Common Credit Issues
These are some of the most common credit issues, what they mean and how they can impact your vehicle buying process. No need to worry. The credit experts at Express Auto have years of experience helping people with credit issues get approved for a vehicle that they can afford and will help rebuild their credit score. At Express Auto we understand that sometimes good people get in bad situations and sometimes things that impact your credit score are out of your control. You can trust that we will do everything we can to help you get approved and driving today.
When you're a first time car buyer, chances are you have no revolving or installment credit history. This means you typically don't have a credit bureau score, which can make it difficult to get approved for an auto loan. Express Auto has tons of experience working with first time car buyers and can help you get approved.
If a person has had a previous repossession, voluntary or in-voluntary, lenders will require that the repossession have occurred at least two years prior to the application for a loan. Even if you are still within that two year period the credit experts at Express Auto may be able to help you. Contact us today to discuss your options on getting approved after a repossession.
Foreclosure stays on your credit report for seven years. You can expect to see up to a 300 point decrease in your credit score, depending on what other negative information may already be there. While the decrease isn't permanent, it can affect how lenders see you're reliability. Express Auto is a subprime finance lender and can help you get approved despite your foreclosure. We'll do everything we can to get you on the road with a vehicle you'll love and can afford.
When you stop paying your bills for long enough, companies don't have time or resources to chase after their money. Often they will charge off or sell the debt to a collection agency. The agency will then try to collect the money you owe. Debt collectors will call and send letters. Having a debt sent to collections can affect your credit score negatively. A lender may turn you down for a loan because you have bills in collections. We encourage you get your debts in collections paid off. We understand that some things may be out of your control. At Express Auto we work with people with all types of credit and are experts at helping people, regardless of their credit situation. We are ready to help you get approved.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidation debt that takes three to four months from the filing date to discharge. We help you get financing despite having gone through this type of bankruptcy.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is also called a wage earner's plan. This type of bankruptcy is a re-organization of debts usually between one, three and five year terms. Learn more about how to get approved for an auto loan despite filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.
Multiple Bankruptcies is when a person has one or more bankruptcies that have been filed and or discharged, either Chapter 7 and/or Chapter 13. There is still hope that we can help get you approved!
Build Your Score With Good Habits
Building a good credit score takes time, probably at least six months of on-time payments.
Practice these good credit habits to build your score and show that you're creditworthy:
- Make 100% of your payments on time, not only with credit accounts but also with other accounts, such as utility bills. Bills that go unpaid may be sold to a collection agency, which will seriously hurt your credit.
- Keep your credit utilization low - utilization is your balance when compared to your limit. We recommend paying in full each month, but if do you carry a balance don't let it exceed 30% of your credit limit.
- Avoid opening too many new accounts at once; new accounts lower your average account age, which makes up part of your credit score.
- Keep accounts open for as long as possible. Unless one of your unused cards has an annual fee, you should keep them all open and active for the sake of your length of payment history and credit utilization.
- Check each of your credit reports annually for errors and discrepancies.