Archive for September 7th, 2009

Bad Credit Repair Industry in the Recession

We can read from the newspapers and even see the news on the TV, the news about the economy is just rotten. We’ve gone through the credit crunch and that hasn’t let up, we now have to contend with a recession that many experts are calling “the one we remember”. The department of labor has just published a report recently that stated that 2 million people have lost their jobs since last year. Another 4 million are set to see their jobs too before the economy returns to normal and this could be anywhere from 5 to 10 years.

One of the most obvious knock-on effects of the slow economy and the credit crunch leading to it is that the availability of bad credit loans has all but dried up. Another consequence is that many people are finding that their credit rating has actually dropped when compared to before the recession. This can be explained by a few things, namely credit limits have fallen dramatically as financial institutions tighten their belts. This combined with customers holding onto more debt for a longer time all leads to a less healthy credit score card.

The thing is, it is actually a boom time for companies that want to cash in on the bad credit repair industry. The number of Americans who have dropped into the category of having a “bad credit score” has increased substantially. Initial reports suggest that the number now sits at a very respectable 70 million people who have a bad credit history that needs bad credit repair services. This is set to rise quite dramatically as more people receive bad credit reports. It is because of this that this sunshine industry is one of the hottest places to start a business in now.

The strange thing is that there hasn’t been the large flock of entrepreneurs setting up shop to take part in this increase in bad credit repair demand. We took a look at the department of statistics figures on license applications and we found no meaningful difference between the numbers of new licenses now compared to a year ago. It is because of this that we can say that the market is indeed very open for new entrepreneurs. Just to add more spice to the pot, the money is also very good. The average bad credit repair case will cost the client anywhere from $800-$1200 and you can even charge a whopping $2000 is the case is particularly bad or complicated.

With just a changes and automation you can easily handle double the amount of cases per month. Automation enablers like websites, automated answering machines, emailed forms etc can all add up to very significant time savings so your team of workers and managers can put their time to better use. These investment items for automation however do cost quite a bit and it required entrepreneurs with some foresight to actually be willing to put the money down. There are a huge number of process improvement kits available that can help handle clients and paper-flow much better than if done manually. This is generally where the shortfall of new bad credit repair businesses comes in, the lack of foresight to invest in process improvement measures to build capacity.

In terms of marketing we feel that many entrepreneurs fail to recognize the benefits of traditional advertising channels like the radio, newspaper or even direct mailing. Research has shown that people often turn to classic media to search for things that are important. Bad credit repair certainly classifies itself as important and you’d be surprised the number of people looking for these services in traditional media. On average the cost of sale using traditional media advertising and marketing is about $200 per client. This means anything on top of that you will earn. As a gauge of how successful your campaign is, the average lead generation ratio is about 2-4%.

As with any service industry, the relationship that you build with your client is very important. When you are scaling up your business you must never forget to have that personal touch with your clients. Often times that is the only thing that will set you apart from other cold large institutionalized bad credit repair providers. Current customers are much better for selling “upstream” as there is a high chance that they will also need other financial services or professional advice. Smart business operators will cultivate a good standing long term relationship with associated businesses that can provide referral business. These related businesses include lawyers, bankers, brokers, real estate agents and other professionals who can refer their customers to you.

The bad credit repair industry is awash with new demand that we think will not taper off anytime soon. The trend is for people to get their credit rating into progressively worst state over time. This means and ever increasing number of clients for your. The demand was heightened significantly by the current recession and only shows the future potential of the industry. We feel that investing in the credit repair business is a very wise move that any entrepreneur should seriously consider.

Simple bad credit repair solutions for those that do not have the benefit of a professional to help. Simple tips and tricks so you can get your bad credit score back to normal.

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Do You Understand the Impact of Your Debt on Your Mortgage?

The debt ratio is one of the most important things a lender will look at when reviewing a mortgage application. The debt ratio is basically a comparison between the amounts of debt a person has compared with their net income. Luckily, the debt ratio is one of the quicker ways to make adjustments before applying for a loan and is definitely something a potential homebuyer should consider when shopping for mortgage instruments.

While the formulas for determining debt ratio vary with the lender, finding that there is 30% more income than debt is generally desired. The perfect loan candidate wants to only thirty to forty percent of the net income tied up in outstanding debt. A high debt to income ratio means it would be unwise to add a mortgage payment to the list. The debt to income ratio is also used in determining how large a loan the lender will make and the monthly payment.

The formula for calculating debt ratio is fairly simple: take one third of the net income, and subtract the amount of outstanding debt. So if an applicant has a net income of $6000 and no debt then lenders see that $2000 is available for a mortgage payment ($6,000 3 = $2,000 – $0 debt = $2,000). However, with a net income of $6000 and outstanding debt of $2000 then it is clear to the lender there is no money for a mortgage payment ($6,000 3 = $2,000 – $2,000 debt = $0). It might seem that an income of $6000 a month with only $2000 in outstanding debt is not a problem, but even though each lender has a unique formula this debt to income ratio would not be a positive thing.

The debt ratio is not the only factor taken into account when determining an applicants ability to make mortgage payments or what those payments should be each month. Making a large equity investment, or down payment, usually has a direct bearing on what ones monthly payments will be. The same is true if the borrower has significant semi-liquid assets besides his regular monthly income, such as a large stock portfolio or retirement plan. These and other factors can offset a less than ideal debt ratio. Nevertheless, the applicants debt ratio is one of the key factors that most mortgage lenders will look at.

The key advantage relating to the importance of the debt ratio to the prospective home buyer is that this is a determinant that can be adjusted before applying for a mortgage. By paying off debt before applying for a mortgage, the potential borrower can significantly improve his chances of getting approved at reasonable terms.

Wendy Polisi is the founder of Credit Repair College and Finance the Dream. Credit Repair College empowers people to take control of their financial future by learning everything they need to know to repair credit on their own. For more information on credit repair please visit them on the web. Finance the Dream offers rent to own houses throughout the United States.

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Getting a Free Credit Debt Solution

If you find yourself in a great deal of credit card debt, the last thing you will want to do, is spend money on a credit debt solution.

Fortunately there are steps that you can take to get rid of your debt. The first and biggest is a change in the way you do your planning and budget.

If you really want to make a difference in your life, so that you are not only dealing with the credit card debt that you have now, but also ensuring that you are not going to get back in the same hole in the future, then you are going to need to get your credit debt solution the right way.

How to do it

First you want to take a really close look at just where all your money went. It is definitely much easier to spend money on a credit card and get caught behind because it is basically like using money that you dont even have.

There are some occasions on which you would need to use a credit card such as if you were to rent a car for a day, but the problem is that most people end up maxing out their card on unnecessary things, like trips to the corner store and for gas.

Your planning and budgeting should include these small items so that you do not have to buy them on your credit card.

There are credit card debt reduction software available that you can download for free. The software will show you how to put money away so you can pay off your credit card and will also help you with your budget.

You can also find a lot of really god credit debt solution tools and calculators for Microsoft Excel and this will make a solution so much easier.

Frank Stevens writes How To Fix My Debt, a blog that review and recommend the best and quickest way out of debt, for those that find themselves inf debt. Visit Johns blog if you are seeking for a credit debt solution.

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