credit reports

[justme83dc]

I've heard from a friend in another state that he was denied employment based upon his low credit score. Is this really a important factor considered in your background check? My credit is not the greatest- hit some rough times right out of college and got behind on a couple credit cards. Although I'm trying to repair it all now, it of course takes a while. Should I be really concerned with being denied because of it??

[mcsap]

It isn't necessarily a huge black mark but depending on the reason and the rest of your background it could at least have an impact on your elegibility.

[DesertCat]

I was going to put this in my thread.....

Just my humbled opinion.

If departments denied someone a position solely on their credit scores, I am just referring to the boo boos and little dirt, that not many people would be eligible to be a police officer. Its a simple fact that many Americans don't have perfect credit. Especially, if one goes through a divorce.

[txinvestigator1]

I was going to put this in my thread.....

Just my humbled opinion.

If departments denied someone a position solely on their credit scores, I am just referring to the boo boos and little dirt, that not many people would be eligible to be a police officer. Its a simple fact that many Americans don't have perfect credit. Especially, if one goes through a divorce.

No one said anything about perfect credit, and no one gets denied because they don't have perfect credit. If someone gets denied due to credit, then their credit is pretty bad.

[DeltaV]

Its a simple fact that many Americans don't have perfect credit. Especially, if one goes through a divorce.

What's your definition of perfect credit? There are plenty of people who have been responsible throughout their lives and have never had accounts sent to collection, declared bankruptcy, foreclosed on property, or had other property repossessed. If you don't believe that, maybe you don't hang out with the most fiscally responsible crowd out there.

If you have more than a few credit problems and your score is below the national average, you run a very good chance of being disqualified based upon your credit.

[BaseballFan]

I've heard from a friend in another state that he was denied employment based upon his low credit score. Is this really a important factor considered in your background check? My credit is not the greatest- hit some rough times right out of college and got behind on a couple credit cards. Although I'm trying to repair it all now, it of course takes a while. Should I be really concerned with being denied because of it??

You're being pretty vague in your response as far as soliciting advice, IMO. I'm sure each case is handled differently as each credit score is graded differently and there are varying degrees in each department. Also, what your friend told you as far as disqualifications might not be what really happened. Finally, being behind on a couple of credit cards could be taken as was late on a couple of payments or defaulted completely to where a collection agency was contacted and stated as bad debt.

[retdetsgt]

If you were just late with some payments, you'll probably be okay if other factors aren't a problem.

However, if you have a history of collections, you can probably forget it. Believe me, I've been through a rough financial time because of a divorce, but I made paying my bills a priortiy even when it meant not eating nearly as well towards the end of the paycheck.

[DesertCat]

What if the half the collections have been paid and some are in the works?

I have to disagree with another poster about the responsibilty issue... Just because a card is in collections doesn't make the person irresponsible... If anyone has had to deal with shady credit card companies in the past, they will know what I am talking about.... If you haven't, God bless you...

If I can't be a police officer, serve my community, just because of my divorce 5 years ago where I was left holding the debt bag of well over 25K (credit cards), which most of it paid off via homeowners loan, while there are 2 collections still on my reports I am fighting with in regards to their legality, then so be it.



I'll just move on....

Thanks....

Edited for the reason I meant to add: I am not talking about repos, bk and the like. I am just referring to credit card collections in my discussion with this subject/issue.

[pafindr]

By what I've seen you must be at least current on your bills. If you are still behind in payments then it would be best to wait until you are current. Some department won't talke you at all with a bankruptcy on your credit.

[DesertCat]

By what I've seen you must be at least current on your bills. If you are still behind in payments then it would be best to wait until you are current. Some department won't talke you at all with a bankruptcy on your credit.

Well, all my bills have been current....275K house note, car note and all credit cards. So, hopefully, that will count for something...

[Hockey9019]

By what I've seen you must be at least current on your bills. If you are still behind in payments then it would be best to wait until you are current. Some department won't talke you at all with a bankruptcy on your credit.

And IMO, in this day and age, that is stupid.

[retdetsgt]

And IMO, in this day and age, that is stupid.

Why? Because more people are acquiring debt they can't pay so it should now become acceptable?

Nobody puts a gun to your head and makes you use a credit card to buy stuff you can't pay for and can't pay back the money plus interest.

[Roger Dat]

I agree with ret det, credit can be an indicator as to larger issues not just whether you owe someone money. Points to responsibility, suceptibility (sp) to bribery etc.

[SnapShawt]

Refusing to talk to an applicant because of a BK or some bad marks may not be why you think either. I've known candidates to get hired with such things, BUT, the BI (being the smart guy/gal he/she is), will LOOK at that credit report and come to a conclusion based upon what's on it as to why the person is in that shape. Are there large medical bills that interfered and really left the person with no choice? Okay, may be worth talking to and going a bit further in the process. Is it all credit cards and repos with nothing to indicate a good reason for it? Okay, that one's trashed.

If an agency were to say any BK or black mark is an auto-DQ, then yeah I would say that's pretty idiotic. I haven't seen one do that. Most will at least check it out and see WHY it is that way. It just happens that the vast majority of the time, not always but usually), it is due to financial irresponsibility.

[seeking]

I have to disagree with another poster about the responsibilty issue... Just because a card is in collections doesn't make the person irresponsible... If anyone has had to deal with shady credit card companies in the past, they will know what I am talking about.... If you haven't, God bless you...

You're correct that just because a card is in collections doesn't necessarily mean the person is irresponsible. There are a variety of factors and typically martial and medical are those which I would consider not indicative of someone being irresponsible, but it depends on your situation. What was that 25k in debt related to? Did you guys fall on hard times or were you both spending beyond your means and you just happened to get stuck with the whole debt? These things matter in showing your maturity and responsibility regarding credit card use.

As to the shady credit card companies, you'd have to elaborate for me to have any sympathy. I work for a credit card company finding out why people are behind on their bills and trying to come up with a solution for them to get back on track well before they fall so far behind that we sell them to actual collection agencies. You may or may not believe the number of people I talk to each day who classify it as shady, ridiculous, heartless, etc. etc. etc. that we put their interest rate to 28% when they missed payments and then they blame us, rather than whatever the original situation was that caused the account to fall behind, for the fact that they can't catch up.

And I might feel bad about that if it wasn't for the fact that it says on your cardmember agreement and every statement we send out that missing payments will result in a late fee (and they put the tier on there from $15-39 depending on your balance) and could result in your interest rate being defaulted to 28.99%. There was absolutely fair warning about it, and every time you used that card signing on the line, you were agreeing to pay back whatever you purchased in accordance with that cardmember agreement.

Now, if you're not just talking collections within the credit card but actual collection agencies, yeah, some of them are ruthless, but you'd have to have not made a single payment of at least enough to clear one of your months past due for seven consecutive months in order for that to happen, and if you let your card, whether your debt alone or in combination with your wife, go that far past due without calling to try and rectify or at least inform your creditors of the situation, then you'd have a hard time convincing me that you were making any kind of responsible effort to make good on the promise you made when you signed up for that little piece of plastic.