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Many consumers are the unsuspecting victims of credit card fraud everyday. Only when they must rely on their own credit score for new credit do many find out someone else has been using their name and personal identification for criminal acts such as applying for loans or credit cards.

Unfortunately, the victims of credit or identify fraud have a long road and a lot of red tape ahead of them when battling back from such events. For many, it takes years to clear one’s name if it is even possible. When others use your credit information, the consequences can be fast and lasting. You may be hard-pressed to get approval for a loan or other accounts due to someone else’s activity.

Identity theft and credit card fraud are just two of the important reasons why one should order their credit reports regularly and analyze the data for accuracy. The

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The recession seems to be taking a back seat as more people pull out their credit cards to pay for everyday items. According to The Christian Science Monitor, consumers racked up a total of $64 billion in credit card debt for the year 2011, and January 2012 has already seen an increase in credit card use.

January normally means a return to less spending, trimming your budget, and putting off big purchases, but more consumers are throwing caution to the wind when it comes to credit card spending. In fact, the payment processing company First Data reports that people are using their credit cards at rates not seen since the pre-recession era.

What has spurred this rise in credit card spending?

Banks have cancelled or severely cut back on their debit card rewards programs, and have even suffered a backlash when they instituted debit card fees.

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Do you have a question about consumer credit? You may find an immediate answer by using the search engine. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please fill out the form, being as specific as possible.

Please note: The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Experian team will include it in a future column.

My fiancé is divorced and lost his house to foreclosure. He has a bad credit history including bankruptcy. When we marry what are the pros and cons of my taking his name? My credit is pretty good – good enough to buy a $132,000 home two years ago. I’ve heard that marrying and taking their name is a huge mistake if there are credit problems. Can you advise, please?

Taking your new husband’s name will not cause your credit histories to be merged It isn’t your name that impacts your credit history. It i

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If you are a U.S. resident, chances are you have 2-4 credit cards. In fact, chances are, you probably have a credit card in your pocket right now! So, due to huge amounts of competitors in the industry, many credit card issuers have begun offering balance transfer credit card offers as a way to attract new customers to their credit card products. How to find the best card of this type?

The introductory APR and standard interest rate are the key points that consumers should really consider.

As a matter of fact, the low introductory APR is the main reason to request a balance transfer credit card. Full Article…

One method for eliminating part of your debt load is to request from a creditor or a debt collection agency that a pay for deletion be used to settle your account balance still outstanding. For the consumer, a portion or a full amount of the balance is paid in exchange for a deletion of the account.

There are some collection agents that will lead a consumer to believe a pay for delete negotiation is not legal or they are not able to offer you the option. However, a pay for delete is an acceptable practice for negotiating debts.

Get It in Writing

A key point in a successful negotiation to delete accounts after payment is to ensure all negotiations and made agreements are put in writing. If you are sending a request for a payoff and an account deletion, it should be done by you in writing to the creditor or collection agency and mailed via the certified, return receipt requested option at the post office.

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In what could be a major game-changer for both lenders and consumers, CoreLogic Credco, a major financial data aggregator, has just introduced its new CoreScore into the credit score mix. The new score, based on a heap of additional consumer credit and payment activity not previously reported to the credit bureaus, is said to provide lenders with a much more comprehensive and sharper picture of a consumer’s creditworthiness.

At issue is whether CoreScore will be a boon or a bane to consumers who, heretofore, had credit histories that barely registered on the credit reports, because they didn’t qualify for “normal” types of loans or credit accounts.

Now, such activities as rent payments, payday loans, child support payments, lien payments, utility payments, and just about anything actively involving a payment will become a part of your credit history and integral to the overall CoreScore to be used by lenders to evaluate prospective borrowers.

The new credit score, created in partnership with FICO, is expected to debut in early 2012 and has already been adopted by one mortgage lender.  It will be available to all lenders, including credit card issuers and auto loan originators. CoreLogi

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