credit rating

I am of the opinion that if a business doesn’t get the necessary business credit rating need for it to grow and get stronger, it would most certainly die.

I am sure you have heard of many people that have very great business ideas but sadly they lack the financial muscle to bring these ideas to reality. There are other kinds of people who are already in a business but need more funds to increase the business but they lack business credit. Thankfully, these days you can get business credit for starting and improving your business.

There are diverse kinds of business credits you can get. The size, nature and characteristics of your business will be the necessary factors that will determine the sort of business credit you will need.

Anyone that owns a business can now rejoice because of the many options available as regards business credits. Small business loans are the types of business credits that are best for those with small businesses. As a small business owner, you can get these sorts of loans from the banks and other private sector providers who provide loans according to your credit rating.

The marketplace for the offering of small business finance is extremely cutthroat.

That’s the major reason why every bank tries to do better than the others in terms of low interest rates and settlement.

Because of this, the chances you have for getting cheap business credit have been seriously made better. Other types of business credits are the secured and unsecured business loans, the merchant account cash advance business loan, the accounts receivable, and the commercial real estate loans, among others. Whichever kind of business loan you make a decision to take, it’s important to get as much information as possible about the various types of business credits and your credit rating.

The best place to find the highest number of business credit providers is on the Internet. What’s more, plenty of very enlightening and educative sites are online that will offer you precise information you need on business credits.

What’s more, plenty of very enlightening and educative sites are online that will offer you precise information you need on business credits and your credit rating.

I am of the opinion that if a business doesn’t get the necessary business credit need for it to grow and get stronger, it would most certainly die.

Great ideas without the right business credits don’t see the light of day. There are lots of other business people that need business finance to make their businesses blossom even more, but they lack business credit. They may have a good credit history, or a poor credit history. The good news is that anyone has the opportunity to get business credit for any business nowadays.

There are different sorts of business credit to select from. The business credit providers advice that one’s business characteristics and size should be the determining factor for the kind of business credit one is seeking.

For those who own businesses, they can pick any from the many business credit options they have. Small business loans are the kinds of business credits that are most apt for those that run small businesses. The banks and the many other private sector providers are the ones who offer these types of loans.

There are however more competition for the small business loans than any other.

This has led to nearly all the banks trying to outdo each other with low rate loans and good repayment options.

Accordingly, almost anyone can obtain cheap business credit subject to their having a good credit history. There are also other avenues for business credits such as the accounts receivable factoring, the commercial real estate loans, the start-up business loans, the secured and unsecured business loans, the merchant account cash advance business loan, among others. Lots of research is still needed on your part before making a decision on which business credit to take.

No doubts- the very best place that anyone can begin the search for the right business credit is the Internet; since lots of business credit providers are now online. As well, any individual that wishes can get numerous excellent sites that have all the correct business credit information.

As well, any individual that wishes can get numerous excellent sites that have all the correct business credit information.

By Tim Knox

Q: I’m opening a gift shop and want to be able to accept credit cards. I talked to the branch manager at my bank, but he didn’t seem to know much about how it all worked. He did say that I would need something called "a merchant account" and something else called "a credit card processor." Beyond that he seemed as clueless as I am. I’m thinking about going to another bank. Can you explain how that all works?
-- Mary Ann G.

A: Mary Ann, I’m going to give your banker the benefit of the doubt and say that a lack of knowledge regarding the specifics of credit card processing is not necessarily a reflection of the banker’s competence. I have found over the years that most bankers, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable about the banking business they my be, don’t really know much about how credit card processing and acceptance really works. That’s because the task of accepting and verifying credit card purchases is handled by third party service companies who process and deposit (or settle) the funds into a bank merchant account.

The decision to accept credit cards is a wise one for any retailer. I agree with financial guru Dave Ramsey’s teachings regarding the use and abuse of credit cards. Many people dig deep holes with credit cards that are hard to climb out of.

But, from a practical business point of view, any retail business that does not accept credit cards is leaving money on the table. Research has shown that accepting credit cards increases revenue and helps with cash flow since you receive the money within a couple of days instead of waiting up to a week for a check to clear.

Credit cards don’t bounce, as some checks have a tendency to do. Credit card users are also more likely to buy on impulse and spend more when they do. Bad news for them, but good news for you. If you have a social conscience concerning the use of consumer credit cards, a retail operation probably isn’t the business for you.

To accept credit cards at a brick and mortar location you typically need four things. The requirements may vary a little, but the following applies in most cases.

You will need: (1) A way to enter the customer’s credit card information into a verification and processing system. This can be done with a swipe terminal, point of sale system, or by calling the credit card in by phone; (2) A credit card gateway company to verify the credit card’s validity and process the payments; (3) A credit card merchant account in which the gateway company will deposit payments made to you; and (4) A business bank account into which the settled funds will ultimately be deposited for your use.

Here’s how the process works. (1) You make a sale and the customer pays by credit card. (2) Using a card swipe machine or telephone, you contact what is known as a "gateway company" who takes the card information you submit and verifies that the card is valid and the charge can be made against the card account. The gateway company returns an approval code for the purchase.

With a swipe machine or point of sale terminal the verification process happens in a matter of seconds. If you’re doing telephone verification it can take a couple of minutes. You call the gateway company, give them the credit card number and expiration date and they give you an approval code that you write on the credit card charge slip. Either way, the money is typically deposited in your merchant account within 24 to 48 hours (less fees, of course).

