This resource is an ongoing public service of ScottSecor.com / Inspiredfinancing.net and Mortgage & Investment Consultants of Ramsey, MN.  The information contained within this website has been compiled over the past few years by myself (Scott Secor) at first out of curiosity, then as a labor of love.  However, I need to continuously remind people that this website is merely information, and must never be construed as legal advice.

Early in my mortgage lending career, I recognized specific patterns in the manner in which credit reporting agencies expressed a consumer's credit history.  I found this very curious.  Most notably was the discovery of traits common to those with exceptionally high credit scores (in the high 700s and 800s).  This greatly piqued my interest (no pun intended), so I began to dig deeper.

There were also recognizable patterns which developed in the credit reports of those whose scores ranged below 500 to well above 600.  I also observed a few isolated examples of glaring inconsistencies in the manner in which the credit scoring algorithms seemed to work (or not work).  Once I began asking questions that no one seemed able to answer, I became a student of the inner workings of credit reporting systems -- the "mechanics" of credit, if you will.

Sadly, there is no definitive reference from which one might learn about these things. The only way is to pour over thousands of credit reports, study the patterns, study the anomalies, study the causes and effects, study the empirical data ... study, study, study ... as I have!  My independent efforts have provided an education that is not available anywhere, at any price.

I asked questions -- lots of questions.  I questioned employees of Fair, Isaac, and Company, as well as representatives of various credit reporting agencies.  Some were answered quickly and succinctly, while others have never been answered to my satisfaction.  The closer that a question came to revealing a potential "Trade Secret" of Fair, Isaac, and Company, the more likely the question will go unanswered.  Feel free to develop your own conspiracy theories, since credit reporting is a hugely profitable multi-billion dollar industry.  Therein lies the rub.

Why do I continue to ask probing questions?  Because it helps my borrowers in so many ways.  By working closely with a customer for weeks or months at a time; I am able to secure a lower interest rate or achieve better payment terms for the borrower.  That can be expressed in smaller mortgage payments or it can enable the borrower to qualify for a larger home -- or both.  The savings is often expressed in tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

Some people in my business think that I am a little crazy to spend as much time as I do helping improve a borrower's credit score.  That does not bother me at all.  I am very patient and caring.  Besides, I get a huge emotional reward every time I close a loan that lowers a borrower's monthly obligations or puts them into a home that they thought they could never afford.

No.  I don't routinely overstate incomes and assets, inflate property values, or hold celebrations; as is the custom of the arrogant backers of the American nightmare and other predatory lenders of their ilk.  (NOTE: It isn't slanderous, when it's backed by facts.)  The lender in question has been recently barred from doing business in a couple of States and has paid out or escrowed hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and restitution.

I, on the other hand, help set my customers on the path toward dramatically improved credit and a better life.  Others in my business have a great deal to learn.  After all, it is not about the money.  It's all about the customer!  I apply that same philosophy in my duties as a Realtor^?.

With a little encouragement and direction from yours truly, it is not unusual for a borrower to add 20 to 50 points to their credit scores within a few weeks of our initial meeting.  I provide this beneficial service free of charge to borrowers who need to overcome some of life's little setbacks.  Please download "Stupid Credit Tricks" (with apologies to David Letterman) for a few clever ideas that I use to improve a customer's credit rating -- whether they possess credit scores below 600 or upward of 800.

Legitimate credit repair services often take months -- along with a great deal of effort and patience on the part of the prospective borrower.  If you wish to speed things along, I can recommend some excellent debt settlement and credit restoration organizations who have long histories of successful performance and satisfied customers.  Money to pay off significant portions of debt is essential if you wish to pursue this route, however.  In some cases it may only cost a few hundred dollars.  In others, it could cost thousands.  In any case, the effort will repay you tenfold in better interest rates and terms.

However, if you prefer to "do it yourself", I provide website visitors some essential guidance and several excellent tools with which you can "D-I-Y".  (I provide a great deal more guidance in person.)

May I suggest that you visit the Credit Repair page for a few great ideas?  Some will find it useful to visit the Credit Card page for carefully pre-screened secured and unsecured credit card offers that can help repair, build, or expand a person's credit.  Please allow me help you to take charge of your future!

NOTE:  Many "credit counseling" and most "credit repair" organizations should be avoided!  Many credit repair offers are either outright scams or enticements for the unwary to break the law.  Likewise, consumer credit counseling services (CCCS) can impact your future borrowing abilities as severely as does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy!  Such services usually have the most compelling television and radio commercials.  Their offers sound too good to be true.  That's because they usually are!  More often than not, these credit counseling services are nothing more than tools of major credit card companies used solely to dodge the fairness of bankruptcy laws.  I have exposed CCCS for the what it really is in my newsletters.  CCCS is a poor alternative to bankruptcy.  I will gladly assist you in avoiding these and other potentially dangerous pitfalls, if you allow me to help you.