Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered bad credit?
​Bad credit is a result of negative credit history (late payments, collections, charge-offs, foreclosures, liens, judgments, and bankruptcies. Identity theft can also cause bad credit when thieves open new credit accounts in your name or make charges to existing accounts. It’s typically characterized by negative accounts listed on your credit reports. Your credit score is calculated from the data on your credit report, good and bad. Any score under 600 is generally considered bad. This is based on a credit score range for which 850 ranks the highest and 300 ranks the lowest (for FICO and VantageScore 3.0 models). 
What is the effect of bad credit?
Bad credit can result in:
  • Great difficulty obtaining new credit
  • Higher interest rates and deposits if you are approved for credit
  • Higher deposits on car rentals
  • Higher auto insurance premiums
  • Difficulty qualifying for a house or apartment rental
  • Difficulty qualifying for a job where a credit check is required
Is Credit Repair Legal?
​Yes!  The Credit Repair Organizations Act allows credit repair companies to assist clients in removing inaccurate, outdated and unverifiable items on their credit reports.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to challenge any account that is on your credit report. Did you know more 70% of consumers have errors on their credit reports? Gibbs Financial Fitness works diligently to help you improve your credit file through our credit knowledge and strategy.
How does credit repair work?
​The credit repair process includes:
  • Sending dispute letters to credit bureaus, original creditors, and/or collectors
  • Requesting debt validation for collections within 30 days of the initial collection notice
  • Using the pay for delete method to settle old debts that cannot be resolved via credit dispute or debt validation
  • Paying off high credit card balances
  • Building positive credit history
What all can you remove?
  • Charge-offs
  • Collections
  • Liens
  • Bankruptcies
  • Identity Theft
  • Judgments 
  • Evictions
  • Repossessions
  • Medical bills
  • Late payments
  • And more
How long will the process take?
​The credit repair process is not an overnight process, and the actual time depends on your individual credit file. From our experience, on average the process takes 3-6 months. We will repair your credit as quickly as the law allows so that you can meet your goals.  This is not to say that all disputed items will be deleted in 3-6 months.  Due to CROA, we cannot guarantee deletions or score increases.  This is just the time frame clients typically stay in our program.  We will use every advanced dispute tactic to make sure you receive the best results.
What if the negative item is removed but the creditor or debt collector contacts me for payment?
​We will request that they provide you with all the proper documentation proving that you owe the debt. If they provide the necessary documentation, we will show you how to initiate a discounted settlement offer for the debt.
​When will I start seeing results?
​Per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) have 45 business days to respond to the disputes. You could start seeing results in 30-45 days.
If I pay a collection, does it automatically get removed from my credit report?
​NO! One of the biggest misconceptions among customers is that paying a collection will cause the score to go up. This is not true. Paying the collection will just switch the account status from unpaid to pay. That will unlikely help your credit score.
Can I have a negative item removed off of my report if owe money to the creditor or debt collector?
Regardless if you owe the money or not, you have a right to challenge the negative item(s). Every creditor / debt collector must follow the law when adding negative or positive items on your credit report. In the event that a creditor didn't have the accurate information about your account, the negative item must be removed or updated with the proper information by law.
What is your dispute process?
​We review a tri-merge credit report and comb through it line by line to find any inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, and unverifiable information. Then, we dispute all these accounts with all three bureaus at one time.
​How can I build my credit myself?
​The simplest ways to bill credit yourself would be to pay ALL of your bills on time, keep your credit usage under 20%, avoid doing too much credit applications, have a mixture of credit: (mortgage, auto loan, student loans, a couple credit cards). If you have a lack of credit history, I recommend you check out our credit building products on our website www.gibbsfinancialfitness.com/credit-building-products.html
I don’t plan on getting a house so why do I need to worry about my credit score?
​There is a misconception that a good credit score is only important for buying a house. You need good credit for a number of things. If you need a security clearance for your job, you must have good credit. Many other employers are using your credit score too to determine how responsible you are. If you are looking to rent an apartment, you need good credit. To get a decent insurance rate on your car, you need decent credit.
HOW MANY POINTS WILL MY SCORE GO UP?
​To be real with you, there is no possible way we could tell you on that. The credit bureaus have their own formulas to determine what your score will be. Also, your credit scores are made up of 5 components: Payment history (35%), Outstanding Debt (30%), Age of Credit history (15%), Inquiries (10%), and Types of Credit (10%).