Archive for the ‘check fico score’ Category

Know Your Credit: Steps to Take Before You Apply for a Mortgage

By: admin
Published: March 6th, 2010

Your credit rating is one of the most important numbers in your life – it determines whether you will qualify for and how good an interest rate you will receive on car loans, store cards and credit cards, as well as a mortgage. Many financial advisers may tell you that it is essential to have a good credit score before you can even think of applying for a mortgage, and that it may take up to six months (and sometimes even longer) to fix poor credit.

Once you apply for a mortgage, the lender accesses your credit report, which is based on information supplied by the three main credit-reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Your credit score should be somewhere between 300 and 850; this score is based on factors such as the length of your credit history, your available credit, the amount of credit you have used, and employment history. This number is your FICO score (named for the Fair Isaac Reporting Company).

Mortgage lenders look at several risk factors when deciding whether to approve a mortgage. A potential home buyer who pays all their bills on time and does not have more credit than they can deal with is probably a safe risk when it comes to lending them the cost of a home. The higher your credit score, the more options and better interest rates you can quality for. A score of 760 or over is considered risk-free by the mortgage industry; a score between 600 and 700 is still good.

A credit score of less than 500 means that it may be difficult to find a lender who will work with you, although it is not impossible. Some lenders – known as sub-prime lenders – specialize in loans to buyers with poor credit, although your interest rate may almost certainly be higher. Some other options are to increase your down payment if possible, or to apply for an FHA or VA loan, which use different criteria to qualify borrowers.

So what should you do if you are buying a house, but do not have the best credit in the world? Amazingly, around 25% of credit reports have serious errors in them which can significantly affect the interest rate you are offered – so the first thing you should do is to check yours and make sure it is accurate. It is fairly easy to fix any mistakes on a credit report, although it can take several months, so it is a good idea to check your report before even beginning the house buying process.

Think twice about buying a new car if your credit is less than excellent – the amount of credit given to you can affect your score and the interest rate you are offered. Unless your credit is excellent, try to wait and buy the car – or any big purchase – after you have closed on your new home. You may consider buying a second hand car or paying an existing car loan off earlier, if possible. Buying a home and then buying the car should not affect your credit rating, by the way.

If you have several credit cards, try to get the account balances down as much as you can before you apply for a mortgage – ideally, to around 30% of their limits. Better still, just do not use one or more of your cards, although you should still keep the accounts open to prevent losing points and to show that you still have available credit. It is also worth calling your credit card company to inquire about lowering the interest rate and to remove any late or skipped payment records.

Try to keep at least one long standing credit account – if you have had a credit card for several years, keep that one. Lenders approve of borrowers who have a long credit history and can show some stability. If you have department store credit, try to pay this off and keep an actual credit card. You may see an improvement in your credit score if you go for several months without applying for any new credit or loan; although checking your own credit score will not affect it.

Paying your bills on time also helps build up your credit score. We all miss a payment occasionally, but you should not do it too often. Lenders are looking for a record of timely payments and stability; in fact, this is the single biggest factor when it comes to your credit score. If you know you are going to be late paying a bill, notify the lender involved – this may allow you to keep the late payment from affecting your credit score.

If you are planning to buy a house, it is worth taking the time to understand how the system works – especially when an interest rate of just one point less can mean a savings of around $50,000 on the average 30-year mortgage.

mike cole
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/know-your-credit-steps-to-take-before-you-apply-for-a-mortgage-713649.html

How to Boost Your Credit Scores Fast

By: admin
Published: February 28th, 2010

You Can Control Your Credit Scores

In a moment I will share some easy and practical ways to boost your credit scores. But before getting into these powerful credit repair techniques let’s review a few facts. You might be surprised.

Phony Credit Score Alert

There are many reasons to check your credit scores; occasional monitoring, credit repair preparation, or in advance of making loan application. Most people that decide to check their credit scores on the web end up at one of the three credit bureau websites. The three major credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and they all offer credit scores. Oddly enough, these credit bureau scores are not the same scores lenders use.

Think about this for a second. Say that you will be applying for a loan in the near future and want to see where you stand. You go online and buy your scores from Experian and they look great. So, off you go to get your loan, happy and confident. And the lender runs your credit and tells you that your scores are too low. In fact he shows you your scores and they are completely different from the scores you purchased from Experian. Get the picture. Crazy, huh? What’s up with this?

FICO is the Score that Counts

Lenders use a credit scoring formula developed by Fair Isaac Corp called the FICO score. The three major credit bureaus provide these FICO scores to lenders, either directly, or through credit resellers. But if you or I purchase our scores from the credit bureaus we get something altogether different; we get the credit bureau’s proprietary scores, which can be radically different from the FICO scores lenders see.

