If you are like many people, you either have bad credit or had bad credit at some point in your lifetime. The sad fact is most people are not educated about credit and their rights. America is filled with misconceptions, due to spin of the facts from both sides of the aisle. In reality, consumers become the prey from both credit repair companies and credit reporting agencies like Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. In this article, I am going to talk about some quick and simple facts that might help you maintain a better credit identity. With each passing day, credit factors more and more into our lives. Having at least decent credit is no longer something to have if you want a credit card, it can now cost you a job if your credit is poor.

Tip One: Collection Agencies Calling

Did you know that you could stop the collection agencies from calling? No, you don't need to declare bankruptcy or change your phone number. The fact is one simple letter can stop the calling, legally, dead in its tracks. At CreditLiberty.com, there is a sample letter to accomplish this task. This quick task will give your telephone a rest. If the collection agency that receives your letter continues to call, it can be penalized for doing so.

Tip Two: Removing Items / Correcting Items from your Credit Report

You are allowed to, legally, dispute any piece of data that's on your credit report. For example, you could dispute the following:

• Account authenticity

• Last payment details.

• Account creation date.

• Payment history.

• Account balance.

• Previous addresses.

• Aliases.

• Account status

• And more.

Basically, anything you see in your credit report can be disputed with the credit- reporting agency that published it. Remember, the credit reporting agency has a vested interest in keeping as much negative information on you as possible. This is what gives their service value and how they make money. Today, these credit reporting agencies have put links on their website to dispute information, but you should still know how the law works, because they do go against it from time to time. Either way, don't sit in a cocoon thinking there's nothing you can do about items on your credit reportyou can!

Tip Three: All credit is not the same.

There are three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Your credit report will be different on all three of these agencies. It could be minor difference or it could be major, such as bad accounts not being reported, good accounts not being reported or a mixture. When you apply for credit, except for a major purchase such as a home and sometimes a vehicle, the creditor will normally pull your credit from only one agency.

As I mentioned, you might have poor credit with one report, decent credit with another report and good credit with the last report. If the company pulls from report one, you get denied. However, if you find a company that pulls from report three, you may be approved. It's important to know what all three of your credit reports have in them. When you get denied, pay attention (or ask) for the credit reporting agency that was used. Write this down. If you have a credit file with another agency that's good and they did not pull it, try for credit elsewhere.

These are just three tips that can help you maintain a better credit identity and lifestyle. I hope they will help you achieve your goals.