Id theft protection Eureka

If you can't mitigate your credit crash, don't despair. Take a breather id theft protection Eureka after the event, says Rod Griffin, director of public education at Experian, before mapping out your re-emergence into the world of credit.

If you have other outstanding delinquencies, catch up on those payments. If you still face looming debt out there, work on reducing it.

"You won't be able to qualify for credit for a while," he says.

"Wait weeks or months so you have time to stabilize, to regain control of your current finances." It's also important to know how to fix your credit using new credit accounts. A secured credit card is typically the first and only type of credit available to someone with a badly blemished credit history. These cards require a security deposit, usually a minimum of id theft protection Eureka $500, to activate it. The deposit is placed in a savings account, money market account or certificate of deposit. If you consistently make on-time payments, your id theft protection Eureka bank might convert the card into an unsecured card after a year, says Barry Paperno, consumer affairs manager at myFICO.com. 3 in 1 credit report free The card is not treated differently than a regular credit card by the FICO score, Paperno says. Just make sure the issuer reports to the credit bureaus. Another way to build up your credit is to piggyback on someone else's credit card account. Ask a family member or your spouse to consider adding you as an authorized user on their credit card. An authorized user is not responsible for the balance, but benefits from the cardholder's id theft protection Eureka payment history on that account. So, make sure you choose a financially sound credit ride. A side note: Experian only includes authorized user accounts if the payment history is good, says Griffin. free 3 credit report Ulzheimer also suggests checking with your bank or credit union to see if overdraft protection on your checking account is reported to the credit bureaus. Sometimes, it is considered an unused installment loan on your credit report. "It's not a bad way to get a good thing on your credit report," says Ulzheimer, "as long as you don't have to use it." Lenders love to see recent good payment behavior, so pay your bills on time id theft protection Eureka and keep balances low. Aim to pay off credit card balances every month to keep debt from snowballing out of control. Check your credit report to see which items are weighing on your score, says Trey Loughran, president of personal information solutions at Equifax.

For specific clues on how to fix your credit, order your credit score with your report -- it will tell you key reasons your score isn't higher. If id theft protection Eureka you're a carrot-and-stick person, consider a credit monitoring service to keep you motivated, says Griffin. request a credit report "It's important to id theft protection Eureka check your credit score periodically, especially id theft protection Eureka when you're in the recovery phase," Paperno says.

"And it might be better than you think." Unfortunately, knowing how to fix your credit is only half the battle. The time it takes to rebuild your credit depends on the catastrophic event and where you started.