Credit Management

A New Sheriff’s in Town – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

If you haven’t heard, we now have a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

You may wonder why? What does it do? How can you use it? Good questions!

Why?

This has been needed for a long time. The CFPB describes itself as a neighborhood cop on the beat, supervising banks, credit unions, and other financial companies. Although we have consumer protection laws in place, there was no central policing agency for consumers to turn to when they faced unfair practices, or even illegal actions, from lenders.

There are many David and Goliath stories out there. Too often, when you have a financial problem, you’re the little guy against a big immovable corporation. You may have seen the news story about the foreclosure on a house with no mortgage. How can a bank seize your house if you don’t owe any money on it? A good question. This man literally had no one on his side until he turned to a local news station.

Hopefully, the days of fighting unwinnable battles are over. Thanks to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and the Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the CFPB is here to help. Hurray!

What does it do?

Its mission is to educate consumers (you), enforce the current Federal consumer financial laws, and study the actions of consumers, financial service providers, and the markets.

Education. If you know what you’re getting, you’ll make better choices. The CFPB believes “An informed consumer is the first line of defense against abusive practices.” You may say, “I don’t want an education, I just want the terms of my loan to be easy to understand.” They’re working on that, too. Most of us didn’t major in finance and we shouldn’t need a financial degree to understand the terms of our mortgage.

Enforce current laws. As mentioned above, we need a powerful advocate on our side. Unfortunately, it’s not enough that the laws are in place. We need someone to enforce them because the banks and credit card companies haven’t been willing to follow rules meant to protect their customers.

Study. The CFPB will study consumers, banks and the markets, so they can learn what the current problems are, how best to address them, and keep us informed on new risks.

How can you use it?

The CFPB actually wants you to use it, and they’ve made it easy with their interactive website. You can voice your opinions, submit complaints and learn more about finances.

Tell your story. They want your stories, good or bad, whether you’re an employee or a consumer. They want to know what people are up against. They want to know what doesn’t work and what does.

Vote on new practices. Right now they are looking for consumer opinions about simplifying mortgage paperwork. This is so needed. Having been in the mortgage field for many years, and having dealt with the numerous disclosures, I know how confusing it can be. The website is asking you to cast your vote for a disclosure with all the costs listed. Take a look and vote.

There is also a section for you to submit a complaint on a problem you have with your credit card company. They will forward your issue, give you confirmation, and keep you updated. So the next time you feel you are not getting your issue resolved, you might want to have the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau assist you.

They’re still a new agency, so we won’t expect miracles anytime soon. The best way to protect yourself is to do your research ahead of time so you can make informed choices. You can do that by following Quick Tips and passing it on to your friends. And don’t forget to bookmark www.consumerfinance.gov, the CFPB website.

What’s up with credit card companies lately?

There was a time when our mailboxes were full of credit card offers. Now the offers have been replaced with policy change notices.

Credit card companies are racing to make changes before the new regulations hit in February 2010. They’ve have had a bad couple years. It used to be easy to make money in the credit card business, but things have changed.

The first issue is defaults. Because of unemployment, more people are defaulting on their debts. So, credit card companies have been lowering everyone’s credit limits to help reduce the risk. Their reasoning is sound. The less debt you have, the less debt they will have to cover. Expect your credit card limits to fall even if you have a good payment history.

The second issue is pay offs. More people are paying off their credit card debt because they’re anticipating layoffs. This means that the creditors are earning less from interest payments. They need risk-free revenue, so they’re looking at annual fees. Expect your credit card company to either add an annual fee or increase the fee you already pay.

Right now, under the old regulations, they can still make changes to your account with minimal notice. If you get an unpleasant policy change in the mail, you should definitely call the credit card company and try to get them to revert back to the original terms. If that doesn’t work you can always close the account.

What Is A Credit Inquiry Doing On My Credit Report?

A credit inquiry is when a potential creditor accesses your credit report. This can occur when you apply for credit.

For example, when you sign up for cell phone service, the provider checks your credit before they decide if they’ll work with you. If your credit is good, they’ll give you service. If not, they may refuse to work with you, or ask you to pay up front with a security deposit.

Your credit score is reduced every time someone makes an inquiry because each inquiry means a potential new account. As you’re wandering through the mall, allowing the check-out clerks to see if you’re eligible for a store credit card, you’re lowering your credit score. Please consider your priorities before allowing just anyone to check your credit. It’s not unusual to get declined for a reason of too many inquires.

Some types of major loan inquires will only count as one inquiry, as long as you don’t wait too long between. For example – if you are applying for a mortgage and are checking out several different lenders, then this is one inquiry as long as you’re doing it within a short period of time. Long periods will mean separate inquires. Note, that this is not true for student loans – each inquiry is separate and will reduce your credit score.

