The Purpose Of A Credit Score
Before we dive deep into the factors that shape your credit score, it helps to understand why companies care about credit scores in the first place. Spoiler alert: Its all about the money.
The FICO Score, used by 90% of top lenders in the United States, analyzes the information on your credit report. Then, it predicts how likely you are to pay a bill 90 days late within the next 24 months.
FICO scoring models rank-order credit reports on a scale of 300 to 850. If your score falls on the higher end of that range, you have a good credit score. That higher score tells lenders youre less likely to fall seriously behind on credit obligations. If your score is low, the lender knows that the risk of you paying late is greater.
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Types Of Credit On Your Report
Two basic types of credit accounts exist, revolving accounts and installment loans. Having both types of accounts on your credit report is better for your credit score because it indicates you have experience managing various types of credit.
It’s even better if you have loans for different types of assets, such as a car or a home, in addition to credit cards, and maybe a student or personal loan. However, the types of credit only constitute 10% of your credit score, so not having a certain type of credit, such as an installment loan, won’t devastate your score.
The Biggest Credit Score Myths
Like any industry, credit and lending is always changing. As the economy fluctuates up and down and federal regulations change to provide new guidelines and protections for consumers, it’s no surprise that credit card issuers change the qualifications for their financial services and products. You’ve probably heard a lot of credit card myths from people who’ve been in the game for a long time. But the truth is you shouldn’t always listen to them.
Below, we outline some of the most persistent credit card myths and explain exactly what’s true for today’s credit card user.
- Myth 1: You should never close your oldest credit card
- Myth 2: You need a perfect credit score
- Myth 3: Carrying a balance helps your credit score
- Myth 4: Checking your credit score will lower it
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Why Credit Is Important
Think of credit as financial power. With credit you can make purchases today that give you a leg-up to advance your life. This could be by taking out a mortgage for a new house, or having the funds to purchase a new car as transport to your new job.
Using credit spreads out the costs of big purchases. Instead of forking out a huge chunk of money, you can pay for services and assets in installments, which have less impact on your budget.
Other reasons why credit is important include:
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Purchase protection: Purchase protection is insurance against items being lost or stolen for a certain period after you buy them. Several credit cards offer this.
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Cashback and rewards: Many credit providers offer rewards to customers. This could be in the form of air miles, or similar shopper loyalty points each time you use your credit.
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Convenience: Giving you access to finances today means you can make the purchases you want without having to wait for payday.
Adding to the above, one of the most important benefits of using credit is that it boosts your credit score . Improving your credit score in itself brings a plethora of benefits to be discussed later in this article. Before that, lets take a closer look at credit and find out how credit works.
Mcleod Russel Shares Tumble On Ratings Downgrade By Icra
Owing to the credit ratings downgrade by ICRA, Shares Mcleod Russe of l hit a 52-week low of Rs.19.80. The credit rating agency downgraded the companys long-term rating from ICRA AA- to lCRA A. Meanwhile, Mcleod Russels short-term ratings were downgraded from ICRA A1+ to ICRA A2+ with a long-term negative outlook.
The ratings were downgraded by ICRA as a result of deterioration in the companys profitability on account of lower price realisation on tea. This was mainly due to the rising production costs that have kept the capital structure stretched and debt coverage indicators under pressure. ICRA has also moved the ratings to the ‘Issuer Not Cooperating’ category due to non-submission of monthly ‘No Default Statement’ by the entity. The rating is now denoted as ICRA B- /ICRA A4 ISSUER NOT COOPERATING, the company added.
20 June 2019
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If You Are Approved You’ll Get Less Favorable Loan Terms
If you’re approved for credit, odds are you’ll receive less favorable terms, such as high interest rates or annual fees, compared to applicants with good credit. For example, one of Select’s best credit cards for bad credit, the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card, has a $35 annual fee though there are no annual fee options.
See our methodology, terms apply.
How A Credit Score Is Calculated
Its impossible to know exactly how much your credit score will change based on the actions you take. Credit bureaus and lenders dont share the actual formulas they use to calculate credit scores.
Factors that may affect your credit score include:
- how long youve had credit
- how long each credit has been in your report
- if you carry a balance on your credit cards
- if you regularly miss payments
- the amount of your outstanding debts
- being close to, at or above your credit limit
- the number of recent credit applications
- the type of credit youre using
- if your debts have been sent to a collection agency
- any record of insolvency or bankruptcy
Lenders set their own guidelines on the minimum credit score you need for them to lend you money.
