Credit Scores Free

Have you ever wonder why your online application for credit can be approved in 60 seconds? Or get pre-qualified auto loan for a car without asking you how much is your income? Or why your interest rates on loans are different from the interest rates of your friends or neighbors?

Your credit scoring is the factor that affect all the above. It is your responsibility to main a good credit score. You will need to use it to get you a best available rate when come to apply for credit.

What is Credit Score?

Most of time credit score is refer as FICO score (Fair Isaac Corporation), it is a number based on the information in your credit file that shows how likely you are to pay a loan back on time, the higher your score, the less risky you are. You credit score is derived from three major credit bureaus: Exprian, Equifax and TransUnion. These 3 major credit bureaus will compile your credit report based on the information provided by the companies that gave your credit in the past. Based on the information such as your payment history, the length of your credit history and the type of credit your have and the amounts owed, the credit bureaus will generate your credit report. And based on your credit report, a number or scores will be assigned to you; this number will be range from 300 to 850. This magic number is your credit score, the higher the number the better you are.

When Your Credit Score Count?

Your credit score will play an important part when comes to applying loans or other credits, it may save you a significant of interest if you are have good credit score. When you apply for mortgage, car loan, business loan or credit card, the lender or credit company will assess how risky you are as a potential borrower, the higher your score, the less risk you pose to the lender and the more likely you will get a better interest rate for application.

You will be offered at a relatively low rate if your credit score is above 700 and if your credit score is above 760, you will get the best available rates because you are the lowest risk borrower at this high of credit score. You loan will be approved with high loan rates if your credit score is below 600, and if your credit score is really bad, you may be not be able to borrow at all.

Maintain High Credit Score

Now you know how important your credit score is and when it becomes important and you can use it as a tool to save cash. Hence, it is important for you to maintain your credit score at high level. Things that you can do to increase your credit score include:

Pay your bills on time
Keep balances low on credit cards
Dont open a number of new credit cards that you dont need
Have credit cards – but manage them responsibly

In Summary

Credit score is not just a number, it is a tool that you can control and use to save cash. It will become important whenever you need credits and it is an important factor to be considered by any financial organization before they approve your credit application. Hence, keep your credit score all time high.

It is hard to watch television these days without hearing about credit scores. If you are not looking to get a loan or credit card, you may be wandering whether or not they are important. Your credit score is important, regardless of whether or not you plan on applying for a credit card or loan. In this article I will explain what a credit score is and why it is important.

What Is A Credit Score?

Your credit score will determine whether or not you’ll be approved for a mortgage loan, and how high your interest rate will be. Your credit score will also determine the cost of your car insurance. Even certain jobs, which you apply for, will require you to have good credit. Having a low score will make things much more expensive, and you may find that some companies won’t hire you. The easiest way to get a good score is to make sure you’re responsible with making your payments on time. It is also important to understand what is used to calculate the score.

Calculating Your Total

The type of different loans you have makes up about 10% of the score. If you don’t have an established credit history, the number of different accounts you have will be considered. Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. The number of different accounts you make payments on is considered, as well as number of late or missed payments you have. Any liens, bankruptcies, or judgments will be reviewed, and this information will be used to factor in your score. Services such as furniture rentals and car loans are included as well as credit cards.

The total amount owed makes up about 30% of your credit score. The number of accounts you have and the amounts you owe on all of them are reviewed. The closer you are to maximizing out your loans, the more likely it is that your credit score will be lower. How much you have paid back on your loans is also taken into consideration. The age of your credit history makes up about 15% of your credit score. If you have a long credit history your score will be higher if you don’t have any negative marks in the past. The last factor that makes up your credit score is called new credit.

New Agreements

New credit refers to the number of new loans you have opened recently, and makes up about 10% of your credit score. The number of request you’ve made for credit cards or loans is also computed. Now that you know all of the things that are used to calculate your score, what can you do to improve it?

