Financial News & Information.

If you have a tax lien on your credit report, you should take immediate action to remove it. This is a very bad mark and will lower your score considerably.

The first step is to request validation from the bureaus. This is done through sending a dispute letter directly to each.

It is not uncommon for wrong information to be reported on your report. This is because mistakes do happen and it is as easy as dialing a wrong phone number.

Once your letter is received an investigation will occur. The bureaus will contact the government and ask them to verify your debt. If it is verified you are going to have to make payment to remove it from your report.

It may be in your best interest to talk with a tax negotiator to work out a settlement with the government. You can often pay a reduced amount, and once paid you can remove it from your report.

A tax lien can be collected upon for 10 years, and will stay on your report for 7 years once it is paid. If not paid then you can be reporting a tax lien on your report for a considerable amount of time.

Upon payment you should wait around 3 months and then send another dispute letter to the bureaus asking for validation. We have learned that once the government has received payment they often will ignore a bureaus request for validation.

This means your tax lien will not be verified and the bureau will erase it from your report. However if this mark is incorrect to start with you can demand proof that the account is yours, and send any documentation you have to prove your side.

Repayment

The state and federal government are willing to negotiate and settle on a reduced payment. It is called an OIC (offer in compromise), this just means that the government is accepting partial payment.

The government will look at; your ability to repay, your income, your assets, and what they expect to recover. Additionally it will help your chances of acceptance, if you attach a letter showing financial hardship.

It may be in your interest to hire a tax negotiator to help with this. However you do not have to just live with this mark on your report.

In sum, take action today and get this lien off your report. It will be hard to be approved for credit with decent terms as long as this mark is on your credit. Don’t just wait seven years.

The Orchard Bank card is issued by HSBC Bank, one of the largest and most reputable banks. This card is designed for those with a damaged credit score.

They have a unique application process. They will match your credit score with the four cards they offer.

This includes a secured card and three unsecured credit cards. If you have made some mistakes in the past with your credit then you are guaranteed to be issued a card that corresponds to your credit score.

If you have a very damaged credit history then you will be approved for the secured card. With this card you make a deposit and you are issued a credit card with a corresponding credit limit.

This card is just like an unsecured card because you will still have to make monthly payments and have due dates. You will have an APR between 8.9% and 14.9%, which is low compared to the other bad credit cards.

If you have limited damage to your credit score then you will be approved for an unsecured card. If you want to have the secured card instead you can still be issued that card.

The unsecured cards will have some fees like a 19$ account set up fee with one of the cards. These cards also carry an APR between 8.9% and 18.9%.

The fees that come with the Orchard Bank cards are much less than any other bad credit credit cards. In addition they offer much lower interest rates too.

All of these cards will report to the three major credit bureaus. With responsible use of your card you can build a positive payment history on your credit report.

This is very important to your credit score. It is estimated 30% of your credit score comes from your payment history.

Also your ratio of debt to available credit will improve. This ratio is a way for the bureaus to see if an individual is in over their head. It carries considerable weight when your credit score is being calculated.

You should know that once a bad credit item on your report ages four years it will have much less influence on your score. However we do still encourage you to remove bad credit items from your report.

In sum if you need a second chance with credit we do suggest the Orchard Bank credit cards. They have helped over 2 million people, and used responsibly can improve your score substantially.