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Posts Tagged ‘Credit Report’

Your Credit Score Your Car Insurance Costs

January 1st, 2010 Car Insurance Buyer No comments

It?s certainly no secret today that your credit score goes with you just about everywhere when it comes to purchasing something on time. However, if you think your credit score only comes into play when you are applying for a loan you need to re-think that.

When it comes to car insurance, many insurance companies will also take your credit score into consideration when it comes to determining the cost of your coverage or even coverage at all if you are applying for insurance.

Even with a spotless driving record, this can be the case.

You see, for insurance companies, it?s all about statistics and risk factors. Many insurance companies believe that mediocre to poor credit ratings equate to higher insurance risks.

So, if you?re not the best at getting your credit card payments in the mail on time you may want to stop and think about changing your payment habits and make more of an effort to improve your payment track record. Whether this is true at all or not, almost all auto insurers use your credit score in the mix to some degree when determining your premium.

Knowing this, makes it even more important for you to know exactly what your credit score is and why it is what it is. In other words, even if you believe you?ve never been late on any payment, credit reporting companies are far from flawless. There could be mistakes or even misrepresentations on your report that could cause to have your insurance rated (higher bracket) or even denied.

So, take a few minutes (and you can do very easily online) and get your credit report. Or check out your FICO (Fair, Isaacs & Co) score; which is what insurance companies use to factor your credit rating into the cost.

A driver with bad credit is going to pay more for their insurance than those with good credit.

If you do have bullet proof credit, this is all the more reason for you to shop your insurance around. You may find an insurance company that offers bigger discounts for A+ credit ratings.

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Texas Car Insurance Requirements

December 24th, 2009 Car Insurance Buyer No comments

In regards to car insurance requirements in Texas, you must have a minimum of %15,000 to cover damages an accident causes other property; %20,000 to cover any bodily injury or death of one person per accident; and %40,000 to cover any bodily injury or death of two or more persons per accident. You can meet the Texas car insurance requirements by purchasing a policy from a car insurance company licensed to do insurance business in Texas, or you may want to post a self-bond ? set aside enough money to meet the car insurance requirements in Texas.

Self-bonding, or self-insuring, to meet the Texas car insurance requirements does have its advantages. First, you do not have to worry about whether or not it is going to be difficult to get insurance ? if you are providing it, it is already there! You also do not have to concern yourself with premiums, making payments on time, or renewal and cancellation in the matter of being self-insured.

When you meet the Texas car insurance requirements with a self-bond or self-insurance, you are also free to purchase additional car insurance coverage from a traditional car insurance company. By keeping your self-insurance stash in mind, you can pick and choose what car insurance coverage you want to purchase.

Self-bonding, or self-insuring, is not actually the most efficient way to meet the car insurance requirements in Texas, but it is an option ? an option that many people choose. The most common reason people choose the option of self-bonding to satisfy the Texas car insurance requirements is because they feel they are uninsurable. A bad driving record, a flawed credit report, and a sketchy history of making payments are all factors Texans believe make them uninsurable; however, these are factors that can and do improve in time, and the self-bonded individual may want to switch to a traditional car insurance policy in Texas once these factors have improved.

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How To Find Affordable Car Insurance In Tennessee

December 18th, 2009 Car Insurance Buyer No comments

If you?ve ever tried to purchase Tennessee low cost car insurance, you?re probably aware of the impact your credit score has on policy-underwriting and rate-determining procedures. While there are a few restrictions auto insurers have when it comes to using your credit score (an insurer can?t, for example, take action against you based on your score), it?s no secret that having a decent score increases your chances of finding affordable car insurance in Tennessee.

Making repairs to your credit score will help you get Tennessee low cost car insurance, and we?ll even help get you started. Take these five tips into consideration.

Obtain your credit report(s). America?s top credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Order a credit report from each bureau as information tends to vary from report to report.

Study your credit report(s). Study each report and take note of both correct and incorrect information. If your report includes incorrect negative information, your chances for getting Tennessee low cost car insurance will, in turn, be negatively affected.

Dispute incorrect information. When you find incorrect negative information, file a dispute with the credit bureau in question. Make sure to keep copies of all communication between you and the bureau.

Think about the correct information. If you have positive information on your credit report (and we hope you do!), remember the steps you took to get those results. Remember the mistakes you made to get negative information and devise a plan to avoid continuing those mistakes.

Continue to build your credit. Consider secured credit cards ? designed for people with no or poor credit ? to help re-establish your credit. In the meantime, call on other lines of credit that weren?t reported. Your gas card and department store credit line, for example, may be in great standing but not reported. Contact those institutions and request they report to a credit bureau. Otherwise, you may risk your chance at getting affordable car insurance in Tennessee.

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How To Save Money And Get Discount Automobile Insurance In Tennessee

December 1st, 2009 Car Insurance Buyer No comments

A great way to save money and get discount automobile insurance in Tennessee is to take a look at ? and pamper! ? your credit score. Yes, you?ve heard the rumors and they?re true ? many car insurers look at your credit report when determining how affordable car insurance rates in Tennessee will be. That means the MasterCard bill that was sent to collections, or the bankruptcy you filed last year, could very well affect your chances at getting cheap auto insurance in Tennessee.

Luckily, you can spruce up, and eventually even do some serious repair, to your credit score. This will make it much easier on yourself to save money and get discount automobile insurance in Tennessee.

How can you revamp your credit score and work toward getting cheap auto insurance in Tennessee?

? Order a copy of your credit report. Various companies offer free copies of your credit report. Order inaccuracies that negatively affect your credit score.

? Start paying your bills on time. This many seem like a no-brainer, but it can be difficult to pay your bills on time once you?ve gotten behind. Call your creditors and ask about setting up payment plans to get caught up.

? Get rid of some ? or all ? credit cards. The less credit you have, the less temptation you have, right? Find out how to transfer each card onto one card and save money on interest rates as well as avoid the temptation to use all cards.

? Get a new credit card. Use this option if your credit is so poor (or lacking) that you can?t get credit on your own. Ask a relative to co-sign a credit card for you (this makes it easier to get one) ? use it wisely and make payments on time.

It will take some time to repair your credit score, but once you do you?ll find it easier to get affordable car insurance rates in Tennessee.

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