What You Can Do To Improve

One of the things you can do is make sure all of your bills are paid on time. If you are too busy to make sure your bills are paid on time, set up automatic payments so that the money is debited from your account on the day it is due. You also want to make sure you don’t open too many accounts within a short period of time. It is also important to keep your balance low in proportion to the total amount of credit available on the loan. You should owe 25% less than the total available credit on your loan or credit card.

It is also better to pay off your credit card instead of moving over the balance to a card that has a lower interest rate. Constantly moving around your balances can cause your score to become lower, because the total amount you owe could fluctuate if you close certain accounts.

Nevertheless, scoring models usually consider the following types of information in your credit report to help compute your credit score:

Have you paid your bills on time? You can count on payment history to be a significant factor. If your credit report indicates that you have paid bills late, had an account referred to collections, or declared bankruptcy, it is likely to affect your score negatively.

Are you maxed out? Many scoring systems evaluate the amount of debt you have compared to your credit limits. If the amount you owe is close to your credit limit, its likely to have a negative effect on your score.

How long have you had credit? Generally, scoring systems consider the length of your credit track record. An insufficient credit history may affect your score negatively, but factors like timely payments and low balances can offset that.

Have you applied for new credit lately? Many scoring systems consider whether you have applied for credit recently by looking at inquiries on your credit report. If you have applied for too many new accounts recently, it could have a negative effect on your score. Every inquiry isnt counted: for example, inquiries by creditors who are monitoring your account or looking at credit reports to make prescreened credit offers are not considered liabilities.

How many credit accounts do you have and what kinds of accounts are they? Although it is generally considered a plus to have established credit accounts, too many credit card accounts may have a negative effect on your score. In addition, many scoring systems consider the type of credit accounts you have. For example, under some scoring models, loans from finance companies may have a negative effect on your credit score.
Scoring models may be based on more than the information in your credit report. When you are applying for a mortgage loan, for example, the system may consider the amount of your down payment, your total debt, and your income, among other things.

Improving your score significantly is likely to take some time, but it can be done. To improve your credit score under most systems, focus on paying your bills in a timely way, paying down any outstanding balances, and staying away from new debt.

Are credit scoring systems reliable?

Credit scoring systems enable creditors or insurance companies to evaluate
millions of applicants consistently on many different characteristics. To be statistically valid, these systems must be based on a big enough sample. They generally vary among businesses that use them.

Properly designed, credit scoring systems generally enable faster, more accurate, and more impartial decisions than individual people can make. And some creditors design their systems so that some applicants those with scores not high enough to pass easily or low enough to fail absolutely are referred to a credit manager who decides whether the company or lender will extend credit. Referrals can result in discussion and negotiation between the credit manager and the would-be borrower.

What if I am denied credit or insurance, or dont get the terms I want?
If you are denied credit, the ECOA requires that the creditor give you a notice with the specific reasons your application was rejected or the news that you have the right to learn the reasons if you ask within 60 days. Ask the creditor to be specific: Indefinite and vague reasons for denial are illegal. Acceptable reasons might be your income was low or you havent been employed long enough. Unacceptable reasons include you didnt meet our minimum standards or you didnt receive enough points on our credit scoring system.

Sometimes you can be denied credit or insurance or initially be charged a higher premium because of information in your credit report. In that case, the FCRA requires the creditor or insurance company to give you the name, address, and phone number of the consumer reporting company that supplied the information. Contact the company to find out what your report said. This information is free if you ask for it within 60 days of being turned down for credit or insurance. The consumer reporting company can tell you whats in your report; only the creditor or insurance company can tell you why your application was denied.

If a creditor or insurance company says you were denied credit or insurance because you are too near your credit limits on your credit cards, you may want to reapply after paying down your balances. Because credit scores are based on credit report information, a score often changes when the information in the credit report changes.

If youve been denied credit or insurance or didnt get the rate or terms you want, ask questions:

Ask the creditor or insurance company if a credit scoring system was used. If it was, ask what characteristics or factors were used in the system, and how you can improve your application.

