Your credit report is what financial institutions use to get a window into your past and your present financial situations. If you are currently suffering through bad credit rating due to a job loss or any other unfortunate situations, there are ways you can re-establish your credit worthiness and start over.

The first step to raising your credit score is getting a copy of your free triple score report. Once you have copy of your report, it is important to examine your report thoroughly for mistakes. You should never assume that you report is accurate. You will be surprised at the amount of mistakes on your report. Some of the most common errors may include: reporting late payments erroneously, listing the same negative account multiple times, and reporting a family member’s account on your bureau. The best way to deal with mistakes on your report is to consult with a credit attorney.

Step number two in re-establishing your credit rating includes adding some good accounts to your 3 credit bureau report. It doesn’t matter how many negative items are removed, your score will not improve unless you re-establish some positive relationships with creditors.

One solution to establishing new credit is obtaining a secured card. These companies allow you to put a deposit into a savings account and they will give you a credit card with the same amount as your initial deposit. Characteristics of reputable secured card companies are: they offer a little 25% higher limit on your deposit, they increase your limit every 3 months, they report to all 3 credit bureaus, and they do not disclose your credit cards as a secured to the credit reporting agencies.

Step number three is a little technique that is rumored to soon be obsolete but for now still works. This technique involves getting a spouse or family member to add you on their account as a co-applicant, assuming that they are paying on time. The only problem with using this technique is if they actually stop paying on their account, it will also reflect negatively on your credit report.

The last step is discipline. Making timely payments consistently is very important to improving your score with the bureaus. The most important thing that creditors look at when considering credit is your current payment history. The current status of your payments reflects huge in the eyes of creditors.

The magic number for a complete redemption of a bad credit history is 2 years. Two years represents great discipline and a restored financial standing. If you continuously make on time payments for 24 months, the credit report agencies will reward you with an increase in points for every month of good payments.

Getting your credit worthiness back is important in taking control of your finances. The road back must include getting a copy of your report, establishing new accounts, and adding discipline to your bill payments. Once you have completed this process, you may want to consider adding a fifth step; adding identity protection to secure your new found credit worthiness.

For additional information on how to order credit report you can visit how to improve your credit score.