Do you keep track of your credit score?

restrangled

I have free access to how the 3 major credit companies are keeping score.

It is actually quite bizzare.....I have a good rating but it has gone up and down by 75 points based on what I have spent, what I have paid, balances, etc. What ticks me off is that credit I did not apply for, and anyone looking into my account can bring it down.

So I checked and sure enough, plenty of businesses had checked into it, actually issuing credit cards waiting for my response.....This in the mean time reduces my credit rating.

How disgusting is this?

r.

John Doe

Any inquiry not initiated by you is called a "soft" inquiry, and does not affect your score. Only credit you actively applied for is called a "hard" inquiry, and those do affect your score.

misanthropic

Everybody should run a credit report at least once a year (I believe legally you can even get a free one from all 3 major credit reoporting companies at least once per year). A few months ago I ran mine and found someone had used my name and social security number to buy over $2,000 worth of things from a company I have never used. It was taken off once I contacted all 3 companies and was able to prove the address it was send to was not mine. I expected it to be a bigger hassle but luckily it wasn't. I've flagged my account in case any credit is applied for in my name I'll know it wasn't me.
I'd lost my drivers license awhile back when I was moving from one place to another and my Drivers License had my SS# on it. I've since taken my SS# off my license as well.

Simon

I aways check regularly (to make sure what was on there should be on there) and had a really good score in the UK. It's more important now we're in Canada and building up a credit score from scratch ...

We've had some annoying experiences - most notably with The Brick where the sales guy entered far more in the application than we were asking for and also American Express who wasted my time pretending they would transfer your card (being an international company) when they didn't.

Other than that, we're doing OK. We got a mortgage, two car leases and insurance easily enough so I think we'll be OK from here.

jaguarbass

I dont keep track. I paid my house off in 1992. And pay cash for everything since then. If I dont have the cash. I dont buy it. A lot of times, by the time I save the cash for something, I dont want it. I save some of my money that I dont make house or car payments with for when something breaks, to replace or repair.

But now, reading your post, I'm thinking I should worry about something I dont use because it might get blemished.

Priest73

I work for a CC company, so I've learned to monitor my score closely... equifax, trans union... etc. I've had to correct several things on my report. Nothing serious, just incorrect "previous address" etc. You'd be surprized what they can screw up. -p73