How to Fix a Poor Credit Report to Raise it to a Plus Score

Fixing up your credit reports so that a poor credit score becomes a plus or positive score is not very difficult. It is actually something that you can do on your very own without the assistance of a third party or outside source that will charge you hefty fees. However, it will require some time and money, and then after that some time for the credit reports to update at all three credit bureaus.

Instructions

1

Order a credit report from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion if you have already used your one free annual credit report. Locate every creditor on every credit report that shows 30-days late. Write a brief letter to each creditor explaining what took place that year and ask for forgiveness in the form of a never late.

2

Pay credit card balances, as an example, down to at least 15 percent to 30 percent of the entire credit card balance if you are still using the credit card. Pay balances down also on credit cards that have a positive rating even if they are not used. Remember, don't close out these accounts, keep the balances paid low or paid off and let them continue to age.

3

Pay debt off or down rather than shuffling the debt from one credit card to another or from one type of loan (unsecured loan) to another type of loan (secured loan). Don't shuffle because you can't make the due date etc. Pay the minimum amount due before or on the due date.

4

Order your credit reports from all three credit bureaus every six months rather than only once a year if you have a major purchase that you'll need to make in the next year or two. Major credit report cleanups will require you keeping close watch to ensure that creditors do not reenter any negative notation once they've agreed upon a positive notation.

5

Stop judgments, collections, repossessions, bankruptcies and other major negative notations from entering on your credit reports by negotiating with your creditors. Most creditors would rather have at least some of their money rather than chasing you or having to take you to court to regroup some of their money. Make payment arrangements or negotiate for a clean credit record in exchange for paying at least 60 percent of the balance.