Thumbs Down: No Credit "Fix"

Do-It-Yourself Credit File CorrectionGuide

Watch out—many scam operatorsclaiming they can repairyour credit history actually just takeyour money. According to the Instituteof Consumer Financial Education,there's nothing a "credit repair"company can legally do for you thatyou can't do for yourself for much lessmoney. Since a 1997 law shifted theburden of proof concerning credit-reporterrors from the consumer tothe credit bureau, do-it-yourself credit-report correction has become a lotsimpler. For help, get the institute's ($10; 619-239-1401; www.financial-education-icfe.org), which hasadvice on how to read your creditreport and sample letters that youcan use to notify the credit bureau ofany errors that you find.