equifax: Credit Freeze is Free Under New Federal Law - 09/25/18 02:56 AM
 
A year after the devasting data breach at Equifax – one that left the sensitive personal information of over 143 million Americans exposed - consumers can now better protect themselves against identity theft.
Replacing a patchwork of state credit freeze laws, new legislation now requires the credit reporting agencies of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to allow consumers an opportunity to “freeze” or otherwise “lock” their credit report from public disclosure without fee. Temporary “fraud alerts” can also be extended to one-year from the previous 90 days.
Place an Equifax credit freeze – Experian credit freeze – TransUnion credit freeze.
With the … (1 comments)

equifax: How to Order a Free Credit Report - 09/19/18 08:31 AM
Before applying for an automobile, credit card, or home mortgage loan, it’s a good idea to check your credit report for errors. Banks, credit unions, auto finance and mortgage lenders have all raised the bar when making credit granting decisions. Long gone are the days when a 620 FICO credit score sufficed. Borrowers with bad credit are being turned down or forced to pay significantly higher interest rates when applying. Those with low credit scores have even been denied employment opportunities and automobile insurance.
 
Negative information contained in credit reports – such as late payments, collection accounts and public record entries – … (1 comments)

equifax: How to Order Free Credit Reports - 02/28/16 06:50 PM

 
Applying for credit in the near future?  Your good name and reputation within the banking community has never been more important.  Even in a recovering economy, creditors have tightened their credit granting guidelines effectively barring millions of Americans from borrowing money.
Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, credit card issuers and banks have all raised the bar. Borrowers with low Fair Isaac (FICO) scores can expect to be denied credit or to pay significantly higher interest rates than those with excellent histories.  Those with low credit scores have even been denied premium employment opportunities and automobile insurance.
Long gone are the days of obtaining … (1 comments)

equifax: How to combat child identity theft - 08/30/12 01:01 PM
A new variation of identity theft has substantially gained in popularity over the last four years - child identity theft. Child identity theft occurs when a child's identity is used by another person for the imposter's personal gain. The perpetrator may be a family member or someone known by the family. It could also be a stranger who purposely targets children because of the lengthy time between the theft of the information and the discovery of the crime. The Federal Trade Commission says child identity theft has tripled in the past three years. The FTC reported 8500 cases in 2003, more … (0 comments)

equifax: Protect Your Child from Identity Theft - 10/18/11 02:44 AM
As children head back to school, it’s a good time to remind parents that they should be careful when sharing their children's social security number and other personal identifiers.  Child identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America.
 
Child identity theft occurs when a child's identity is used by another person for the imposter's personal gain. The perpetrator may be a family member or someone known by the family. It could also be a stranger who purposely targets children because of the lengthy time between the theft of the information and the discovery of the crime. 
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equifax: South Florida Credit Scores Drop in September - 10/18/11 02:33 AM
Credit rating agency Experian released last week its second-annual “State of Credit” list of cities with the highest and lowest credit scores.
The study found that the cities with the worst average credit score were concentrated in the South, while those with the highest average score were centered in the upper Midwest.
According to CreditKarma.com, the credit scores of consumers in the Miami metropolitan statistical area dropped in September as they continued racking up significant personal debt.
The average credit score in the Miami area was 649 in September, down from a previous low of 652 in August. The trend was … (1 comments)

equifax: Strategic default and the FICO credit score - 04/23/11 11:27 PM
One of the major distinguishing factors between a strategic default and any other mortgage default is that a strategic default is a deliberate business decision. The homeowner has the ability to make payments but simply decides not to because the property value is less than the balance owed on the mortgage.
These defaults take lenders by surprise as borrowers often have excellent credit histories and meet all of their other financial obligations.
Considered a viable strategy for managing troubled assets in an era of record foreclosures, high unemployment and government bail-outs, millions of Americans are considering strategic default or strategic foreclosure. … (0 comments)

equifax: A Truly Free Credit Report Without Cost or Fee - 02/26/10 01:35 AM
Have you ever been denied credit, goods, benefits, services, employment and/or insurance?  Do you have a problem with "free" credit reports that are often bundled with credit scores and/or credit monitoring services and steep monthly fees?  If so, you are not alone.
As part of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (commonly referred to as the Credit Card Act of 2009), advertisements for credit reports will soon require enhanced disclosures to help consumers avoid confusing "free" offers.  These offers often require consumers to spend money on credit scores and/or credit monitoring while the "no-strings-attached" credit reports available … (0 comments)

 
William E. Lewis, Jr., Bill Lewis - Vero Beach, Florida (William E. Lewis, Jr. & Associates)

William E. Lewis, Jr.

Bill Lewis - Vero Beach, Florida

Vero Beach, FL

More about me…

William E. Lewis, Jr. & Associates

Address: 1926 44th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL, 32966

Office: 772-324-6400

Fax: 954-281-5450

William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates is a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity. To learn more, tune into “The Credit Report with Bill Lewis,” a daily forum for business and financial news, politics, economic trends, and cutting edge issues on AM 740 WSBR.


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