If you get the credit or insurance, ask the creditor or insurance company whether you are getting the best rate and terms available. If youre not, ask why.

If you are denied credit or not offered the best rate available because of inaccuracies in your credit report, be sure to dispute the inaccurate information with the consumer reporting company.

Equifax is one of the top credit reporting bureaus and is well-versed in calculating your credit score based upon your credit history. Your credit score helps lenders to determine if you a credit worthy and your credit score can keep you from getting a loan from a lender.

To determine your credit score, Equifax uses a mathematical equation on information that is gathered from your credit file. This equation compares is against patterns seen on other files. The range of credit scores go from 300 to 850 and the higher it is, the better it is. As your information changes on your credit report, so will your credit score. It is very unlikely for some one to have the same score from month to month.

Equifax looks at many factors to determine your credit score. The following are just some of the factors that help them to calculate your score.

Payment History-If you have late payments reported on current or past accounts, these will lower your score.

Credit Owed-If you owe too much on your available credit, it will affect your score, especially if you are maxed out or close to it.

Credit History-How long youve had credit will also affect your score. If youve only had credit for a few months compared to several years, youre credit score will be affected.

Inquiries-If youve applied for credit with several lenders and creditors, it may lower your score.

Judgements, Bankruptcies, Collections-Any accounts that have been sent to collection or you have been taken to court on, including bankruptcy, will lower your score.

These, of course, are only a few of the factors that will influence your credit score.

If your credit score is not where you want it to be, there are ways that you can improve it.
The most important thing you can do to increase your credit score, however, is to pay your bills on time. If you do have a circumstance that you can not pay your bills, make sure you include a letter of explanation. This will be included on your credit report an calculated toward your credit score.

When it comes right down to it, we are just a number. There used to be a time when people applying for a loan would be judged by the Three Cs; namely, Credit, Collateral, and Character. Yes, there was a time that you could get a loan just because the banker liked you.

Times have changed. With the age of technology, everything has become impersonal, including the lending business. The Three Cs have been reduced to one: Credit Score. Your best chances of obtaining a loan, then, depend on your understanding of this vaunted number.

Your credit report is a report card of how well you manage your debts. Like your grades in school, the higher your score, the better your chances of success.

Scores range from 300 to 800, with most credit reports scoring in the range of 480 to 760. There are three major credit reporting agencies. They are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each of these three credit bureaus has its own proprietary formula for calculating your credit score.

Similar to being judged at a figure skating competition, each bureau has its own interpretation of your performance as a borrower. Factors that go into calculating a credit score include your payment history, the quantity of your open accounts, the ratio between your credit limits and outstanding balances, and lender inquiries to name a few.

How does your score work in terms of getting a mortgage? Different mortgage companies have different ways of interpreting your score. Commonly, for example, youll find lenders referring to the middle score. Upon looking at your credit reports, you might find, hypothetically, that Experian gave you a score of 630, TransUnion 610, and Equifax 634.

In this case, your middle score is 630, and would be the basis on which your creditworthiness is judged. In essence, the high and low scores would be thrown out and disregarded. Note that not all lenders work this way. Some will take only your lowest score, some will take only your highest, and some might consider a combination or average of the three.

The important thing to remember is that your score is only a number, a common denominator to which everyone can relate. Just like the weather, everyone can relate in terms of the degree of temperature. However, the interpretation is relative. For example, 80 degrees might be considered hot to one person, and it might seem cold to another. Similarly, a score of 630 might be considered good credit by some lenders and bad credit by others.

With all these different interpretations and variables, one thing is for absolute certain. Having the highest credit score possible is your very best bet. The ramifications of having a high credit score are enormous. With a high score, you can qualify for lower interest rates, lower down payment requirements, and faster loan processing times among other numerous benefits. In other words, it can NEVER work against you to have the highest possible credit score. With it, you can achieve savings of time and money that translates into thousands of pounds per year, every year.

