Five Factors That Determine Your Credit Score

By Mary R. Joyce


FICO scores, the credit scores lenders use to evaluate a loan application contain a complex set of algorithms to arrive at their mythical number. Anything above 740 can be considered excellent credit while scores below 620 can be low enough to deny someone a mortgage. What is the best way to keep credit scores high? FICO scores use five main ingredients when composing a score, with different weight being placed upon the different categories. Those categories are:Payment History,Available Credit,Length of Credit,New Credit/Inquiries,Types of Credit,While no one but the folks at FICO know exactly how these five categories interact with each other to produce a score, we do know that Payment History and Available Credit amount to nearly two-thirds, 65 percent to be exact, of the calculation of a score.

As obvious as it seems, paying your bills on time is very important. Something as simple as one 30-day late payment can stay on your credit report for 7 years. A late mortgage payment can hold you back from obtaining a loan for a year or mean the difference between a great interest rate and a poor interest rate. Also weighted heavily are collections, charge-offs, judgments and bankruptcies. These types of issues generally affect your credit rating in the most negative way. It is certainly possible to have these issues corrected in time. The important thing is to become knowledgeable about your credit in order to correct these issues as well as prevent them from occurring in the future.

Maintaining low balances contributes to the second largest factor in your credit score. As a good rule of thumb, it is a good idea to owe approximately 10% of your total credit limits. For instance, if you have a $1,000 line of credit, you should maintain a low balance of $100 on any given month. Owing too much money on accounts shows that you are a risk factor and are unable to pay account balances down. Creditors want to deal with consumers who can show restraint and discipline with credit lines. You want to show creditors that you are responsible and will pay them off in time. You don't want to show that you have a high dependence on credit.

What Exactly is a Credit Score? A credit score is a number of 3 digits that lenders use as an indicator of your capacity to meet financial obligations such as mortgage payments, car payments, credit card bills, loan repayment, etc. It basically tells lenders how likely you are to pay your debts.It is usually a number between 300 and 850. The higher the credit score, the less risky you are to lenders. And the less risky you are to lenders, the better interest rates you will get. Also, the higher your credit score is, the more chances you have in getting a loan. Sounds simple right?

There are professional people in the marketplace that specialize in improving your credit scores. It pays to work with these people and get your credit scores raised. Just an increase of one percentage point on your loan of $500,000 can save approximately $20,000 per year.Our credit score can mean the difference between being denied or approved for credit, and a low or high interest rate. A credit rating score can help you qualify for an apartment rental, loan for new home, furniture, new car or even a credit card.Any kind of individual who needs to apply for a major card or financing will have to abide by the rules and regulations required by the creditor. A crucial element for any kind of loan to be authorized is your credit rating score.A FICO score is the determining factor with lenders whether you will be approved for a loan or not. Your existing credit score in addition to your previous credit history is considered in developing a current credit score.

Every nation has a typical credit guideline to follow to determine the nation's average score. The United States has a national average score somewhere between 580 to 680. You will most likely be granted higher credit limits if you have a high credit score between 720 to 800.Given that the credit rating is highly essential for you to obtain credit as well as balance the nationwide average credit rating, there are things you should do.

A good tip to remember: multiple inquiries in a short period of time are calculated as only one inquiry. This allows consumers to shop around for good interest rates without being penalized. For this reason, it is a good idea to shop around for an auto or mortgage loan within a short period of time, such as two weeks.It is okay to check your own credit, as personal inquiries do not have a negative impact on your credit. Personal inquiries on your credit can't be seen by any creditor as well. The only type of inquiry that affects or contributes to the 10% are those inquiries done by creditors and not your own inquiries.

Amounts Owed (30%),Amounts owed represent 30% of your credit score. It refers to the amount of debt you have in comparison to your credit limits. This is also called the "debt to credit ratio" and it works like this:Let's say you have $10,000 available and you only owe $3000, then your ratio is 30%. So the formula for the "debt to credit ratio" is: your debt divided by your available. The lower the ratio, the better for your score,Important: If you have a high ratio, don't apply for more available credit to lower it. It will only hurt your score even more so please don't do that.Credit Length (15%),Credit length represents 15% of your score. The longer your history is the better for your score. This is based on the assumption that your past financial habits are likely to be the same in the future. And if you have a long history, the bureaus can see exactly what your financial behavior is.

New Credit (10%),The application for new credit represents 10% of your credit score. Every time you apply for new credit, an inquiry is added to your credit report. This inquiry hurts your score, because it tells the bureaus that you are in the need for more money.Also, taking new credit will bring down the average length of your credit accounts. This is because now the new credit account is taken into consideration to calculate the average length.Credit Types (10%),The types of credit that you have represent 10% of your score. It's good to have different types of credits because it shows the lenders that you have experience managing different credit accounts.

Avoid credit cards,Warren buffet said that the first step to being rich is getting rid of your credit cards. A credit card is a permanent loan from the lending institution. Whenever you use it, you are charged interest therefore making your purchases convenient but expensive.There is no price tag that can be put on the harm the credit card does to your credit score and this story is true for everyone who has one. Credit cards promote impulse buying and misuse of money that increases your debt and lowers your credit rating. Get rid of your existing ones and cancel any new applications.Dedication carry's the day,Nothing good comes easy but improving your debts is something you should not take lightly. It is not going to be easy, it might call for a lifestyle shift, but just like education, the fruits will be sweet.




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