Jim Kemish asked:


Understanding the World of Credit Scores

Most people are not aware that most credit scores sold online are not the same credit scores that lenders use in making lending decisions. The score used by lenders is called the FICO score and it is the only score that counts. Unfortunately, the companies that sell non-FICO scores do not make it clear that these scores may vary widely from real FICO scores. Worse yet, the three credit bureaus that provide FICO scores to lenders are among the worse offenders in selling non-FICO scores to consumers!

One Score Three Names

The FICO score has been re-branded by each of the three bureaus for their own marketing, hence you will hear of three scores, although they are all driven by the same software. Equifax calls it a BEACON score, TransUnion calls it an EMPIRICA score, and Experian calls it the EXPERIAN/Fair Isaac Risk Model. The scores may be different because each bureau gathers information from a slightly different mix of creditors. If you look at your three reports you will notice that some accounts are missing on each bureau. Timing also plays a roll. A recent change in your credit may be picked up sooner at one bureau than another. You can purchase your real FICO score at MyFico.com.

Improve Your Credit Score Fast

So what makes your FICO score tick? And what can you do about it? Here are a few strategies that everyone involved in the credit repair process should know.

Check Your High Credit Limits

The relationship between your current balance and the available credit limit on your revolving accounts has a major impact on your credit score. Every revolving account on your report should be examined. If the high credit limit is understated send a dispute letter to each of the three credit bureaus asking them to update the information. If you have extra cash, pay down those balances and watch your score go up!

Increase Your High Credit Limits

There is one additional course of action that you should consider that can also reduce the ratio of your current balance to your high credit limit. Call each and every credit card company and ask them to increase your limit. They may or may not agree, but you might be surprised. Please keep in mind that you are doing this to improve your credit. Having a higher credit limit does not mean that you should use it.

Check the Age of Your Accounts

New accounts count against your credit score. Conversely, the credit bureaus will reward you for the accounts that you have maintained over time. When reviewing your three credit reports be sure to look carefully at the initial reporting date for each revolving and installment account. If the age of the account is incorrect on your credit reports send dispute letters to the bureaus. This is a great credit repair trick and well worth the effort.

Resurrect an Old Account

It is not unusual to discover an account on your credit report that you forgot about years ago. If you don’t have much credit please don’t cancel the account. If you no longer have the card in your possession I suggest that you call the company and obtain a replacement card. When you get it you should make a small purchase. The exact algorithm used in the FICO score is a secret, but based on our observations it is best to have some occasional activity on a credit card.

Double Trouble! Eliminate Duplicates

Look at your credit reports carefully. If you see the same account more than once it is probably hurting your score unless it is over three years old with a perfect history and a low balance. If it does not meet these criteria get rid of it now! Collection agencies are notorious for causing duplicate reporting errors. Only one collection agency can own a debt at a time. Essential credit repair tip! If a collection agency no longer owns the debt they are not allowed to report it. That’s the law!

Post Bankruptcy Cleanup

If you have had a bankruptcy you should take action to clean up your credit with all three bureaus immediately upon receiving your discharge. If you don’t feel up to the task of dealing with the paperwork I suggest that you hire a reputable credit repair company. A reputable credit repair company will be inexpensive and be able to do this for you very quickly. If you don’t take action to clean up your credit report it will not happen by itself. A comprehensive post bankruptcy clean up can have a dramatic impact on your credit scores within as little a sixty days after your discharge.

Copyright © 2007 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Ken Black asked:


You need to know how credit scoring and your credit report works to get out of debt and improve your financial future. Here is what you need to know.

You may be wondering how some people can walk into a lending institution and get credit, or loans, while others that have the same income or job seem to get turned down or receive a higher interest rate. It is all about the risk factor and whether you are a safe risk, or a bad one, when you are being loaned money.

Creditors use a credit scoring system that gives them an idea of whether the person who wants to borrow money is likely to make their repayments, whether they have a history of not making repayments, or are likely to be unable to make the monthly repayments.

These credit scoring systems may go under several names. One of the most widely known credit scoring software applications is the FICO, or the Fair Isaac Corporation, and there are three variations of this software used by the three major credit reporting agencies.

What Exactly Is Credit Scoring?

Credit scoring is collected information about you and your credit history. Contained in a credit report is your bill paying history, as well as how many accounts that you already hold and what type they are. Things such as late payments, any collection actions taken against you, outstanding debts and how long you have had accounts are all considered. All of this information is compared with other consumers that fit the same profile as you to determine the type of risk that you are to the creditor.

The credit scoring system gives you points for each factor and the end result tells the creditor if you are likely to repay your debts. The total amount of your debt is then added up to give you a credit score. Your credit score is an indication on how likely you are to repay your debts and make your monthly repayments when they are due.

Find Out What What’s In Your Credit Report First - since you now know that everything in your credit report is vital to whether you are going to get the line of credit that you are applying for, it would make sense to get your credit report and take a look at what is in it.