The reason is money. The credit bureaus make millions by selling these numbers which consumers erroneously believe are the real deal. This is a sadly deceptive business, and completely indefensible. There is only one place where you can get genuine FICO scores, MyFICO.com, the Fair Isaac website. No one else sells the genuine scores to consumers. Enough said. Let’s do a little credit repair.

The Power of Balance Reduction

Recent FICO score modifications have put an increased emphasis on credit card balances. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Way too many people have been blindsided by precipitous drops in their scores due to high card balances. As crazy as it seems you can now have an immaculate payment history and have a crappy credit score. That’s right, even a full decade of perfect credit will not offset the terrible effect of a maxed out balance. Here’s the deal.

FICO measures the relationship between your balance and your limit. Specifically there are five trigger points to be aware of: 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 percent usage. The lower the better, and if you go over the 100 percent mark you can expect a drop of 100 points in your score. Ouch. Anyway, the good news is that when you pay your balances down, your score will go up. If you want real score improvement, get your balances under the 20 percent mark and watch the credit repair magic happen. You’ll love it.

Authorized User Accounts

Have your mom call one of her credit card companies and ask them to add you to her account as an authorized user. She should tell them that she wants you to have a card in case of emergencies. About 60 days later the account will show up on your credit report and the entire credit history of the card will be included in the calculation of your credit score. You do not have to use the card; in fact you can give it back to your mom when you get it.

This little credit repair trick can really boost your credit scores quickly. Just make sure that the history on the card is excellent. There would be no point in adding yourself to a bad card. And, as a little caveat, don’t even think about purchasing an authorized card status online. The latest release of the FICO formula includes a block on purchased card memberships, so it would be a waste of money.

Consult a Credit Repair Expert

If you want more powerful credit repair tips that can really pump up your scores pick up the phone and call a professional. A credit repair professional will evaluate your three credit reports and customize a plan just for you. Credit score optimization can pay amazing dividends and is worth every bit of effort you put into getting it done right. Make the call today.

Copyright © 2008 Ian Webber. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Ian Webber
http://www.articlesbase.com/credit-articles/how-to-boost-your-credit-scores-fast-670927.html

Check Your Credit Report After Bankruptcy

By: admin
Published: February 25th, 2010

After you move on from your bankruptcy, there is definitely a strong sense of relief. A new page in the book of your life can be turned and you’re ready to get started on the right foot. Before you do anything though, you must make sure your credit report does not reflect any of our outstanding debts that existed before your bankruptcy.

Receive copies of your credit report from all 3 major credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian and you can ordeer them free at least once a year. After you receive the reports, take the time to go over each of them and make sure that all of your old debt you had prior to filing for bankruptcy has been removed. It is very common that people will find debts that should have been discharged during bankruptcy, but may still be listed on your credit report.

If you find old debts on your credit reports, you will need to write a letter to the credit reporting agencies to get them to remove the erroenous charges. If you’ve written a letter and haven’t heard back, don’t be afraid to call and make sure that they received your information.

Bankruptcy in itself will lower your credit score (also known as your FICO score) depending on your past credit history and the severity of your bankruptcy. So it is important that you take the time to remove the incorrect charges on your credit report and you can quickly be on the way to improving your score. Follow these steps, control your spending and you could be back on your way to getting a credit score in the 600 and 700’s.

Chad Fisher
http://www.articlesbase.com/bankruptcy-articles/check-your-credit-report-after-bankruptcy-732472.html

No Credit Check Payday Loans: Catering to Your Urgent Monetary Needs

By: admin
Published: February 22nd, 2010

A broken vehicle, unpaid bill raising its hood, paying for the much needed medical attention, the burgeoning tuition fee, these are some of the expenses we do not pay adequate attention to, while planning our budget for the month. But they need to be taken care off; else they can further aggravate the problems. Getting loans to cover them up is not an ordeal these days. And No credit check Payday Loans is the most important and sought after loans to cater to urgent monetary needs.

No Credit Check Payday Loans are loans of small amounts advanced against your next paycheck. It is unsecured so you don’t have to be deterred by the part about collateral. It is a loan that has done away with the whole process of credit checking and is available in spite of the following credit status:

· Bad credit caused by arrears, defaults, unpaid bills, IVA and bankruptcy

· Low credit score (below 580 for FICO)

· No credit history.

These loans only require that you are a salaried adult earning more than $1000 and also that you have a valid checking account. If you easily fulfill these criteria, then you only have to fill an application form and the loan will be wired into your account directly in a short period of time.

