Stuart Hunter

With so many new and inexperienced credit repair providers coming onto the scene, many of which are simply turnkey businesses using third party software to power their service, it becomes difficult to determine which services can be trusted with your credit reports. Here are three tips for spotting a quality credit repair provider.

The credit repair industry can be a scary place. With the number of news articles, TV segments, and "expert" pieces warning of fraudulent credit repair services that get pushed out by well regarded media outlets, it can look like the only logical option is to steer clear of credit repair companies entirely - something the news outlets seem to support.

Considering how big of a role your credit score can play in accomplishing so many New Year's resolutions, it makes sense to focus on this one factor before moving to other goals. Then, if you are able to use credit repair to increase your credit score, you will already have a head foundation for accomplishing New Year's resolutions this year and years to come.

Charge offs can take a serious toll on your credit rating, so much so that a single charge off could result in denial of credit. If you're looking to improve your credit score, it is worth it to look into the steps you can take in an attempt to remove a charge off from your credit file.

Collections accounts can take a serious toll on your creditrating, with higher collection amounts taking a large toll than smaller amounts. If you're looking to increase your credit score, it is worth looking into the steps you can take in an attempt to remove collection accounts from your credit reports.

Late payments can take a serious toll on your credit rating, especially if payments are reported to be of 90 days late or more. If you are looking to improve your credit score, it is certainly worth it to look into the steps you can take in an attempt to remove late payments from your credit file.

The Credit Repair Organizations Act has established rules credit repair companies must adhere to that you can use to help select a legitimate credit repair company and avoid being victimized by a credit repair scam.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed to protect your right to fair and accurate credit reporting, but it is still up to you to work toward that goal. When working to fix your credit by disputing questionable items in your credit reports, you are enforcing this right.

Consumers have the option to add a 100 word statement to your credit reports in order to explain the circumstances behind any negative listings. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that this 100 word statement will have any effect on lenders and there is no chance that it will improve your credit score.

There are a few quick things you may be able to do to add points to your credit score which could pay big dividends for a minimal amount of work. But if your credit needs a bigger fix, it's going to take more than a quick credit fix.