Sometimes credit reporting agencies can make mistakes or place something on your report that is inaccurate. By checking your credit records for yourself, you can make sure that everything contained in it is true and accurate.

Before applying for anything, make sure that you obtain your credit report. An amendment in the federal fair credit reporting act now allows a consumer the opportunity to receive a free credit report when you request it, or at least each year.

You obtain your financial summary making a request to one or all of the major credit reporting agencies.

Read through your report and make sure that everything is accurate and you are happy with what has been included in the document. By reading through your report, you will also be able to see if there are good things or bad things listed on your report. This will have a bearing on whether you are likely to be given credit.

Why Credit Scoring Is Used, And Is It Fair?

Credit scoring is based on real information and statistics rather than the personal judgments of another person. Because of this, there is no variation in acceptance of a loan based on other things that are not statistically based facts. Different creditors often use different types of scoring models from agency to agency. Also, different models of the system are used for different lines of credit.

Under the equal credit opportunity act, no scoring systems are allowed to use race, sex, religion, marital status or a person’s country of origin to determine an individuals creditworthiness. Age is sometimes allowed as a scoring characteristic as long as the system is designed properly and those that are over a certain age are treated fairly and given the same opportunities as younger applicants.

If you are not given credit, or your application is denied, the creditor must provide you with the reasons why your application was rejected, either by notification, or by you asking the creditor within two months of being denied. A creditor must also give you a fair reason by law. The credit report system has been designed to make sure that creditors are as fair and objective as possible with those who are applying for financial assistance.

How To Improve Your Credit Score - credit score criterion can differ between creditors, but there are a few fundamentals that can be used to make sure that your credit is in good shape. These include things like:

-Paying your bills on time: Because your history is always taken into account when a credit score is determined, you can improve chances of acceptance by making sure that you have good statistics on paying bills and previous repayments.

-Evaluate your debts: Calculate your outstanding debts and compare them to your existing credit limits. If you are almost at capacity, consider reducing some of your debt before applying for more credit.

-What is your credit history: How long you have had a credit history is also important. If you haven’t had one for long, it can still work in your favor by having all of your payments made on time and low balances on your already existing credit.

-Have you made a lot of inquiries lately? This can have an effect on how your score is determined. Try to avoid applying for too many accounts, or lines of credit in a short time.

The best way to keep a good credit score, or start repairing your records, is to pay your bills on time and try to reduce some of the debt that you already have.

If you have damaged your credit score, it will take some time and perseverance, but, you will be able to repair your credit score as they are updated and subject to change over time with new information that is contained in your credit reports.

Floyd Dorrance asked:


When you think about “credit score”, what do you think of first? Which aspects of “credit score” are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

How do credit bureaus compute one’s credit scores?

A lot of credit reporting bureaus or agencies gathers information on the subject of the debtor’s credit history or files from reliable private and public sources. They also collect data from the creditors who extended the loan to the debtor.

Accordingly, the information is clustered into five sets or categories with the corresponding percentages which reflect the importance of each category in the final computation of scores, namely: (1) Owed Amount – 30%, (2) History of Payments – 30%, (3) Duration of Credit Record – 15%, (4) Nature or Kinds of Credit Currently in Use – 10%, and lastly (5) Latest Credit Inquiries – 10%.

Generally, these credit bureaus calculate the debtor’s credit score using a three figure number which range from 300 up to 850. The higher the credit score, the better chance of acquiring low interest rates for the loan being applied for and a better opening for wealth accumulation.

The industry of credit-scoring has been generating different opinions and wide-spread reactions to the public. The consumers fear that credit-based rating or scoring will pose a negative impact or unjust rating to them and will affect their economic standing and other financial transactions.

Some credit bureaus justify their purpose of gathering information and making credit rating or scoring. For them, their work is to help lending businesses formulate efficient economic decisions.

The information about “credit score” presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about “credit score” or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

Others create a distinction between the credit-based scores of insurance companies which predicts the loss of propensity and the credit scores which is simply to predict the worthiness of a certain person to pay.

A distinctive company should develop its own credit-base rating or scoring algorithm to serve better the consumers. Here are some of the strategies adopted in credit scoring:

1. Forming a Credit Assistance Group/Team – they are the quick response group that will assist consumers calling through toll-free numbers. The public would certainly like to know the effect of credit records to their application of loans, mortgage, employment and/or insurance transactions.

Also included to the team’s responsibility is the making of reports on the personal credit insurance of the consumers. This report will show the consumer’s variable score and the comparison with the aggregate scores

In addition, the team will consider previous credit records and the possible effect of extraordinary events which resulted to low scoring.

They will help the consumers by directing or referring them to the right people who will be of much help to them in taking good care of their credit problems. They will also help in correcting errors in the credit records of the concerned consumer.

2. Revising a New Method in Credit Scoring- this simplified method uses nine variables instead of the usual sixteen. Their algorithm will compute the credit scores by designating or assigning 100 as a foundation score. From these base score, they either add or minus making the range of score from 50 up to 250. The lower the score, the more desirable it is as credit scores.

