Credit Scoring Expert speaks candidly about his personal growth and asks respected writers to share content to help others improve their life.

This week’s post is a little outside the topic of credit, but it definitely falls within my expertise as a lender. The issue is this: How does a person manage his or her mortgage payment if a lender closes or files for bankruptcy? In utopia, you’d be off scott-free, right? Not so lucky. Just keep making your payments as usual until you receive instructions to direct your payment elsewhere. If your lender files for bankruptcy after the loan closes, your loan and the rights to service them might be bought by another mortgage “servicer.” If your loan has been transferred, you will be given two notices: One from your current servicer—the company to whom you have been making payments—and another from the new servicer. Be sure this isn’t a scam and call both your current servicer and the new servicer to make sure the transfer is legitimate. Which brings me to the topic of your credit score: Always double and triple check before sending a payment to an unknown lender, or before giving your account information to someone. Identity theft can trash a person’s credit score, and in today’s age of technology, it is becoming more and more common. Prudence is especially important when responding to emails. Some crooks disguise their email addresses and links to web addresses, making it look as though they are representatives of a legitimate creditor. When paying a bill online, or when updating account information, never click on links within emails. Instead, type the company’s legitimate URL within your browser.