How to Establish Credit When You Can’t Get Credit

One reader asked, “I just got turned down for a credit card. How am I supposed to establish credit, if I can’t get a credit card?”

Great question! It’s very hard to get credit today with our economy the way it is.

First, I would have you apply for a credit card at your own personal bank – the one where you keep your checking and savings accounts. They may be willing to work with you because you already have a relationship.

If your bank isn’t willing to give you a traditional credit card, then you should apply for a secured credit card. A secured credit card is one that is secured or guaranteed by your own bank account.

For example, if you have a savings account with $1,000 in it, then you can get a credit card with a $1,000 limit. The bank will use your savings account as collateral to guarantee your credit card. If you are responsible with the card, you will eventually be eligible for traditional credit cards or loans.

You must ask your bank this one very important question before you apply for a secured credit card: Does the Lender report the secured credit card information to the three major credit reporting agencies: EquiFax, Experian and Trans Union? If they don’t, you’ll want to get a secured card at a different bank. You won’t “establish credit” unless your credit habits are reported to the right agencies.

Credit Report: How, Why and When

Credit Report Error

Looking at your credit report could be the most important financial thing you do this month.

How: To order a free credit report online go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com. To order by phone call 877-322-8228. To order by mail, send your request to Annual Credit Report, Request Services, P O Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. It’s that easy. You don’t have to pay a service to do it for you.

Why: Your credit report is so important to your financial life that I feel strongly that you should use your credit report as a tool to make your life better. What can it tell you?

Find out if your accounts are considered paid “on time” by your creditors.
Find out who has requested your credit history.
Find out if your personal information matches your real circumstances.
Find out if someone else has created an account in your name.

Once you have read the report, correct any errors by following the instructions there. Errors can keep you from getting good deals on loans, credit, insurance and even employment.

Make sure that you order a credit report for every person in your immediate family, including the children, because children’s ID theft is becoming common. We are given a social security number at birth, but it shouldn’t be used until we are old enough to apply for credit or benefits. Surprise, some young people are finding out that they have been the victims of ID theft when they apply for credit for the first time. Don’t let your child be one of these.

When: You can order a free credit report three times a year because each of the three major credit reporting agencies (EquiFax, Experian and Trans Union) have to give you one annually if your ask for it. Take advantage of this.

I personally order a free copy through EquiFax in January, Experian in May and Trans Union in September. I figure that I owe it to myself to protect my finances, don’t you?

Join our Free Credit Report Reminder Program by emailing Val@JillRussoFoster.com. You won’t have to remember when or how to order your credit report with this program. A reminder with instructions will be sent to you three times per year.

FICO Has Something to Say About You

You have all heard me talk about FICO scores and how important they are to your financial health. I’m going to walk you through a scenario so you can see how FICO affects you.

Let’s say that you are going to apply for credit. You may be thinking of buying or leasing a new car, opening up another credit card, purchasing or refinancing a new home. Whatever it is that you’re thinking about doing, it will involve the potential creditor accessing your credit report and score. This will help them decide if you are creditworthy and what terms you will be offered.

When the creditor prints your credit report, they will be looking at your credit from a specific date. They’ll see who you have credit with, your credit limit, how much you owe, how long you have had your accounts, your history of paying back your debts, and whether or not there is derogatory / negative information with an account. All this information is put into a formula to determine your credit score.

The credit score that creditors use was developed by Fair Isaac and Company (FICO) to determine whether you are a good credit risk and what the likelihood is that you will pay the credit back on time. The higher your credit score, the less risky you appear to a potential creditor. FICO scores go from 300 to 850 – with 850 being the best.

This is one of the major factors in determining your creditworthiness. Creditors have guidelines that determine if you can be considered for a specific program. For mortgages, your credit score has to be at least in the mid-range to even be considered for a mortgage program. If your score is one point below the minimum score, I cannot offer you that mortgage program. Auto loans have similar guidelines. When you see car financing commercials that offer people 0% financing for “well qualified borrowers,” they mean that you have to have a particular minimum credit score to be seen as “well qualified.”

So what happens if you don’t qualify for the best mortgage program or that 0% car financing? You may still be approved, but you will be offered lesser terms. Those less than favorable terms will mean that you will be paying more money out of your pocket. A $250,000 mortgage at 8% instead of 6% will cost you an additional $335.00 per month.

Bottom line: keep your credit score as high as possible, by doing everything possible from your own. This includes making sure your payments reach your creditors before the due date and checking your credit report regularly for suspicious activity.