Common Names & Credit Reports

Common Names & Credit Reports

I’ve had it with credit reporting agencies.
When your name is Mary Miller (Ann is my middle name), you get used to regularly checking your credit report for errors – some of which defy logic.
I remember the first time I found an error. I was 20 years old and wondering why I was denied a credit card. Turns out there was an item on my report indicating I had defaulted on a home loan – four years earlier. Even in the rush to loan of the last few years, no one would approve a mortgage to someone under the age of 16.
So I got my Equifax report last week only to discover they changed my first name! Suddenly, all my accounts are attributed to Marilyn Miller, and the only way to fix it is to send them all sorts of documents proving my first name is Mary. Of course, they didn’t need to notify me of the change to begin with, and they didn’t need to justify the change after a 30-year credit history under the name Mary.
Now I know that in the great scheme of things this is a minor irritation, but I’m tired of an industry that’s allowed to assume you’re guilty until you prove your innocence. More and more, everything from insurance rates to employment is based on your credit report. Reporting agencies need to develop higher standards.

Vote ‘Yes’ for Sales Tax Increases

Unpleasant though it is, Arizona and Tempe really do need a temporary sales tax increase to see us through this budget crisis.

Tempe Leadership’s 25th Anniversary Celebration

Tempe Leadership is commemorating 25 years of developing and educating interested community members in the issues, challenges and triumphs of Tempe on Friday evening, April 9, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

Business Incentives Often Misunderstood

Mary Ann Miller

Sale!  Coupons!  Rebates!
As consumers we’re always on the lookout for these.  We check the newspapers and sign up for e-mail notices.  If something particularly good comes by, we might even share it with friends.  From Black Friday to Cash for Clunkers to a free Grand Slam Breakfast, we’re interested in and react to [...]

Investments, Not Giveaways

The City of Tempe is under fire for rebating approximately $200,000 in taxes and fees for a Sea Life Aquarium that likely will attract tens of thousands of visitors to Tempe each year. This is not a handout. It is precisely the kind of low-risk, high-reward economic generator that we need, particularly in these times.

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Grocery Strike Raises Union Questions

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End-of-Life Discussion Uproar Misplaced

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Deal With Life’s Bugs While They’re Small

This is how we should handle the challenges in our lives and businesses. Be prepared for trouble. Look for the source and take care of it, or it may come back bigger and stronger and overwhelm you.