiving a higher interest rate. Red flags on your credit report include excessive applications for additional credit, a short credit history, a high debt ratio, and late payments to previous creditors. In most cases, negative information will stay on your report for seven years. However, bankruptcy information stays on your credit report for ten years. To help improve your credit report, always remember to close unused accounts, pay your bills on time, never use all of your available credit, and don't apply for unnecessary credit.