With the global economy experiencing a slowdown, many people are turning to credit options to survive the financial repercussions. The World Bank projects the downturn to be steep, especially for developing countries. To make matters worse, most borrowers are already in debt with poor credit ratings. This means securing a loan or mortgage is becoming more complicated by the day.

The good news is that applicants with low ratings can consult credit restoration companies for assistance in repairing their scores. They review a client’s credit reports and identify errors and inconsistencies before negotiating with credit bureaus to remove negative details that might hinder a borrower from qualifying for loans.

Advent of Credit Repair Companies

Credit repair services have been around for decades. The first credit repair organizations launched their operations in the 1950s, as the significance of a good credit history increased. The move was a response to the many challenges that credit bureaus faced when reporting credit information.

Even with modern technology, credit agencies often make mistakes when updating reports, negatively impacting a consumer’s credit history. Due to these errors, an eligible borrower with a low credit score might find it hard to secure loans with favorable interest rates. This is where credit repair services come into play. These companies help consumers navigate the complex credit system and resolve these errors to build a healthy credit score.

How They Work

Many people who live in low-income developing countries in Africa are unaware of credit repair companies. Eligible borrowers in these countries may not know these firms exist or that they can assist in rebuilding a credit history. Understanding how credit repair companies work can help eligible consumers know their rights and find practical solutions to erroneous credit reports.

Credit repair companies provide consumers with valuable tools to correct erroneous credit reports. While they cannot remove inaccurate details cited by a credit bureau from a credit report, they can dispute discrepancies on behalf of clients, urging credit reporting agencies to correct the mistakes.

The firms focus on five major areas in a consumer’s credit report. The first is to ensure credit bureaus produce accurate credit reports. This is critical, since the goal of every credit institution is to avoid bad loans and losses, and the only way to achieve this is by approving loans and mortgages based on an individual’s credit history. As such, an erroneous credit report can have serious repercussions for borrowers. The credit repair service can contact reporting agencies and access credit reports for clients at a fee. The firm will then scrutinize the credit report for errors and dispute discrepancies.

Credit repair companies also have a role in safeguarding consumer rights per credit reporting regulations. In countries like the US, they have the Fair Credit Reporting Act that protects consumers by requiring credit bureaus to report correct information. Under this Act, the reporting agency cannot share the collected data with third parties who don’t have a purpose detailed in the Act. Moreover, affected consumers have the legal right to access and dispute any errors in their credit reports.

Apart from erroneous credit reporting, identity theft and fraud can adversely affect your credit account, making you ineligible for loans and mortgages. Credit repair companies play a critical role in mitigating these risks and helping victims restore their credit reputation. They inspect credit reports to detect fraudulent transactions and possible identity theft before filing disputes when misrepresentations appear in your credit report.

As you may have noticed, the credit reporting system can be complex and overwhelming. Given the intricacies of this system, many do not follow up on dispute letters and other inquiries. Here is where credit repair services come into play. These firms file disputes on behalf of clients and follow up until the credit reporting agency undertakes the appropriate measures.

Lastly, credit repair services offer credit advice to consumers. They provide other services to help clients improve their credit ratings. They may advise consumers on setting up payment schedules, using available credit, and improving their credit scores.

Regulation

As the pressure to keep a healthy credit score increases, many credit repair companies have sprung up in the past few years. However, many of these companies are unregulated, particularly in developing countries. Countries like the US have legislation to regulate credit repair companies through the US Credit Repair Organizations Act. Since most developing nations do not have similar laws, individuals must research widely and perform background checks to find credible credit restoration services.