how do i improve my credit score?

i would like to know the quickest way to improve a credit score. mine has been around 590 for about 4 years now. i had issues before this with credit, but it is good now. i have a mortgage, 2 cars, 3 credit cards, and a personal loan with no late payments. the credit cards are only about 25% charged on and the car and personal loan is almost paid off. i have a low income to debt ratio, about 35%. any answers would be appreciated.

Public Comments

1. Pay off your most recent debt first and that should bring your score up. Then, check out daveramsey.com -- he's got a lot of good financial tips.
2. Cut up your credit cards
3. It sounds like your on the right track...but now all you have to do is wait. While your waiting it may be tempting to get a copy of your CBR but remember, everytime you view it your score goes down. Just stick with it and don't make ANY late payments! Good Luck!
4. well other thanpaying on time i have heard the CC companies tend to increase the score (sometimes) on high net worth individuaslwith regard to the amount the spend...ut ullneed to vinfirm this. ensure payments though , and maybe try getting on board with some of their other value add's and last case scenario..just ask their executive.
5. Read some credit tips on this site for that
6. it sounds to me like you have a pretty good profile. FYI debt to income ratio is not considered on a credit report, but is casualy reflected in your credit card balance in proportion to credit limit. dont run your credit unnecisarily. sounds to me like your past issues are still affecting your score. see if you can have those negative tradelines corrected or erased. the best way to do this is to pull your own credit (that does not affect your score) and contact the repositories yourself (equifax, transunion, expierian). make sure all tradelines are being reported accurately. I have ran into quite a few credit reports with excellent payment history, but lower than expected scores. Usually, that person has ran thier credit many times and has high balances on revolving debt. if you dont have those issues, then it has to be those older accounts from when you had issues. make sure they are reporting correctly and you should see that score go to at least the mid 600's
7. With the numbers you described, your score should start to increase. You need to get ahold of your credit reports from the three major reporting agencies. This is crucial. Then file a complaint against them (this costs nothing) for each file that is wrong. In some cases, even filing a case with them will cause that particular file to be temporarily removed while they investigate the issue. This, in many cases will reflect a higher number. Look for accounts that have been closed, but yet still show a balance. And whatever you do, dont close your credit card accounts! This will work against you in most cases (unless you cant control your spending). The reason you dont want to close the accounts is that you will then have less AVAILABLE credit, and it could drive your score way down. Dont open any more accounts, but dont close the ones you have. Next, call your card companies and ask for a higher credit line. Ask for 3 times what your current limit is. You will most likely be given about twice your current limit unless you have a poor payment history. If you do, start paying 15 days early EVERY TIME. Then after 6 months, try for the increase again. ALSO, ask for a lower interest rate. Ask them to lower the rate down to the INTRODUCTORY rate for new card members. And of course, always ask them to wave the yearly fee retroactive 2 years. They will always wave that fee unless the card is a "miles" or "rewards" card. If you need any further advice feel free to contact me at funkninja1234(at)yahoo.com
8. Pay your bills on time and stop applying for anymore credit cards.
9. You are definitely on the right track to improving your score. Here are some additional tips that may help you get a little more boost. Improve your score - Everyone’s situation is different. Some things you can do to improve your score are: - Pay your bills on time - Get credit balances below 75%, 50%, and 35% of available credit - Do not open any new accounts or apply for additional credit - Do not close any accounts - Dispute errors on your report - Pay down/off debt aggressively For more information on credit go to Fair Isaac's site (they created the credit score) www.myFICO.com There are companies that can assist you in improving your score. Please note everything they do, you can do for free on your own. It sounds like you have done most of the above suggestions. Which means that the biggest improvement to your score will come from time. The Credit Bureaus count the previous 24 months most heavily into your score. Negative items (late pays, collections) will affect your score for 7 years from their resolution date (paid off). If there are errors on your report here are some additional tips: 1. You must request a copy of your report directly from the credit agency. -You can do this by getting your Free Credit Report from the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov - If you have applied for credit in the last 30 days you are entitled to a free copy of the report. - You can pay for a copy of your report directly on the credit bureau sites. 2. You must complete a dispute. You can try to dispute the information online with EACH of the 3 agencies. If you need to send them documentation then you will need to write a letter explaining the information to be corrected/removed along with a copy of your documents. 3. The credit agency will process your request and send you a revised copy of your report reflecting the changes with in 45 days of the dispute. (The creditor has 30 days to verify the information is correct as reported or the info is removed. Then a couple of extra days for mailing stuff) Here is the contact info for the 3 agencies: Equifax Information Services, LLC P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 800-685-1111 www.equifax.com Experian 701 Experian Parkway P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 888-397-3742 www.experian.com TransUnion P.O. Box 4000 Chester, PA 19022 866-887-2673 www.transunion.com For more information on credit visit Fair Isaac's(They created the credit score) site www.myFICO.com ~Danke Schoen MrDankeSchoen@yahoo.com
10. Credit Score Myths Explained http://www.debt-loan-refinance-mortgage-credit.com/category/Credit-Score-Myths-Explained.html How to Clean Up Credit Report http://www.debt-loan-refinance-mortgage-credit.com/category/How-to-Clean-Up-Credit-Report.html Step-by-Step Credit Repair Guide http://www.debt-loan-refinance-mortgage-credit.com/category/Step-by-Step-Credit-Repair-Guide.html
11. I had some luck with this website. My score went up about 50 points in a little over 2 months. http://www.webcredithelp.com