Credit History

Dear Liz: As part of our mortgage refinance, my wife and I were provided copies of our credit reports and scores by the credit union making our loan. Our scores are great, ranging from 777 to 819, but I was surprised to see in the negative remarks section a note that I had "too many inquiries." Reviewing the list I saw one business I recognized (a new brokerage account), one of our credit card issuers and four inquiries from CBC Innovis. What is CBC Innovis and how can I tell them to butt out of my credit history?

MOSCOW -- The Russian government has no idea how about 44% of the country's registered workers are making a living, a top official said Wednesday. Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said the government is unaware of what's happening with about 38 million of the 86 million Russians registered as workers. About 48 million people are working in sectors of the economy that officials “can see and understand,” she said. “It is unclear what everybody else is involved in and to what extent,” Golodets said at an international economic conference at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Dan Denton is stuck in a vicious cycle: He's behind on his bills after losing his job. But lousy credit is spoiling his chances of finding new employment. Recruiters from a St. Louis-based investment company recently rescinded an offer after looking at his credit history, which has been mauled by overdue card payments and an impending foreclosure on his Inland Empire house. He and his wife, Dana, filed for bankruptcy protection this month to try to hang on to their home.

Pamela Johnson of Orange is one of many people who have recently received notices from a debt collector called West Bay Acquisitions over supposedly unreturned Hollywood Video DVDs. The video-rental chain's parent company, Hollywood Entertainment, was purchased by an outfit called Movie Gallery in 2005. Five years later, Movie Gallery went out of business, selling its portfolio of outstanding customer obligations to West Bay Acquisitions. Johnson, 68, said she was "dumbfounded" to receive a notice the other day saying she owes $24.43 for several DVDs that she rented from Hollywood Video in 2009 and never returned.

Of all the numbers attached to you -- Social Security, cellphone, your lucky one -- few are as important as your credit score. A credit score is a numeric summary of your credit history, ranging from 300 to 850, and it gives lenders an idea of whether or not you're a good credit risk. If your score is 750 or above, the world is your oyster, purchased with a platinum card.

If your life does not permit ownership right now, you can draw some satisfaction from ease of renting. According to the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, the standard paper work for moving into a rental unit includes two forms. The application to rent asks for your name, Social Security and driver's license numbers, address, reason for moving, phone number, references, previous addresses, names of anyone who will live with you and emergency information.

Dear Liz: I'm 22 and a graduate student with only one year left before I enter the "real world. " I have four credit cards - one store card, two Visa cards and one MasterCard - only one of which carries a balance. I want to make the best decisions regarding my financial health. Which would be better for my credit: closing the account that's the oldest (opened when I was 18) but that will no longer be used because of its small credit limit and high interest rate, or leaving the line open?

Q: My daughter just graduated from college as a chemical engineer and has started working for an oil company at a very good salary ($54,000). She is buying a new car but, because she has a limited credit history, the two lenders we consulted added three percentage points to their normal car loan rate. That's even with me, her father, as a loan co-signer.

Question: I recently requested TRW credit profiles on both my husband and myself. Although all of our debts (including bank cards and auto loans) were applied for jointly, most of the credit history was reported in his name only. Is this legal? What is my credit history in the event of a divorce? Also, how do I go about getting these creditors to report our credit history in my name too?--E.McN.