Debt Consolidation Vs. Debt Settlement

At some point in everyone’s life they will be in debt. That debt may be because of a mortgage, auto loan, student loans, or revolving balances. For most of these there is an end in sight as they begin with a specified amount of time to repay the debt. The exception is revolving balances. If … Read more

How Often Do Credit Scores Update?

How Often Do Credit Scores Update? By Mindy Leisure The question is often asked, “should I pull my borrower’s credit report after the first of the month to see the most updated credit scores?”  The assumption being that credit reports update during the first part of the month…actually this is far from accurate. Credit reports … Read more

Installment Loans and Credit Scores

There have been a lot of questions lately about installment loans and their importance to a credit profile. Such as: Does an installment loan help or hurt? How much do the balances on installment loans affect a score?  What about the payment amount?  Is that a factor that is considered? What happens when its paid … Read more

Why Your Credit Score Isn’t Increasing

Short answer, the reason why your credit score is not increasing is something that you have probably never heard of called “Scorecard hopping.” Let’s say you have been working diligently to get a small medical collection deleted and you finally get the collection agency to write you a “pay for delete” letter. After a few … Read more

Can Collections Be Removed?

This is a very frequently asked question – It is possible to have a collection removed from a credit report? The best answer would be…sometimes. A lot depends on the type of collection, the amount of the collection and the policies of the collection agency. Technically, a collection will stay on a credit report (paid … Read more

Why a Liens and Judgments Report is More Important than Ever

With the changes the credit bureaus (Experian, Trans Union and Equifax) have made first regarding judgments and now tax liens being removed from credit reports, it is important to have a backup to make sure none of these items actually exist. Just because they are no longer on credit reports does not mean a borrower … Read more

Advantage Credit Responds to FHFA Request For Information on Credit Scores

At Advantage Credit, we’ve always taken an active role in trying to shape regulation and policy that help produce sound credit underwriting decisions that will benefit both lenders and consumers. To that end, the Federal Housing Financial Agency (FHFA) announced a Request For Input (RFI) seeking feedback from interested parties regarding how Fannie Mae and … Read more