If you are applying for a credit card, loan or mortgage you may need to take a look at your credit score first so as to avoid embarrassment and failure. You’re able to get a free credit rating on the net over at they are very professional, and they have been advertised on the television.

Your score is made up of items that are currently on your credit report. If they are in dispute they will show in dispute, but are not counted in your FICO. So while the dispute did not directly lower your score, because that entire item is not considered it did indirectly effect it. Once your dispute is resolved your score will be based on the current items. Because your score is made up of several factors removing negative items may increase your score, cause it not to change at all, or may actually lower your score.

For example: If you have a 30 day late 4 years ago on a paid off car loan. The fact that it was paid off is helping your score much more than the negative item was hurting it. But if you dispute the 30 day late to try and raise your score, the company may not verify it because the account is closed. If this happens the entire credit line is removed instead of just the 30 day late payment. So you loose all of the positive history along with the little bit of negative. Once it is removed you can’t get it put back. So while it is your right to dispute negative items, you just have to realize that not all negative items are actually damaging your score as much as you think.