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Here are 7 fast fixes for your credit scores

Now you're ready to take the seven steps to speedy credit repair:

1) Pay down your credit cards.

2) Use your cards lightly.

3) Check your limits.

4) Dust off an old card.

5) Get some goodwill.

6) Dispute old negatives.

7) Blitz significant errors.

4 other credit mistakes

Other actions to beware when you're trying to improve your scores:

Asking a creditor to lower your credit limits. This will reduce that all-important gap between your balances and your available credit, which could hurt your scores. If a lender asks you to close an account or get a limit lowered as a condition for getting a loan, you might have to do it -- but don't do so without being asked.

Making a late payment. The irony here is that a late or missed payment will hurt good scores more than bad ones, dropping 700-plus scores by 100 points or more. If you've already got a string of negative items on your credit reports, one more won't have a big impact, but it's still something you want to avoid if you're trying to improve your scores.

Consolidating your accounts. Applying for a new account can ding your scores. So, too, can transferring balances from a high-limit card to a lower-limit one or concentrating all or most of your credit-card balances onto a single card. In general, it's better to have smaller balances on a few cards than a big balance on one.

Applying for new credit if you already have plenty. On the other hand, applying for and getting an installment loan can help your scores if you don't have any installment accounts or you're trying to recover from a credit disaster like bankruptcy.

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Tips to Improve Your Credit Score

Know Your Credit Score

Here are 7 fast fixes for your credit scores

4 other credit mistakes

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