Understanding Credit Scores
If you’ve tried to take out a loan or open a new credit account recently, you know that the days of easy credit are long gone. Lenders, insurers, landlords and even some employers are more diligently overlooking your credit history to see if you’re a worthwhile risk.
A low credit score can cost a small fortune over the course of a lifetime. It’s harder to qualify for a mortgage, you’ll need a bigger down payment and you’ll pay a higher interest rate, which adds up over time. Someone with poor credit might pay an extra $100,000 in interest over the life of a typical 30-year, $300,000 mortgage.
Similarly, someone with a poor score could pay an additional $10,500 in interest on a 60-month, $25,000 auto loan. Credit card interest rates can be 10 or more percentage points higher and credit limits are typically a lot smaller.
Upon request from you or a potential lender (and, increasingly, employers and landlords), bureaus assemble a report showing your credit history to date. Among other things, it contains a summary of open and closed accounts, outstanding balances, recent inquiries and negative items (late/missed payments, bankruptcy, tax liens, etc.)
When you apply for new credit, the lender will ask a credit bureau to compile a three-digit credit score, based on information in your credit report – essentially a snapshot of your credit profile at that moment. The lender uses your credit score to supplement its own selection criteria to determine whether you are worth the credit risk.
Five factors are used to determine your credit score: payment history (typically around 35% of your score), amount owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), newly opened credit accounts (10%), and types of credit used (10%). These five categories might be weighted differently depending on your individual circumstances.
A good strategy is to rotate ordering a free report from one bureau every four months; that way, you can keep year-round tabs on what’s being reported about you. You can also order individual credit scores for around $15.
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June 16, 2011 | Posted by Takara Alexis
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