You’ll also need to apply for merchant status with each credit card company whose card you want to accept. To do business with American Express and Discover all you have to do is fill out an application, but to accept Visa and MasterCard you must have a merchant account. A merchant account is a special bank account set up for the expressed purpose of accepting credit card payments processed by the gateway company. Merchant accounts are usually associated with banks, though you can also use credit card merchant account service companies to perform the same function if you can not get approved for a bank merchant account.

Applying for a merchant account at a bank is much the same as applying for a loan. The only difference is sometimes a loan is easier to get. There is the prerequisite paperwork to complete and pledging of the first born, followed by an approval process that can take up to several weeks. And you are not guaranteed that the bank will approve your merchant account, even if you have been a favored customer for many years. Banks have strict regulations regarding the granting of merchant accounts and if issuing you a merchant account in anyway puts the bank at risk of losing money, you will be turned down. Banks always make decisions based on economics, not relationships (no matter what your banker tells you).

Requirements for qualifying for a merchant account varies among banks, but in general the bank will look at the following criteria:

How long have you been in business? Business longevity suggests a history of stability, efficient management, and good financial health.

What is your product or service? Does your product lend itself to a high rate of returns and chargebacks? A chargeback is a disputed credit card charge that is refunded to the buyer and charged against your account. You are accessed a chargeback fee that can be as much as $20 per event. If your business lends itself to high chargebacks, you will not get the merchant account.

How’s your credit report? Banks always look at how much you owe and how you pay your bills, so it’s important to have good financial and trade references. If you have a history of late payments or defaults to vendors, it will count against you.

What is your anticipated volume of sales and average transaction amount? The more money you make, the more money the bank makes. If you anticipate just a few credit card charges per week it may not be enough to justify the merchant account in the bank’s eyes.

Is your business categorized as a "high risk merchant?" High risk merchants are those with the highest instances of credit card fraud and chargebacks. High risk merchants include many types of internet-based businesses, telemarketers, travel and cruise businesses, and membership clubs. Being a high risk merchant dramatically decreases your chances of getting a merchant account with a bank.

Being a high risk merchant doesn’t mean that you can’t get a merchant account from somewhere else. Thanks to the growth of ecommerce in recent years there are a number of alternative companies that will provide you with a merchant account, sometimes with more perks than a traditional account, but almost always with higher fees.

Also, not all banks support internet merchant accounts. If yours does not, shop around for one that does. We’ll take a look at accepting credit cards online in next week’s column.

Here’s to your success.

Tim Knox
tim@dropshipwholesale.net

About the Author: Tim serves as the president and CEO of three successful technology companies and is the founder of DropshipWholesale.net, an online organization dedicated to the success of online and eBay entrepreneurs. Related Links: http://www.prosperityandprofits.com http://www.smallbusinessqa.com http://www.dropshipwholesale.net

Source: www.isnare.com

By Gary Gresham

It’s not as hard as you think to raise credit score. It’s a well known fact that lenders will give people with higher credit scores lower interest rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards. If your credit score falls under 620 just getting loans and credit cards with reasonable terms is difficult.

There are more than 30 million people in the United States that have credit scores under 620 and if you’re probably wondering what you can do to raise credit score for you.

Here are five simple tips that you can use to raise credit score.

1. Get a copy of your credit report

Obtaining a copy of your credit report is a good idea because if there is something on your report that is incorrect, you will raise credit score once it is removed. Make sure you contact the bureau immediately to remove any incorrect information.

Your credit report should come from the three major bureaus: Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. It’s important to know that each service will give you a different credit score.

2. Pay Your Bills On Time

Your payment history makes up 35% of your total credit score. Your recent payment history will carry much more weight than what happened five years ago.

Missing just one months payment on anything can knock 50 to 100 points off of your credit score.

Paying your bills on time is a single best way to start rebuilding your credit rating and raise credit score for you.

3. Pay Down Your Debt

Your credit card issuer reports your outstanding balance once a month to the credit bureaus. It doesn’t matter whether you pay off that balance a few days later or whether you carry it from month to month.

Most people don’t realize that credit bureaus don’t distinguish between those who carry a balance on their cards and those who don’t. So by charging less you can raise credit score even if you pay off your credit cards every month.

Lenders also like to see a lot of of room between the amount of debt on your credit cards and your total credit limits. So the more debt you pay off, the wider that gap and the better your credit score.

4. Don’t Close Old Accounts

In the past people were told to close old accounts they weren’t using. But with today’s current scoring methods that could actually hurt your credit score.

Closing old or paid off credit accounts lowers the total credit available to you and makes any balances you have appear larger in credit score calculations. Closing your oldest accounts can actually shorten the length of your credit history and to a lender it makes you less credit worthy.

If you are trying to minimize identity theft and it’s worth the peace of mind for you to close your old or paid off accounts, the good news is it will only lower you score a minimal amount. But just by keeping those old accounts open you can raise credit score for you.

5. Stay Out Of Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is the single worst thing that will destroy your credit score. Bankruptcy will lower your credit score by 200 points or more and is very difficult to come back from.

Once your credit score falls below 620, any loan you get will be far more expensive. A bankruptcy on your credit record is reported for up to 10 years.

The reality of a bankruptcy is it will limit you to high-interest lenders that will squeeze out high interest rate payments from you for years.

It is better to get credit counseling to help you with your bills and avoid bankruptcy at all costs. By getting credit counseling instead of declaring bankruptcy you can raise credit score over a much shorter period of time.

Copyright © 2005 Credit Repair Facts.com All Rights Reserved.

Gary Gresham is a mortgage loan officer and the webmaster for http://www.credit-repair-facts.com He offers you credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/articles_1.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Gresham
http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Ways-To-Raise-Credit-Score&id=17788