HOW TO CLEAN UP YOUR CREDIT REPORT Published May 26, 1997 Other Columns by Beth Kobliner Web Resources: Bank Rate Monitor: Offers a list of credit card fees and rates, as well as tips on cutting debt and rebuilding credit. Credit Crossroads: Free resources include a Credit Repair Kit, as well as info on everything from applying for cards to declaring bankruptcy. CardRate$: Use calculators and comparison shop to use credit more wisely.

Somewhere out there, even as you read this, someone is keeping tabs on your financial behavior — how you pay your bills, how many credit cards you have, and so forth. That information is called your credit report, and lenders use it to decide whether they should trust you with their money; if you have misbehaved in the past, you may have trouble getting credit. Don't waste your money on sleazy firms that promise to "fix" bad credit reports. Most of the time, their tricks don't work; you'll end up paying hundreds of dollars and you'll be no better off than when you started. Your best bet is simply to improve your behavior and wait it out; lenders generally look at your behavior in the last two years or so when evaluating your creditworthiness. If you want to see what's on your report, contact the nation's largest credit agency, TRW (1-800-392-1122); they'll send you a copy of your report for a very low fee (between $2 and $8, depending on which state you live in). Beth Kobliner is the author of "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties," published by Simon & Schuster in May. In 1994 and 1995, Kobliner was selected by TJFR Business News Reporter as one of the country's most promising financial journalists under the age of 30. Kobliner is currently a contributing writer for MONEY magazine and is a regular commentator on MPR's "Sound Money." She lives in New York City with her husband and their daughter. © 1997 Beth Kobliner, all rights reserved.