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A |
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| Account
Review |
A consumer's credit
history is reviewed by a creditor |
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| Annual
Fee |
A yearly fee the lender
charges to maintain an account |
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| Annual
Percentage Rate (APR) |
Yearly rate of the cost
of credit. Comparison of loans can be done effectively
with knowledge of the APR, even when the loans are
structured differently. |
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| Asset |
Any possession or holding
that has a monetary value or use. Jewelry, real estate,
cars, and stocks and bonds are regarded as assets. |
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B |
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Bankruptcy |
Two types apply to
consumers:
Chapter 7: one's unprotected assets
are sold and disbursed to pay creditors in a court
proceeding
Chapter 13: an extended time is
allowed to the debtor to repay all or part of his/her
debts. The debtor is permitted to keep his assets.
The court orders foreclosures,
garnishments, repossessions, utility cut-offs and debt
collection activities to cease once a bankruptcy has
been filed. |
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C |
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Collateral |
Acceptable assets used as
security for a loan or other obligation |
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| Consumer
Debt |
Debt incurred by items
that are not considered tangible investments. Examples
would be car loans, credit car debt, or personal loans
made by family members. |
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| Consumer
Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) |
Usually non-profit
organizations that funded by creditors. They assist
consumers with ways to repay debt by helping them manage
funds and budgeting their finances. CCCS will many times
formulate a workable repayment plan on behalf of the
consumer by requesting a longer pay-off period from
creditors one-by-one. |
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| *Credit
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A trust or promise to buy
now and pay later under designated terms for goods or
services |
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| Credit
Bureau/Credit Reporting Agency |
Credit Bureau/Credit
Reporting Agency |
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| Credit
Fraud/Identity Theft |
A criminal offense
involving using another's personal information such as
their name or Social Security, etc. in order to acquire
credit or make purchases using the false identity.
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| Credit
History |
A record of a consumer's
past borrowing and repaying behavior. It is used as an
indication of whether or not the consumer is likely to
pay future accounts on time. |
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| Credit
Line |
The maximum amount of
credit to be extended to a consumer by a lender |
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| Credit
Repair Agencies/Credit Clinics |
Companies that work to
"repair" or "remove" a consumer's bad credit
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| *Credit
Report |
A record or file used by
a prospective lender or employer that chronicles the
credit standing of a prospective borrower. It is used to
help determine creditworthiness of the potential
borrower. |
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| Credit
Risk |
The possibility that a
consumer will or will not repay an outstanding debt in a
timely manner. |
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Creditworthiness |
A creditor's measure of a
consumer's past credit behavior from which a lender will
determine whether or not to extend credit based on the
consumer's ability and willingness to meet future debt
obligations. |
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D |
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| Debit
Card |
A card that allows
purchases to be deducted directly from a consumer's
personal checking account |
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Debt-to-Income Ratio |
The debt you owe compared
to your income |
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| Default
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The act of failing to
meet an agreed-upon financial obligation, such as
making required payments for a loan or debt on a timely
basis. |
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Delinquency (30, 60 or 90 days) |
Past-due payment on a
loan |
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Discretionary Income |
Money you have left over
when all other expenses and financial obligations have
been paid |
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Disposable Income |
Money that is left over
after taxes have been deducted |
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| Dispute
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To question the accuracy
of information on a credit report. Disputes may now be
resolved effectively by notifying Equifax online.
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E |
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| Equal
Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) |
The Equal Credit
Opportunity Act (ECOA) is a federal law that ensures
that all consumers are given an equal chance to obtain
credit without discrimination. However, this does not
mean all consumers who apply for credit get it. Factors
such as income, expenses, debt, and credit history are
taken into consideration for creditworthiness |
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| Fair
Credit Reporting Act (1971; amended in 1997)
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A federal law that
enables consumers to learn what information credit
reporting agencies have on file about them, and to
dispute errors in the file. It also specifies
permissible purposes for which credit reports may be
requested. It provides consumers with the right to
obtain a copy of their report at no charge if their have
been turned down for credit. |
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G |
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Garnishment |
The seizing of a person's
property, credit or salary, or wages on the basis of a
law whereby a creditor has obtained judged to do so in
order to pay off a debt. |
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| Grace
Period |
A period of time allowed
in order to avoid finance charges by paying off the
balance in full before the date it is due. |
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| Gross
Monthly Income |
The amount one earns
before taxes are deducted |
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H |
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| Home
Equity Loan/Equity Loan/Second Mortgage |
A loan that is based on
difference of the amount of the home's current market
value and the equity already paid on a home. The
majority of interest on a home equity loan is tax
deductible. However, if your loan is not paid, your home
may be sold in order to pay off the debt. |
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I |
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| Identity
Fraud |
A criminal offense
involving using another's personal information such as
their name or Social Security, etc. in order to acquire
credit or make purchases using the false identity.
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Installment Loan |
A credit account where
the payment amount and the number of payments are fixed
or predetermined. |
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Interest
|
A charge for lending or
borrowing money which is usually based on a percentage
of the amount borrowed or loaned |
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| Interest
Rate |
The amount a lender
charges for borrowing money. |
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L |
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| Late Fee
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A fee that is attached to
an account that is overdue in payment. |
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| Lien
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A legal claim that gives
the right to take real or personal property of a debtor
and have it be held for security or sold in order to pay
for a debt. |
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| Line of
credit |
A credit limit extended
up to a certain amount that is established by a creditor
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M |
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Mortgage
Debts
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Any loans secured by your
real estate that include first mortgages and home equity
loans, as well as second homes and investment property |
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O |
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| Open
Account |
An account that is still
being paid or currently active. |
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| Opt Out
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Limiting how much
information about you is shared with others. Examples
are opting out of insurance or credit offers that you
did not initiate. |
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Permissible Purpose |
There are specific
reasons deemed "permissible" for requesting a credit
report as defined in Section 604 of the Fair Credit
Reporting Act. Any request that does not meet this
criteria must be denied. |
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| Personal
Line of Credit |
A predetermined maximum
amount on can owe at any time which is based on personal
financial situations such as income, credit history and
debt. |
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| Principal
|
Balance of a loan that
has not been paid which is exclusive of interest and
other charges. |
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Public
Record
|
Court record which
contains information about judgments against you in
civil actions such as state or federal tax liens and
bankruptcy filings. Public records are available and
open to any person who requests them. |
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Repossession |
The act of a creditor
reclaiming possession of an item sold to you usually for
failure to pay installments that were due. |
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*Revolving Charge Account |
An account that requires
at least a specified minimum payment each month plus a
service charge on the balance. As the balance declines,
the amount of the service charge, or interest, also
declines. |
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| Revolving
Balance |
A total balance of all
revolving credit accounts |
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S |
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| Secured
Credit Card |
A credit card that is
secured by a savings account |
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| Service
Charge |
Charges applied to an
account for additional services |
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| Smart
Card |
A credit-type card that
electronically stores account information in the card
itself. It is usually a prepaid cash card and is sold at
banks and is able to be exchanged at face value.
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| Tax Lien
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A claim upon real or
personal property for the satisfaction of unclaimed
taxes |
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| Term
|
A limited period of time
in which a loan must be fully repaid. |
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3-in-1
Credit Report
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A comprehensive report
that contains information from the three major credit
reporting agencies. |
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