The Aftermath Of A Poor Credit History Word Count: 528 Summary: If you've been running a little behind on your bill payments or find that you're spending a bit more than you originally planned with your credit cards, you may find that your credit history is catching up with you. Assuming you've managed to nip the problem in the bud and are slowly getting your finances back on track, there's always that uncomfortable moment when your previous credit record can crop up. Now, this might not cripple you. But until you can prove that you're we... Keywords: secured loans, loans, bad credit loans Article Body: If you've been running a little behind on your bill payments or find that you're spending a bit more than you originally planned with your credit cards, you may find that your credit history is catching up with you. Assuming you've managed to nip the problem in the bud and are slowly getting your finances back on track, there's always that uncomfortable moment when your previous credit record can crop up. Now, this might not cripple you. But until you can prove that you're well on your way to paying up on time it can certainly cause enough hassle to warrant finding out how to get rid of. The good news is, even if you do have a less than sparkling record, you should still have enough opportunities to clear your name and get back on track for having no problem applying for credit cards in the future. Before you can start improving your record, though, you'll need to get rid of the debts that are pulling it down. A poor credit history is there for a reason, and it won't improve until you pay off the debts that dragged you there in the first place. Think of it as a scale where your overdue bills, repayments and so on are slowly pushing further as time drags on. Get rid of the debt, and you reduce the load you'll have to lift each month as well as showing that you're taking action to potential creditors. Minimum repayments can be a major drain on your credit history if you keep failing to meet them, which would only make your situation worse. Make an effort to get in contact with each creditor you've missed payments for to talk about what you can do about it, but do pay your other bills on time. There are enough ways of trying to cut out the late payments that you'll find one (or more) that will work for you, but until you've paid them all off, there's still that blemish on your record. If you've got a bad credit history, you're a potential liability to anyone who wants to lend you money. What can you do about that? Voluntarily lowering your credit limit can work wonders. If your available credit is already low then creditors won't necessarily have too much to quarrel about loaning you money, and tidying up all the itty-bitty payments. Again, talk to your creditor directly about ways of doing this, as they're often more than happy to offer advice on ways of getting their money back. This is a highly recommended step as having few payments to make every month, even if they are slightly larger, generally looks better on your credit history. Why? It shows you can manage your money and debts better than someone who owes the same amount, pays the same per month, but has it spread over twice the number of creditors. If you're proactive in clearing your credit history then it works wonders. Recovering from a spurt of overdue bills that have tarnished your credit record is by no means impossible. So get out there and show them that you're worthy of that loan!