My credit could be ruined (long)

[Mytical]

INAL but I believe that any time a business turns you down for credit you automatically can get a free credit report. A quick way to find your credit score would therefor be to go try to get credit (something you doubt you would qualify for) so that you can use the turn down to get your free credit reports.

[Andara Bledin]

Any time anybody does a credit check, you can get a copy of what they got (since it's technically yours, and they're just getting access).

However, it should be noted that every check to your credit will cause it to go down.

I was recently denied a new credit card because the Stagecoach bank has their credit arm do hard checks against my credit pretty much every month, which is only pushing my timeline to kick them to the curb up.

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[sstabeler]

technically it's not EVERY check that lowers your credit score. It's when there are a lot within a relatively short space of time. Andara, I'd be surprised if that was the only problem, since it's only about 5-10 points it drops your score.

[Andara Bledin]

I have a credit monitoring service that I can check any time I want, through Experian, so I get notices every time my score changes.

There are two types of checks: Hard and soft. It's the hard ones that hit your credit rating, and the Stagecoach does hard checks. They've really got no business doing checks of any sort, which is a lot of why I'm going to dump their asses the moment I have things in order and everything is current.

^-.-^

[taxguykarl]

You credit score only declines (and even then slightly) if you initiate the credit check by applying for credit--even then only if you're constantly applying..if you submit a dozen mortgage applications within a fortnight, that is ignored (yes, I speak from experiencerefi). If you check your own file for whatever reason that is not a pull as Fair Issac (the FICO people) define the term.

[draftermatt]

Have you thought about going to the offices of this business with a copy of your letter and asking them for proof of services rendered?

Granted, it wouldn't be an in writing request but it might save you time and heartache.

[EricKei]

The boyfriend, who had no delinquencies at all or anything else on his credit, good or bad, was denied out of hand, however.

It is my understanding that some places/potential creditors consider "no credit history" to be (almost) as bad as having bad credit...tho I'm definitely no expert. Can anyone fill in the details on this sort of thing?

Note that, in this case, I presume that there is a significant difference between "never has had a credit history at all" and "has had a credit history in the past, but everything has now long since been paid off and cleared off of the record, due to the passage of time". Is this correct?

[sstabeler]

nope. there is NO way to tell if someone has not had a credit history in the past or has had everything drop off. ( although age can give hints)

[Andara Bledin]

Note that, in this case, I presume that there is a significant difference between "never has had a credit history at all" and "has had a credit history in the past, but everything has now long since been paid off and cleared off of the record, due to the passage of time". Is this correct?

As far as I am aware, having no history ever and having history so old as to be no longer showing is treated exactly the same. I'm not even sure they're distinguishable from one another, since the report is mostly X number of X types of account with some listing $ values.

I have had a couple of accounts close with balances owing from way back when I was a teen and those don't show on my report. I had a rating of 630 (medium risk) pretty solidly until I had to buy a fridge through a rent to own place, at which point it jumped nearly 100 points to over 700 (low risk).

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