Tag: Report

Credit Report and Score

Every year, a credit repot comes out with a corresponding score at the bottom. This could be from 350 to 800 and it varies from person to person depending on their consumer behavior.

Your credit score is based on different things. This includes your credit history, outstanding debts, credit length, number of inquiries made and the types of credit that you have.

The one that carries the biggest weight is the credit history since this takes into account what has happened over the past 7 to 10 years. During this time, you may have incurred late payments or filed for bankruptcy. If there are none, then you get a perfect score.

The second biggest chunk comes from any outstanding debts that you may have. This could be a loan that you applied for to pay for a house or a car. If this was paid for already, then that is good. A more recent loan could affect your credit score.

Half the percentage value of the second is the length of your credit. If you have had this for 5 years or more, then you are a better off than someone who is just building it.

The next ten percent comes from the number of times you have made inquiries about applying for a loan. If you have done this regularly, it tells creditors that you were turned down a lot in the past.

Last but not the least is the types of credit you have. If you have large credit, then good for you.

If you were to ask what is considered to be a good credit score that reflects on your report, experts would say that this must be 700 or higher. Those who are able to reach this figure will be able to get a loan and pay this back at a lower interest rate. People who are below this score will have to pay at a higher interest rate.

The good news about a credit report and score is that this changes. If you didn’t score well this year, you have a chance to improve on it next year. But you must first find out what is your credit score and see what brought it down.

If there were unpaid debts, these should be settled. Should there be any mistakes, do not just accept it but report it so this can be investigated and corrected. Being able to control your spending is the only way any one can have and maintain a good credit score.

For those who are having a hard time, there are people who can help. So don’t be afraid to get the assistance of financial advisers.

The credit score is your final grade in a report. Although there is no passing or failing mark, there is a standard that creditors use to determine if your loan should be approved or not and at what interest rate will be followed.

The credit report offered by crediting agencies use varies. You will notice when you get a copy from the three namely Expedia, Equifax and Transunion but they all say the same thing and that is whether or not you are in good standing. You can get all these at the same time or after every few months. The best part is that you can get a copy for free.

What Is a Credit Report Score

A credit repot score is the basis used by lenders to determine if your loan application will be approved or not. If your credit report score is above 700, there won’t be any problems and your loan will be granted with low interest rates. If however you score below this figure, you will be charged a higher interest rate and in the most extreme cases, they will not approve your loan application.

But how do creditors come up with this figure? Basically, they do this by reviewing credit related information such as your payment history to find out if you have ever had any late payments or filed for bankruptcy. They will also check how much money you owe not only on your credit card bill but also outstanding loans.

They will also take into account the length of your credit history. Also, a lot of people apply for new credit and a few other minor factors that could bring up or down your credit score.

What is not in your credit report scores is your color, gender, marital status, national origin and religion as this is not relevant. Creditors do not also consider if you are receiving public assistance or any consumer rights that are under the federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act or the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

You can get a copy of your credit report score so you know what where you stand. You can get this from one of three credit reporting agencies namely Experian, Equifax or Transunion. Consumers are advised to get a copy at least once a year since it changes annually.

If you credit report score is not satisfactory, you must do your best to improve it. Some of the things you can do include paying your bills on time, contacting your creditor regarding your situation so an arrangement can be made and seeing a non profit credit counselor who will help you manage your finances.

As much as possible, you must never file for bankruptcy because it will be very difficult to achieve a good standing.

When you happen to see errors in your credit report and believe that there is a mistake, you must write a letter immediately to the agency where you got this document so this can be corrected. You must state the issue and any supporting paperwork to strengthen your claim. Never send the originals so have something to hold on to and if this is sent by a courier, make sure that you get a copy of the return receipt so you can follow this up with whoever got it.

The reporting agency will then conduct an investigation by contacting your creditors. If the creditor cannot verify their entry, they have no choice but to remove this from your record and you will receive a free copy of the revised credit report score. The same goes when an error has been made and a copy of this revised version will also be sent to other credit agencies.

Now that you know what a credit report score is, it is time to find out what is your standing. This should be good at all times so you get the best deals when you have to apply for a loan to pay for college tuition, buying a car or a new home.

Understanding Your Credit Report Score

Understanding your credit score is important since it may help you determine your chances of being approved on your credit applications. Your credit reports score usually will help lenders and credit institutions to determine if you are good enough for credit that you have applied for. Lenders would need to be ensured that people they lend money to are able to pay back their loans. That is the purpose of a person’s credit report.

When a person applies for a personal loan or mortgage on their homes, lenders would usually check upon a person’s credit history to see if one is a good borrower in that he or she pays back on credit dues on time.

A person’s credit history would help lenders determine the risk of that they put themselves in when approving a person’s credit. In a way, credit institutions are trying to protect their own investments (in terms of handing out credit) by checking out a prospective borrower’s credit report score.

In essence, a person’s credit report is part of the lender’s background check. It is a detailed history of a person’s borrowing habits. From it, lenders are able to extract the following information about the credit applicant:

• It provides a person’s identifying information such as one’s complete name, past and current addresses, date of birth as well as a person’s employment history

• A record of accounts that previous lenders have submitted to who the individual has loaned from in the past. This record includes the type of credit extended (mortgage, credit card, car loan, etc.), the amount of credit, the date when it was opened and a record of payments already made as well as the remaining balance.

• A record of inquiries made on the credit report for a period of two years. This includes voluntary inquiries made for previous credit applications as well as involuntary inquiries made by the lender without the knowledge of the credit report holder.

• A collection of information of state and country court records associated with previous loans made. The credit report also includes recorded information about previous bankruptcies, lawsuits, foreclosure of properties, liens and other judgments that can be attributed to previous loans made.

When availing of the credit report, the lender or credit institution may also get hold of a person’s credit score. A credit score is calculated based on the information that is provided by the credit report. This is usually done by credit reporting agencies that consider the information and provide the necessary score to help lenders better assess your future credit risk level.

Your credit score is also being more commonly referred to your FICO score. The reason for this is because most of the credit scores are calculated using a software developed by the Fair Isaac Corporation, also known as FICO. Your FICO score can range from 300 to 850. The higher your FICO score figures, the lower your credit risk is perceived by lenders, thereby giving you better chances of being approved for credit.

Understanding your credit reports score makes it also easier for you to determine your own chances of being approved for a particular credit application. If you know that you have a high FICO score, you can then try your best to maintain or even improve on it in order to increase your credit chances with a number of lenders.

Knowing that you have a low FICO score may also do you some good. This knowledge will motivate you to act upon improving your credit score in order to make yourself less of a credit risks to lenders the next time that you apply for another loan.