Credit repair? United Credit Association?

Question

Has anyone heard of United Credit Association? They are a credit repair agency. I want to know if those agencies are legal and if they really can repair your credit. My realtor recommended it to me because they had a meeting with some realtors in Houston, TX and they guaranteed to fix your credit in 6 months.

Answer 1

I always find it funny to read the myths people print about credit repair companies. My favorite one is "Why pay someone to do something for you that you can do yourself?" This is the most absurd of all the questions I have ever read. If your car breaks down, you take it to a mechanic. You can do it yourself, true, but it is wizer to trust a professional to do it for you. This can be said of tax preparation, legal litigation, plumbing, and virtually any other service provided in this country. Are we going to tell all of America that they should stop using these services simply because you can do the job yourself? No.

The truth is that you can repair your credit yourself. However, if you don't know what you are doing (and 95% of people don't know how to do it correctly), you will DAMAGE your credit report and lower your score. That is why you hire a professional credit repair company to do it for you. United Credit Association is one of the very few credit repair companies out there who are legitimate. However, they are far from the best. They do a decent job and can raise your score a bit in six months or so. Like Lexington Law, they are limited in their ability to remove ALL negative information from your credit report. Sometimes they get lucky and get it all removed, but usually, something gets left behind. And after that six months, if the information they had removed returns to your report, you have to pay again to have it removed again.

Ideally, you should go with a company that will offer you their services over an extended period of time (for example, 18 months) so that after they have cleaned up your credit report, they can monitor it to ensure that the information that has been removed stays gone. If it returns, they should not charge you to have it removed again. They should know how to go through the roadblocks that the credit reporting agencies will throw up to prevent success.

Yes, such a company exists.

If you have any further questions regarding your credit issues, please feel free to contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 2

Suzy....here is a quick and easy test to see if this is a legit company.

Ask them to sign a contract stating they will completely fix your credit. Put it in writing what your goal is and if they will guarantee they can do it.

It sounds like you are looking to buy a home, and you have a couple negative items? Will that state IN WRITING that they will get these removed?

I'm going to bet they won't do it. Why? Because as long as the information on your credit report is "fair and accurate" it can not legally be removed.

There are only two ways you can get a negative item deleted from a credit report.

1) The creditor must delete it.
2) The creditor fails to respond to a credit bureau investigation request.

A credit repair agency can not get it removed. A lawyer can not do it either.

Everything a credit repair agency does, you can easily do yourself. It just takes a little education.

But if you really want a credit repair company to do it, that's great. Just go into this deal with your eyes open, and realize you are paying them to do something with NO GUARANTEE it will work (and most likely won't).

Look at the links I've supplied....educate yourself.

Answer 3

There are many many legitimate credit repair agencies. Some can be very costly though, so be careful. Be aware too that you can repair your credit yourself if you wish to put some time and effort into it. All of the major creidt bureaus publish instructions on how to fix things on your credit report. They are Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. Go to their websites and you will see. You have to deal with each bureau separately. For instance, if you see something on your report that does not belong to you, you need to write a letter to each of these three agencies and let them know that it is not your account. They will investigate it and remove it. Credit repair agencies are a convenience that you pay for because they do everything for you. They specialize in and know all of the tricks on how to clean up your report and perhaps raise your credit score, but keep in mind that there are also things they cant do. If you were 60 days late on your mortgage or car payment a few months ago, more than likely they cant make that go away. My suggestion is to talk to someone at the agency first and ask them exactly what they can do for you based upon your credit report and exactly what guarantee they are offering. Make sure you are clear on the fees that they will charge. Ask your realtor if they know of anyone who has used them before and what wwere the results. Look to see how long the company has been in business and if they are listed(do some research on them). Just be totally aware of what you are getting into before you commit to anything and you should be fine.

Answer 4

There are a lot of other reasons to strive for good credit. Not only are you interest rates higher if you have bad credit, you can have a difficulty even securing a loan in the first place. More and more employers are also looking for good credit scores when they screen candidates for jobs as well. When you are in need of credit help, then it is suggested that you hire a professional expert on credit repair instead of trying to handle this on your own. If you try to repair the credit by yourself, then you may run into short-falls as well as disappointments which cannot be helped due to the lack of knowledge when it comes to the credit rating system.

Answer 5

I don't know about United Credit, but I know that they are real. I don't do it for a living, but I can pull credit and sometimes tell my clients how to increase their scores as much as 60 points. Sometimes by paying as little as a couple hundred dollars.

Check with the better business bureau about this particular company.

Many people think if they simply pay off collections that will increase their scores when in reality paying off collections can plunge your scores straight down. If I needed credit repair I would definitely use a credit repair service if I didn't know how to do it myself.