If you have a good credit score, you may be able to negotiate lower interest rates. However, when you order your credit score, it may be different from the score produced for a lender. This is because a lender may give more weight to certain information when calculating your credit score.
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It Can Affect Your Finances
Financial institutions look at your credit report and credit score to decide if they will lend you money. They also use them to determine how much interest they will charge you to borrow money.
If you have no credit history or a poor credit history, it could be harder for you to get a credit card, loan or mortgage. It could even affect your ability to rent a house or apartment or get hired for a job.
If you have good credit history, you may be able to get a lower interest rate on loans. This can save you a lot of money over time.
What Does My Credit Score Mean
Your credit score is a number calculated based on the information gathered from your credit report. The higher this score is, the better is your chance of being approved for a loan or credit or even a mortgage at a reasonable rate..
Before a lender decides to offer you credit, they will usually look at the following information: such as your borrowing history, public court records, and linked financial data. Credit reference agencies in the UK, such as Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, have credit scales that you can use to check where you sit on that particular scale.
If you would like to find out more about a credit score of you or another business, you could use the help of DataGardener and discover your credit score in no time. Based on that, you can manage your overall finances or even take measures to boost your success rates of loan or credit approvals.
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How Credit Scores Work
A credit score can significantly affect your financial life. It plays a key role in a lender’s decision to offer you credit. People with credit scores below 640, for example, are generally considered to be subprime borrowers. Lending institutions often charge interest on subprime mortgages at a rate higher than a conventional mortgage in order to compensate themselves for carrying more risk. They may also require a shorter repayment term or a co-signer for borrowers with a low credit score.
Conversely, a credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good and may result in a borrower receiving a lower interest rate, which results in their paying less money in interest over the life of the loan. Scores greater than 800 are considered excellent. While every creditor defines its own ranges for credit scores, the average FICO score range is often used.
- Excellent: 800 to 850
- Fair: 580 to 669
- Poor: 300 to 579
Your credit score, a statistical analysis of your creditworthiness, directly affects how much or how little you might pay for any lines of credit you take out.
A persons credit score may also determine the size of an initial deposit required to obtain a smartphone, cable service or utilities, or to rent an apartment. And lenders frequently review borrowers’ scores, especially when deciding whether to change an interest rate or credit limit on a credit card.
What Is A Credit Score?
Why Arent My Credit Scores On My Credit Reports
Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act , were entitled to one free copy of each of our credit reports every 12 months from the three national credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
But credit scores arent a part of credit reports theyre calculated separately, based on the information in those reports.
Since credit scores arent a component of credit reports, they arent required by law to be given for free . There are also hundreds of different credit scoring models so which should be the free score that everyone can see?
As part of the credit report ordering process, each of the three credit bureaus will offer you the option to add a credit score when requesting your free annual credit reports for a fee.
The right to access your credit reports for free wasnt granted until 2003, with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act FACTA for short which officially amended the FCRA to give us the rights we know today. Still, the New York Times reported in 2018 that only 36% of consumers were checking their credit reports. But that was better than in 2014, which saw only 29%.
Before you cry foul at the unfairness of it all, things are getting better for the consumer. Thanks to amendments to the FCRA from the Dodd-Frank Act, consumers are entitled to see certain credit scores for free, but only when theyve been denied credit or received less attractive loan terms as a result of those scores. This is known as an adverse action notice.
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Whats In Your Credit Report
There are three major credit bureaus that produce and sell credit reports: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
You have a separate credit report from each of these companies, giving you three different credit reports in all. For the most part, the information in each report will be similar. But you might notice some differences because not all lenders report to the same credit bureaus.
Your personal and financial information will be laid out differently in each of your three reports there is no uniform formatting for credit reports. But theyll each contain the same general types of information about you and your credit history.
The following types of information will be included in your credit reports:
- Personal Identification Information
- Consumer Statements/Alerts/Disputes
In addition to the list above, youll also see a description of your rights as a consumer and contact information for the credit bureau.
Example Credit Reports
Before jumping into your own credit reports, you may find it useful to browse some simple examples. Follow the links below to get an idea of how your credit reports might look, although your reports may have updated layouts.
- Current and previous addresses and phone numbers
- Current and previous employers
- Other identifying information
Take a close look at your data to make sure everything is correct. Check the spelling, and make sure all numbers are accurate.