Whether you are applying for a credit card, a car loan, or a mortgage, one of the first things that lenders will look into is your credit score.

What is a credit score?

This is a whole bunch of numbers arrived at by calculating such factors as:

* Payment history
* Amounts owed
* Length of credit history
* New credit
* Types of credit used

Credit scores are released by the three credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union each of which provide different scores, based on different factors and credit rating systems. As such, each person actually has more than one credit score.

How important is your credit score?

When lenders let you borrow money, this actually translates to an investment on their part. They collect from the interest as well as the principal. However, like all investments, lending money involves certain kinds of risk. For instance, a borrower may miss out on his monthly obligations, or he may file for bankruptcy. If either of this happens, the lender will have lost in his investment.

So to minimize the risk of loss, lenders want to know as early as possible whether you are a good investment or not that is, whether you are a good borrower who pays his monthly obligations regularly. One way for a lender to determine the likelihood of a borrower to repay his obligation is to get a hold of his credit score.

The credit score released by any of the three credit bureaus reflects how good an investment you are. Each score is based on information that the credit bureaus keep on file about you. Based on such score, the lenders will be able to calculate how much and what loan terms (interest rates, down payments, etc.) they will offer you at any given time.

Thus, low credit scores generally mean higher interest rates and more stringent requirements for approval of your loan application. On the other hand, high credit scores generally mean lower interest rates and lower monthly repayments.

Is credit scoring really necessary?

There are many instances where the importance of credit scoring is stressed. For one, the availability of credit scores helps people get loans faster. Since scores can be delivered quickly, lenders can then approve loans faster.

Another advantage to having the credit scoring system is that decisions involving credits are fairer. Lenders can now base their decisions on facts, not on personal feelings or factors like gender, race, religion, nationality, and marital status, thus reducing discrimination in credit approval processes.

Since lenders can now approve loans faster, this translates to more credit available. The less time it takes them to mull through each loan application means more loans getting approved, since credit scores gives them more precise information on which to base their decisions.

Your credit score will tell lenders how likely you are going to pay your bills. As such, the credit score becomes their basis whether they should approve your credit application or not. That is why it is extremely important that you keep tabs of your credit score scales. The better your score, the higher chance you have of getting approved for a loan and the better interest rates the lender is willing to offer. Whereas, the lower your score, the more likely you wont get approved for a loan.

How are Credit Score Scales Calculated?

Credit score scales are calculated through a complex mathematical algorithm using factors generally involved in making credit decisions. These factors include payment history, credit history, credit available, existing or current debts, bankruptcies if any, among others.

Who Evaluates Your Credit?

The top three credit bureaus that report credit score scales to banks and other lending institutions are Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. All three are private companies that assign value to your credit rating based on information found in your credit report. The factors used to calculate the scores are basically the same. However, since these companies use their own unique system of credit score scales, your credit scores and reports may vary from company to company.

Moreover, some lenders do not rely solely on the credit score scales released by these three credit bureaus. They may have their own system of analyzing future credit performance that affect how they are going to approve your credit application with them.

The First Credit Score Scale

Regardless, the most common credit score scale system used (and the first ever) by credit reporting agencies is the FICO score, developed by Fair Isaac Corp. The FICO score has a credit score scale of 300-850 with 720 and above considered as good scores meaning, credit worthy. However, this does not mean that those who are scoring below 720 have no chance of getting credit, since lenders may still approve credits even if the applicants have low credit scores.

Why Credit Score Scales are Important

Credit score scales make it easier for lenders to make fast decisions concerning loan approvals. Since the scores represent the most precise information they need, they can make accurate decisions based on these scores much faster.

Faster loan approval process benefits the consumer. Because lenders will spend less time mulling over one application, they can accept more applications for credits and approve more people. Of course, your chances of getting approved for a loan or a mortgage are dependent on whether you have a good credit score scale. Many lenders will charge higher interest rates if your credit score is lower than average.