Good luck

Answer 6

I have been to many different credit repair sites on the web. Some were pretty good and some were pretty bad. I refuse to use a website that requires a fee to get their credit repair info when there is great free sites on the web.

Answer 7

I work a local Credit Union, and I assist people in fixing up their Credit and improving their Credit Score. I can assist you in improving your Credit for free. Sometimes companies like that charge you a fee, you don't want that if you want to do it yourself for free. Ask a copy of your credit report, don't go to freecreditreport.com because they charge you. Go to annualcreditreport.com because as a consumer, you are allowed to have a copy of your credit report once a year. Once you have a copy of your credit report, try to see which ones are bad such as Delinquent, Chargeoff or Collection and try to pay them. If the amount is too much for you to pay off, make a settelemnt with the Collection Agency or Credit Card Company, that will change your credit status from Collection to Now Paying. After you do that there is no turning back, I mean you cannot afford to make a late payment ever. Because once you are late in paying your Credit Cards or Cell Phone, what you have worked so hard to boost your score will just go back to square one. Hope that helps.

Answer 8

You need to check out this video on how to increase your credit score by using a 100% legal loophole. Here is the video URL: http://www.creditscoresecret.org

I was able to get to 595 from 489 in just one day and from 489 to 748 in just a few week; that's pretty fast in my book. Good luck!

Answer 9

I have never heard of them. However, if you are going to pay someone to do what you can do on your own, then that's up to you.

All they are going to do is get a copy of your credit report and see what is paid off, then inundate (flood) the credit bureaus with letters requesting the information be taken off your credit report because it was paid.

You should get a consultation for free with a bankruptcy lawyer and he can explain how you can do this. Otherwise, there are books in your local library on credit and how to fix it.

Save yourself thousands of dollars that these places charge; I believe they are scams. It's all stuff you can do yourself.
Good luck !

Answer 10

Important Questions to Ask When Choosing a Credit Counselor

If the organization you were working with shuts down, you may be able to work a payment plan on your own directly with your creditors. But if you decide that you need additional credit advice and assistance, or if you are considering working with a credit counselor for the first time, asking questions like these can help you find the best counselor for you.

What services do you offer?
Look for an organization that offers a range of services, including budget counseling, savings and debt management classes, and counselors who are trained and certified in consumer credit, money and debt management, and budgeting. Counselors should discuss your entire financial situation with you, and help you develop a personalized plan to solve your money problems now and avoid others in the future. An initial counseling session typically lasts an hour, with an offer of follow-up sessions. Avoid organizations that push a debt management plan as your only option before they spend a significant amount of time analyzing your financial situation. DMPs are not for everyone. You should sign up for a DMP only after a certified credit counselor has spent time thoroughly reviewing your financial situation, and has offered you customized advice on managing your money.
If you were on a DMP with an organization that closed down, ask any credit counselor that you are considering what they can do to help you retain the benefits of your DMP.


Are you licensed to offer your services in my state?
Many states require that an organization register or obtain a license before offering credit counseling, debt management plans, and similar services. Do not hire an organization that has not fulfilled the requirements for your state.


Do you offer free information?
Avoid organizations that charge for information about the nature of their services.


Will I have a formal written agreement or contract with you?
Don’t commit to participate in a DMP over the telephone. Get all verbal promises in writing. Read all documents carefully before you sign them. If you are told you need to act immediately, consider finding another organization.


What are the qualifications of your counselors? Are they accredited or certified by an outside organization? If so, which one? If not, how are they trained?
Try to use an organization whose counselors are trained by an outside organization that is not affiliated with creditors.


Have other consumers been satisfied with the service that they received?
Once you’ve identified credit counseling organizations that suit your needs, check them out with your state Attorney General, local consumer protection agency, and Better Business Bureau. These organizations can tell you if consumers have filed complaints about them. The absence of complaints doesn’t guarantee legitimacy, but complaints from other consumers may alert you to problems.


What are your fees? Are there set-up and/or monthly fees?
Get a detailed price quote in writing, and specifically ask whether all the fees are covered in the quote. If you’re concerned that you cannot afford to pay your fees, ask if the organization waives or reduces fees when providing counseling to consumers in your circumstances. If an organization won’t help you because you can’t afford to pay, look elsewhere for help.


How are your employees paid? Are the employees or the organization paid more if I sign up for certain services, pay a fee, or make a contribution to your organization?
Employees who are counseling you to purchase certain services may receive a commission if you choose to sign up for those services. Many credit counseling organizations receive additional compensation from creditors if you enroll in a DMP. If the organization will not disclose what compensation it receives from creditors, or how employees are compensated, go elsewhere for help.


What do you do to keep personal information about your clients (for example, name, address, phone number, and financial information) confidential and secure?
Credit counseling organizations handle your most sensitive financial information. The organization should have safeguards in place to protect the privacy of this information and prevent misuse.