I received a question from one of my readers to this blog and I thought it was relevant enough for all of my readers to see and learn from.

Dear Mark,

I have four major credit card accounts in my name. I use one of them for my work expenses, one for household expenses, a Cabela’s card which I like for the points, and another one that I don’t use much.  It has a zero balance. Does this hurt my FICO scores by having a zero activity  and zero balance? Will it hurt my credit score more if I close the account?

Sherry M. Austin, TX

Hello Sherry,

Thanks for writing in. I have a short answer for you to your question….if your main goal is to keep your current high scores, you should leave the account open, but you must start USING the card! Keep the activity small so that you don’t boost up your credit utilization.

You don’t want the bank to cancel the card because you are not using it. Remember, the banks are in business to make money, if they have given you a product and they aren’t making any money, then they may make a decision to close it. As you know this will hurt your scores because your available credit ratios will change.

Regardless of who closes the account, your credit score may fall due to a change in a key credit scoring ratio. “Closing an account causes you to lose the available credit limit associated with it. Your utilization rate, also called your balance-to-limit ratio, will increase as a result of closing the account. That may cause a temporary decline in your credit scores.

To get an idea of how your utilization ratio could be impacted by closing an account, let’s say each of your four cards has a credit limit of $1,000, for a combined total of $4,000 in available credit. Let’s also say that across those four accounts, you’ve got a total debt burden of $2,000. Then your unused card gets closed, taking your available credit down to just $3,000. Now, instead of using 50 percent of your credit lines, you’re suddenly using about 66 percent of your total available credit. That higher proportion makes you appear to be a riskier borrower, since you’re that much closer to maxing out your available credit.

Your credit score should reflect that change, although the actual scoring damage will vary from borrower to borrower. The FICO score assesses all the information on your credit report.  So the score impact from any one action, such as closing an account, will depend on what other information is present on the credit report.

Stay tuned,

Your Credit Repair Expert

Mark

Great article straight from the FTC  Website.

Remember folks…there is nothing a credit repair firm can do you for you that you can’t do for yourself…often quicker and cheaper!

Click Here For Full Story:

A credit repair company that falsely claimed it would help boost consumers’ credit ratings will settle Federal Trade Commission charges filed last year as part of “Operation Clean Sweep,” a federal-state crackdown on credit repair scams.

The FTC charged the Chicago-based defendants with falsely promising to remove negative information from consumers’ credit reports, even if it was accurate and current, in violation of the FTC Act and the Credit Repair Organizations Act. They also allegedly violated federal law by requiring payment before any service was provided to consumers. According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants’ advertising stated, “We would never charge a large fee up front, or make you wait a long period of time to refund your money if we do not get results. You WILL see results in 60 days, or your money will be refunded in full . . . .” They charged $495 per person and $665 for a couple and required $219 or $269, respectively, in advance.

The settlement order bars the defendants from further violations and from misrepresenting:

• They can improve consumers’ credit reports by permanently removing negative information, even when it’s accurate and current;
• They can otherwise improve a consumer’s credit report or ability to obtain credit;
• The full cost of their services and any restrictions on consumers’ use of those services;
• Their refund or cancellation policy; or
• The benefits of using their goods or services.

The order imposes a $226,793.90 judgment that will be suspended once they pay $20,000. The full judgment will become due immediately if the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition. The order prohibits the defendants from collecting any payments from consumers who purchased their services before October 23, 2008, when the court halted their business practices and froze their assets. The order further bars them from
disclosing or benefitting from customer information, and failing to properly dispose of customer
information.

The defendants are Advantage Credit Repair LLC and Mark D. Solomon. The Commission vote to authorize staff to file the stipulated final order was 4-0. The proposed order was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

The Commission appreciates the assistance of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois in this case.

The FTC offers consumer information, “Credit Repair: How to Help Yourself,” athttp://ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre13.shtm, and advises that only time, a conscious effort, and a personal debt repayment plan can improve a credit report. The first step is to learn what information is in the credit report. If there are errors or mistakes, federal law provides the right to have them corrected – free of charge. Federal law requires that the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months, if requested. To order your free report, consumers can visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete and mail the Annual Credit Report Request Form.

Happy New Year!

Well we made it through 2009 and even though things were a ‘bit shaky, the upcoming new year is going to be great!

There are some interesting events coming down the pipe with regards to improve your credit score in 2010.

If you have had issues with negative credit scores in the past then you may want to look into DIY methods to clean bad credit. By improving your credit score in 2010 you can save yourself a significant amount of money. The better your credit score the less you are going to pay in interest over the course of your lifetime. With this being the case it should be your goal to make sure your credit score is as high as it can be.

There are many companies that currently offer credit repair help but it is important to make sure they are government approved. If they are not government approved then it might be a situation where a business wants to make some quick money and run. Many credit repair companies or counselors claim that they can fix your credit instant or they can eliminate your debt. If you see these claims then you will want to look to another credit repair company.

By doing some Google searches you are likely to find many companies that can assist you that are government approved. It also might be a good idea to do some research on improving your credit score without assistance. Something that these credit repair companies have prefected is the inaccuracies on credit reports. If you have purchased a credit report and you notice that there are many mistakes then you will want ot seek a credit repair company.

WIth any major financial decision in your life it is important to weigh your options when it comes to money. If the credit repair company is trying to charge you hundreds of dollars then you might want to pick another company or do reseach on fixing your credit independently. It may take a little more time and effort but it could save you a significant amount in the long run.

I look forward to sharing more with you in 2010!

Mark