If you have a bad credit score, there are some things you could do to improve it. No matter what you’ve done to end up with a bad credit score, here are some things that might help:
Examine your credit score report for mistakes
This is probably the first thing you need to do in order to improve your credit score. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says as many as one in five Americans has an error in their report — and at least 5 percent of us are suffering from a lower score or higher interest rates because of it.
Bottom line: Get your free report from AnnualCreditReport.com and go through it with a fine-tooth comb. See something wrong? Open a dispute with the credit bureau.