, 1 in 5 consumers had an error on one of their credit reports from the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Fortunately, 80% of those who filed disputes received a modification to their credit report.Since high credit score balances can harm your credit, pay down debt to lower your credit utilization ratio. : The amount of debt you have divided by the amount of credit you have available to you is your credit utilization ratio.
But the interest rate you agree to will likely be less than what you’d pay with most credit and loan products. Protect your relationship by drawing up a clear loan agreement that details the loan term and how frequently you’ll make payments.Credit cards provide a line of credit that makes it easy to borrow when in a tight spot. But credit cards often have high-interest rates, averaging 20.09%, according to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve.