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| IS IT ETHICAL TO TRY TO REMOVE LEGITIMATE BAD CREDIT? |
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READ THE ARTICLE BELOW WRITTEN BY JAYSON ORVIS, ATTORNEY AT LAW AND GAIN YOUR OWN OPINION
Credit Repair" has not been kind to the American consumer. In fact, the
phrase is synonymous with fraud. This is the stigma we face as we offer a
membership wherein the client is offered an alternative to "credit prison."
Because the nasty reputation of credit repair sometimes washes over into our
space, we are often called upon to defend the ethics of our service.
Despite the disrepute which taints credit improvement, our service is
clearly analogous to the service provided by a defense attorney. The credit
report is no more than an allegation. Unfortunately, most citizens never
challenge that allegation. By enlisting the Law Offices through N.A.C.A. to
their defense, our clients employ us to enter a plea of "not guilty." We take an
affirmative defense; we offer a reasonable alibi and leave it to the bureaus to
substantiate their allegation. If the bureau claims to have investigated and
affirmed the allegation, we appeal the decision. Eventually, we find that most
credit report allegations are at some point untenable and are removed.
Removing record of a negative credit account, which did actually exist, is
undoubtedly ethically sound. We belong to a fundamentally capitalistic
civilization and the credit bureaus capitalize on consumer information. Unlike
our legal system, the bureaus take no oath to truth, equity and the common
good. No American has the moral obligation to support any business venture or
corporation, much less a corporation which may well destroy their financial
life. The information tended by the credit bureaus is ethically "up for grabs."
The credit bureaus would maintain every piece of credit information
forever if it weren't for federal law which has directed them to remove most
items after seven years. In essence, the credit bureaus themselves practice credit
repair, basically at the seven year mark. If it is right to remove accurate credit
accounts after seven years, why would it be wrong to do so in less time?
In relationship to the consumer, the credit bureaus do not concern
themselves with the impact of the information. This information often
misrepresents the credit worthiness of the consumer. By tagging good citizens
as "deadbeats" the bureaus damage the creditors, the economy and, most
importantly, the individual. Several policies and techniques employed by the
credit bureaus appear most abusive to the American consumer; these we cite as
justification of our opposition to the present credit reporting system.
Seven years (10 years for bankruptcy and some court accounts) credit
bondage punishes the debtor unjustly. At no point have the credit bureaus ever
conducted a study determining seven years to be the point of deadbeat
rejuvenation. The seven year mark is entirely arbitrarily. In fact, Dr. Bonnie
Gution, adviser to President Bush on consumer affairs, remarked, "...it is our
understanding that computer models that predict credit worthiness find most
information that is more than two years old nonessential." Based on experience
with our clientele, seven years is truly too long. Within a year or two, most
consumers completely recover from an economic crisis. For the remaining five
or six years, they are left hobbled---forced to rent homes, pay outrageous
interest on high risk auto loans, forgo the convenience of credit cards and pay
cash for every expenditure. By expelling the consumer from the credit loop, the
economy suffers. Our clients come to us on the financial upswing. If they can
afford our membership, they are most likely on the way back to financial
abundance. These are consumers fully recovered from crisis, re-engaged to
financial responsibility and anxious to reenter the credit economy. For them, we
offer a deserved parole from the credit prison which they entered as their
financial world fell apart.
The credit bureaus have not been able to maintain reasonable accuracy in
their credit profiles. The bureaus claim an error ratio under 1 percent. In reality,
studies conducted by neutral third parties have determined the credit report
error ratio to be closer to 40 percent. Unfortunately for the consumer, the credit
bureaus choose to err on the side of negative information. As our clients' files
have passed through our offices, we have noticed a high incidence of file
mergers---the worst kind of file error. In a file merger, the credit of another
person with a similar name is spread onto the file of the innocent bystander.
Oddly, the credit bureaus fiercely resist correction of these obvious errors. We
have found the only way to prompt them to revision is through a lawsuit.
Credit reporting makes up only a small portion of the revenue which the
bureaus claim each year. The databases really pay off in the sales of
information. From generic target marketing lists to invasive personal
investigative inquires, the bureaus cull a pool of information larger than any in
the civilized world. The end loser is the consumer who values his privacy. The
horror stories keep coming about individuals whose jobs have been lost,
insurance cancelled, reputation ruined by sloppy collection and dissemination
of personal information. This does not include the mass irritation experienced
by consumers forced to wade through the reams of junk mail. Privacy is a thing
of the past---and the blame can be firmly placed on the credit bureaus.
America is not the only country in the world whose economy utilizes
consumer credit. Other countries, such as Great Britain, extend credit based on
the individual's present credit standing. a grand-scale revision of the credit
reporting system in the United States would not throw our economy into chaos
and distress. Until that day, we should feel comfortable that the removal of
negative credit accounts before the seven year mark isn't unpatriotic, it's not
unfair and it's not unethical. |
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Turn-Key Solutions operates under the parent corporation Turn-Key Credit Solutions, LLC. |
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