What To Know And How They Work?
Although everyone wants to have a perfect FICO score, sometimes life gets in the way. Through no fault of our own, such as prolonged illness or unemployment, some of us wind up with poor credit. The credit building programs that are mushrooming have likely targeted anyone you know who is in this situation. Here’s more information about these programs and the importance of reading the fine print before enrolling.
Participants in credit development programs use their on-time bill payments to raise their credit ratings, if possible. Even one of the big credit bureaus, Experian, has started its own initiative called Experian Boost.
The core pitch is straightforward. In order to strengthen their credit histories and, ideally, their scores, people are encouraged to opt in and record their payments for non-credit expenses, such as Netflix subscriptions, energy bills, rent, and mobile phone payments.
You might be wondering what the corporations stand to gain because the majority are offered free of charge. This is a murky subject, but some companies exist expressly to acquire and sell your financial and personal information. Furthermore, sharing information about your monthly payments is not always guaranteed to improve your credit score.
This does not imply that everyone should completely avoid these programs. For instance, to record tenants’ timely rent payments, the Esusu rent reporting program works directly with landlords and property managers. Esusu and Freddie Mac recently joined to help renters improve their credit scores. According to their program, renters’ ratings have increased by an average of 45 points.5
