What Is A Credit Score And Tips On Raising It
August 10, 2010 by Guest Author
Filed under Credit Repair
What is a credit score?
A credit score is a numerical rating based on relevant factors measuring a borrower’s willingness to repay a loan. Your credit score is calculated from the information in your credit profile which is a record of your credit activities over time. This score predicts your credit performance. The higher the score, the better credit risk you are.
The FICO score is the most frequently used credit scoring system that has been developed. You may obtain your score from any or all three reporting agencies or by Clicking Here. It is better to monitor all three to make sure your credit score is accurate. Equifax (800) 685-1111 Experian (888) 397-3742) Trans Union (800) 916-8800
Since a credit score is from credit history, there must be at least a 6 month history to get an accurate score. You must have at least on account that has been open for at least 6 months and has activity in those six months.
Credit history is very important to be eligible to apply for a mortgage loan. If your score is low, there are ways that it can be raised, but not in a short amount of time. It is important to create credit habits that will make sure your credit score stays high at the time that you need it. What are some of the factors that are considered in your credit score?
The credit score is only interested in a borrower’s willingness to pay back the loan. It predicts the likelihood that the loan will get repaid based on the accumulation of the borrower’s past performance and current standing. Such information as savings, income or demographic data like nationality, race, religion, marital status, and gender are specifically left out of the credit profile. It is not meant to measure the borrower’s ability to repay the loan. For that, the lender looks at your debt-to-income ratio .
Your credit report does track both positive and negative activity in your history, such as when you make your payments, your current balances, your length of history and the type of credit you have. The number of inquiries and any legal action taken against you for non payment such as bankruptcy or a lawsuit. Late payments will reduce your credit score, but current history of timely payments will raise it.
Different weights are assigned to the various factors considered. For instance, FICO assigns thirty-five percent of your score to your payment history, thirty percent to your debt level, fifteen percent to the length of time span of your credit history, also fifteen percent to the type of loans such as installment versus revolving, and five percent to your credit score requests, which measure your level of pursuit after new credit.
Since this information is considered in most applications for credit, loans, mortgages and even insurance or employment, it is important that you maintain a high credit score and ensure an accurate credit report. To Get yours Now Click Here
How can I raise my credit score? Raising your credit score is a task that must be accomplished over time. The credit score is an assessment of credit history factors. Therefore, it is generally impossible to change your score during the short period of time you are applying for a loan. As such, it is important to be aware of the positive and negative variables that affect your rating so that you can improve your credit score before you need to use it as a tool to obtain a loan. You can improve your credit score a little each year (by as much as 50 points) by careful management of your credit obligations. Develop habits that promote good credit history (make payments on time, pay down cards leaving available balances, etc) Monitor all three credit reporting bureaus (to ensure accurate reports ) Obtain credit reports annually and request corrections in writing. Click Here to get yours. Negative Habits Don’t request a series of credit checks in a short period of time lenders presume unstable credit conditions. Don’t take on more credit than you can consistently manage. Don’t max out your credit cards Don’t spend beyond your ability to pay Don’t quit building credit because of a setback such as a bankruptcy, go to work re-establishing credit (even a small consumer loan allows you to rebuild a good payment history) Many lenders are more concerned with what you have done since a derogatory incident than what happened before, say, a bankruptcy. Don’t leave errors undisputed; request corrections in writing
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