DIY Credit Repair: Step 2
Once you have the credit reports it’s time for a complete review of all the reports to determine what errors or issues need to be addressed. The best way to start is by making a list. I recommend excel if you have access to it.
List each item, first column showing which bureau you took the information from, second column showing the creditor, next column listing the amount of owed and the last column any notes on the status of the account. Once you have all the information entered from all the bureaus do a sort on the second column and this will organize the information such that all of the creditor's information will be grouped together making comparisons between the different bureaus easier.
If you don’t have access to excel you can do this manually. I’ve attached a word document that you can use to list your accounts. Click here for the worksheet. Just start with one credit bureau report. Take the first item and then look through the other two reports to see if it’s being reported by those other bureaus. If it is, list the information together with the first and continue with the next item until you have grouped all the same accounts. You may find that some accounts are not listed in all the reports. The point of this exercise is now you have an organized listing of all creditors and what information is listed by each bureau.