In the good old days, if you were an irresponsible sort of chap ( or chappess), you could run up bad debts in one county, State, or country, and just nip across the border and do it again.

You only had to look at Spain's record in the 60's and 70's, when many a train robber and other undesirable person would set up a cozy little(') home for him and his mistress.

Not that I am suggesting that your character has any leaning towards this sort of activity. These days any of us can get into bad debt almost by accident.

For instance, with the soaring divorce rate, how many homes get split up or repossessed, because what was comfortable for two incomes, becomes impossible on one.

Another area where misfortune can strike is with sickness, or say a car accident. If your partner suddenly became ill with cancer, or had a car smash, this could leave you minus one income, but with lots more bills. Not many people realise - or even like to think - about this.

So, it is not just the irresponsible these days that end up with a bad credit rating.

But - the world is shrinking. Try going into your bank these days and ask for a loan. The manager won't just evaluate your personality any more, they all have to submit your profile to the computer. Not just their cozy little network, but the whole darned world wide web. So whatever your credit history, and for whatever reason it is as it is, there is no escape from it. If you have bad credit, you have no option but to try and repair it.

A person's credit record has a lot of influence on his or her purchasing power, and on his or her ability to get loans on a favorable basis. Thus, if you have a bad credit rating, then you must undertake all the necessary steps in order to repair your credit and get a fixed bad credit. The first step that you need to take in order to fix bad credit is to obtain your credit report from the rating agencies, and check it for the errors, omissions, or misinterpretations. This will empower you by giving you the knowledge you need to dispute claims future lenders make about your credit.

To fix bad credit, you must make all your payments on time, and you should also take up a steady and reliable job. If you are able to show your income stability and your regular payment behavior to the lenders, then you may fix bad credit in a period of only 2 to 3 years.

You can even consult a credit counseling agency to get a fixed bad credit. These credit counseling agencies are organizations that have a number of people who are trained and experienced in the field of credit. There are also the commercial credit repair companies that help you fix bad credit. However, they charge a fee for the same.

However, you must always keep in mind that you are the one who has to do all the work in order to fix bad credit. Even though the credit counseling agencies can help you, you would not be able to benefit unless you know more about your credit report than anyone else. By contacting credit bureaus, making corrections on your own, and by repaying all your debts, you can fix bad credit on your own.

Don't whatever you do, stick your head in the sand and hope your debts will disappear - because they won't. You need help with bad credit.

Due to the size of the bad credit problem that is almost universal nowadays, there are many places you can turn to for help. But don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire - make sure who you ask is properly qualified to help, or you could find yourself in the hands of some very unscrupulous members of the public.

Copyright 2006 Geoff Morris