In the shadow of the demise of the sub-prime lending market and the downfall of many major lending organizations, having a high credit score is increasingly important. Unlike the previous decade where with the help of creative lending solutions and over-eager lenders almost everyone to qualify for a new home loan with little or no down payment, banks and lenders are again becoming more conservative with their investments. Essentially, if your credit score isn't over 720, expect to have to provide a down payment and to only get offered loans with less than ideal rates and options.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve your credit rating. By intelligently budgeting their finances and effectively repairing their credit reports, consumers have been able to raise their FICO scores by 100 points in only a few months - an increase that could save you hundreds of thousands over the course of a standard mortgage.

More than ever, people are turning to reputable credit correction services for help with disputing and correcting the questionable negative listings in their credit files. Right now, there are a number of good credit repair companies that are experts at helping people take full advantage of their rights.

While it is possible to clean your credit report on your own, many people find it is often easier to hire a professional credit repair organization to perform the work for them. To assist these people, TheTopTens, a website of interactive top ten lists, provides a list of the best credit repair services.

Based on the rankings at TheTopTens, the number one credit repair company is Lexington Law with numerous visitors reporting receiving excellent results from their credit repair services. Lexington Law is the largest and most experienced credit repair organization. According to their website, they assisted clients with the removal of over six-hundred thousand negative items from their credit reports last year including late payments, collections, foreclosures, and even bankruptcies.

One visitor to TheTopTens had the following to say about Lexington Law:"Lexington helped me raise my credit score 70 points in 60 days. This gave me the credit I needed to refinance my house to consolidate my debt, buy a new car at a good rate, and have more options to support my growing family. I love these guys"

Companies also ranking well on the list include Sky Blue Credit, DSI Solutions, and Ovation Credit.