Broadly defined, consumer credit is any form of loan provided to individuals in order to buy consumer goods. Most people living in Brookings, Oregon deal with at least one form of consumer credit every day: credit cards. In fact, credit cards are one of the biggest sources of consumer debt in the United States.

Why can't I Get Credit in Brookings, Oregon?

If you're having trouble getting credit in Brookings, Oregon the most likely reason is that you have no credit history, or a bad credit score. In Brookings, Oregon, private companies called "credit bureaus" collect a person's credit score using all available information about their finances, including their debt-to-credit ratio, records of evictions, and late payments. All of this information is fed into complex mathematical equations that calculate a numerical score. Precisely how these scores are calculated is known to very few people, since the formulas used are tightly-guarded trade secrets.

Under U.S. law, you are legally entitled to one free credit report per year. This allows you to perform a simple financial check-up, to see what's affecting your credit, and to report any incorrect information contained in your report. There are countless websites that provide easy access to this information, but most of them require registration with a credit card. Once you view your free report, they will begin charging you a monthly fee unless you opt out. Some of them make this challenging by requiring that you cancel your membership by phone, rather than letting you do it online.

How Can I Improve My Credit Score in Brookings, Oregon?

To make your credit rating better, there are a few simple things you can do. First of all, you should check your report for mistakes and report them to the credit bureau to be corrected. Also, you should show that you are willing to use credit, but able to do so responsibly. For example, using a credit card for a few modest purchases per week in Brookings, then paying the entire amount at the end of the month.

Because credit reports are meant to be used by possible lenders to determine somebody's risk as a borrower, showing that you always (or close to it) pay your debts in a timely manner is the best way to improve your credit score, and to keep it high.

How Can a Brookings, Oregon Lawyer Help?

A good Attorney who practices consumer bankruptcy or other financial practice areas in Brookings, Oregon can be extremely helpful in resolving consumer debt issues. These issues can be very complex, and an Lawyer can make it much easier to navigate them.