3. For those consumers with no credit records or whose credit histories are lacking, they will create a program which will specifically cater to these groups of creditors to somehow uplift their credit ratings.

With the continued research and study on the needs of the consumers, these credit scoring bureaus will truly make a difference to the lending and/or insurance world.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in “credit score”. When people start looking for more information about “credit score”, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

Liz Roberts asked:


In the simplest terms your credit score is your credit history calculated in figures. There are many methods which can be used to calculate your credit score but the most common method is the FICO. FICO was developed by the Fair Isaac Company and is the preferred method used by most lending companies. Your credit score determines whether a lender will approve your application or not or whether a lender will give you less rates on your payments or not.

Credit scores or FICO scores generally range form a low of 340 to a high of 850. Ideally, you should aim for a score of at least 700 or more. If you get a score of 600 and below, creditors will likely consider you as a high risk borrower.

Knowing how your credit score or your FICO score is calculated will help you become more aware of your spending and your payment habits. Let’s consider the break-down of categories used to sum up your credit score.

What comprises your credit score?

35% of your credit score depends on how good of a payer you are. If you make it a point to pay all your bills promptly, you should have no problem obtaining the complete 35% of your credit score. However, if you’re in the habit of delaying or skipping payments, or if you defaulted on some of your debts, your credit score will also be affected.

30% of your credit score is calculated based on the level of your debts. Do you always maximize the use of your credit limit? Were there instances that you’ve even exceeded your credit limit? If so, then you’ll likely get a low score on your credit utilization. Hence, borrowers are advised to keep spending below their credit limit. As much as possible, keep your balances at least 50% lower or even less of your credit limit

15% goes to the length of your credit history. How long has it been since you started your credit report? The longer your length of credit history is, the better your score will be. This is because, the more information your creditors can get out of your credit report, the better they can gauge you as a borrower. This is why it is very important to establish a good credit report as early as you possibly can. Also, this is the reason why you should always think twice before closing accounts that you’ve had for a long time.

10% of your credit score is based on inquiries. If you’re in the habit of submitting credit card applications just for the heck of it, your credit score can be affected. Also, whenever a creditor denies your application, it can also have an impact on your FICO score. Thus, before submitting any application, see to it that you really intend to get an approval out of it.

The other 10% of your credit score is based on mix of credit. If you have a credit card account, a car loan, a mortgage loan and various types of insurance policies, it will show your flexibility and dependability as a creditor. If you’ve been able to manage all these different types of accounts without any problems on your payments, then you’ll likely get a perfect score on this category.

William Brooks asked:


You are shocked when your loan is denied, or maybe you were approved, but the interest rate is much higher than you anticipated. How can that be you say? My credit score is good, I know I checked. Maybe it’s not as good as you think. It all depends on there you got it and what kind of credit score it is.

The fact is there are several different credit scoring methods. Credit scores calculated from the same credit reports can differ substantially from credit scoring method to credit scoring method. So how can you ever know what your credit score really is? Well, luckily, 75% percent of lenders use FICO scores exclusively and you can purchase FICO scores yourself–you just have to know where to go. (www.myfico.com)

FICO credit scoring is a numeric method of scoring your credit worthiness developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Your credit score is a number between 300 and 850 that tells creditors how likely you are to pay your bills. The higher the number, the better it looks to potential lenders and creditors.

The three major credit bureaus each have their own version of the FICO score: Equifax uses the Beacon system, TransUnion uses the Empirica system, and Experian uses the Experian/Fair Isaac system. Despite each credit bureaus’ use of their own versions, all systems are based the original Fair Isaac FICO scoring method, so each credit score calculated with these systems are generally called FICO scores. However, although most lenders do use FICO scoring, some lenders may have their own scoring methods.

There is only one place where you can get your FICO score from all three bureaus and that is at www.myfico.com. If you order your credit score from anywhere else, again be aware that these scores are “FAKOs” (or “fake”) and can differ considerably from your FICO credit scores.

Adding to the confusion is the credit bureaus themselves. Recently, Experian revealed that the national average credit score of its consumers is 678. This is very misleading to the average consumer. When you buy your credit report and score directly from Experians website, you are getting what they call the “PLUS Score,” which is NOT a FICO score, and is NOT used by lenders anywhere. (Equifax is the exception–you can buy your FICO score directly from them at their website; however, the only place to get all three scores together is at www.myfico.com.) The 678 PLUS Score reported by Experian is actually the average of consumers’ PLUS Scores, not their FICO Scores.

Clearly, the PLUS Score (and all Non-FICO scores) are useless. Not only that, but such hype misleads consumers into purchasing their PLUS Score thinking that they are getting the same credit score that their lender will use. Non-FICO scores are worthless not matter what the credit bureaus or any website selling non-FICO scores claim. Even a few points difference in your credit score can mean confronting the reality of the loss of thousands of dollars out of youSr pocket–a loss that you probably didn’t plan for. The next time you want the most accurate credit score available, do yourself a favor and get the industry standard: the FICO credit score.