An example Personal Information section from a TransUnion sample credit report.
Good Credit Score: 670 To 739
Having a credit score between 670 and 739 places a borrower near or slightly above the average of U.S. consumers, as the national average FICO score is 711 as of October 2020. While they may still earn competitive interest rates, they are unlikely to command the ideal rates of those in the two higher categories, and it may be harder for them to qualify for some types of credit. For instance, if a borrower is looking for an unsecured loan with this score, its vital that they shop around in order to find the options that best suit their needs with the fewest drawbacks.
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Applying For Credit Cards In Order To Just Receive A Free Sign
Opening an account to get freebies such as filling out a credit card application just to get a free t-shirt, goofy hat, or official university credit card isn’t worth the risk. Most students don’t realize that applying for multiple credit cards in a short period of time may cause the credit bureaus to regard this as very risky behavior, which in turn drives their credit scores down.
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Your Credit Scores
Reading time: 3 minutes
- Learning the ins and outs of credit scores can be beneficial
- There are many different credit scores
- Negative information on your credit reports can impact your credit scores
Your credit scores can play a role throughout your life — like the process of buying a home, getting a job or determining what loans you’re offered — and at what terms. That’s why knowing the ins and outs of your credit scores can be essential to understanding your personal finances. How much do you know about your credit scores? Take our quiz and find out.
1. Which of the following most influences your credit scores?
A) Getting divorcedB) Having a credit application deniedC) A drop in salaryD) None of the above
D. While the items listed may influence your finances, they generally won’t have any effect on your credit scores. Income, marital status and denial of a credit application are not factors considered in calculating credit scores.
2. Do you have more than one credit score?
YES. Many people are surprised to find out they have more than one credit score. Your scores can vary for several reasons, including the company providing the credit score, the data on which the credit score is based and the credit scoring method being used. The types of credit scores used by lenders and creditors can also vary, based on the industry. You can find more information about how credit scores are calculated here.
3. Generally, which of the following most influences your credit scores?
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Improving Your Credit Score
Fair credit scores can’t be made into exceptional ones overnight, and bankruptcies, foreclosures and some other negative issues that contribute to Fair credit scores only resolve themselves with the passage of time. But no matter the cause of your Fair score, you can start handling credit more, which can lead in turn to credit-score improvements.
Seek a secured credit card. A secured card can benefit your credit score, even if you don’t qualify for traditional credit cards. Once you’ve confirmed that the lender reports card activity to the national credit bureaus, you put down a deposit in the full amount of your spending limittypically a few hundred dollars. When you use the card and make regular payments, those activities will be recorded in your credit files. And as long as you keep your usage rate on the card below about 30%, and stay on schedule with your monthly payments, they’ll help you build stronger credit.
Pay your bills on time. If you could do only one thing to improve your credit score, nothing would help more than bringing overdue accounts up to date, and avoiding late payments as you move forward. Do whatever you can to remind yourself to pay the bills on time: Use automatic payments, set calendar alarms, or just write yourself notes and pin them where’s you’ll see them. Within a few months you’ll train yourself in habits that promote higher credit-scores.
Among consumers with FICO® credit scores of 600, the average utilization rate is 78.2%.
More Bargaining Power On Interest Rates
Are you aware of the fact that the interest rates vary for different loans at different banks? Some people end up getting a better deal than others. A higher CIBIL score enables you to bargain with banks for a better rate or deal. You can easily compare the offers from lenders and authoritatively negotiate as creditworthy customers are assets for any financial institution.
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Are Statements Of Dispute A Good Idea
It can be very appealing for a consumer to tell his side of the story, especially when he feels like he has been wronged by a creditor or collection agency. Unfortunately, a Statement of Dispute is unlikely to have any impact whatsoever on a future lenders decisions on credit card and loan applications.
The right to add one of these consumer statements has been around for over 25 years, well before automated credit scoring and underwriting systems. The idea behind the consumer statement was to allow lenders to actually read them while considering your application. Today its rare that a lender will actually print and read through your credit reports, so the value of the consumer statement just isnt there any longer.
So it could just be a waste of time, but there are other, more practical reasons why you may not want to add certain consumer statements.
For example, if you add a general consumer statement explaining why you paid late on an old account, but that account then drops off your credit report, there will be no record of the late payment except your consumer statement. This could alert lenders to the late payment if they happen to read through your credit report, and could affect their decisions. In this case you should remove your consumer statement when the account in question drops off your reports.