These loans grant loan amounts in the range of $100-$1500. Being short term loans, their repayment period may last for 2-4 weeks from the date of loan issuance.

No Credit Check Payday Loans is formulated for fast service. Although you can get comparatively cheap rates by comparing quotes of different lenders, take these loans only when you absolutely can’t do without them.

Johnty Flemming
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/no-credit-check-payday-loans-catering-to-your-urgent-monetary-needs-714943.html

Average Consumers: Fico Score Too Low for Good Rates

By: admin
Published: February 19th, 2010

Your FICO score determines the interest rate you’ll pay for a home mortgage or a car loan – the higher the score, the better the rate offered. But the minimum score to obtain the best rates has gone up, while the average consumer’s score has remained static.

According to John Ulzehimer of Credit.com, the average credit score is 690. Not long ago, consumers only had a short jump – to 720 – to receive the best interest rates. Many could accomplish that by removing errors and making a few changes in their credit usage.

No more. As we head into 2009 the minimum score to get the lowest interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is 760, while a 15-year home equity loan requires a score of 740. You can still get the best rates on a 36-month auto loan with a score of 720.

Attaining these scores will take a bit more effort on the part of consumers, but is well worth the time and trouble for anyone contemplating the purchase of a car or a home.

The very first step is to get a copy of your credit report – with scores. The “scoreless” reports that Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union are required to provide each year are useful, but limited. If you don’t know where you stand now, you won’t know how far you need to go.

Upon receiving your reports, look first for errors. According to a 2004 study from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, 25% of all credit reports have an error that could result in a lower credit score.

When you find an error, contact each company reporting it and follow their procedures for getting it removed. And be polite – remember that while a data entry error can occur at any time, they’re probably just reporting data that’s been supplied to them.

One error you might see is an incorrect address. This is a red flag that signals possible identity theft, so investigate immediately. If identity theft has occurred, you’ll need to report it and get started repairing the damage as fast as possible.

While you’re working on these steps, do begin taking other steps to raise your scores. This includes paying down existing debt, asking creditors for increased credit lines, and even “piggybacking” with someone who has a very high score.

“Piggybacking” was eliminated under the original provisions of FICO 08, but has returned due to uproar from consumers. Piggybacking simply means being added as an authorized user on someone else’s credit card account – so that their information from that account is added to your credit report. Parents have long used this method to assist children in building a credit record.

Be sure to check your FICO scores regularly to see how you’re doing – and wait until you attain the higher scores before you apply for that mortgage or car loan.

Mike Clover
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/average-consumers-fico-score-too-low-for-good-rates-713155.html

Top Five Reasons Why You Should Take Advantage of the Free Credit Score Check

By: admin
Published: February 2nd, 2010

http://securefreecreditscore.com Here are some of the most important reasons why you should make a habit out of checking your credit score:

Duration : 1 min 14 sec

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Top Five Reasons Why You Should Take Advantage of the Free Credit Score Check

By: admin
Published: January 30th, 2010

http://securefreecreditscore.com/ credit checking is healthy for your financial well being. You can never truly tell where you are in the spectrum of fiscal wellness unless you know your overall credit worthiness.

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My FICO credit score dropped almost over a 100 points!?

By: admin
Published: January 24th, 2010

I have 3 credit cards – 2 from Chase and 1 Amex. My oldest is 3 years and a couple months with the latter ones following once a year. So since this is the 3rd year after me opening my first card, I thought I’d apply for another annual credit card. The last I had checked a couple months ago my credit score was 784. However, I was denied the discover credit card.

So I checked my fico score and it says 656. The reason is because I owe $2,000 on a card with a $2,500 limit. However, I charged about $2,200 during the holidays at the end of december and I paid off $200 the first month and the rest of it I paid off a couple days ago.

I’m assuming it did not register my payment from a couple days ago yet so that’s why it’s still showing the debt but what I don’t get is why is the score so low? Yes, I did go high on my credit limit but I paid off far more than the minimum the first month and the rest of it this month. And also, will it go back up a 120 points after it registers that the credit card has been paid off and I owe no more debt?

And I’m also moving apartments and they checked my credit report and it showed up as an inquiry. Does that also affect my credit score so negatively?

Probably you have some wrong items in your credit report. Use credit repair service to find and remove such bad stuff from your credit – credit-report-free.totalh.com

Free Credit Score Report To Optimized Your Debt

By: admin
Published: January 23rd, 2010

http://securefreecreditscore.com Getting a free credit score report straight from the records of the three credit bureaus will help you in ways that you never thought possible.

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Five Reasons Why You Should Take A Free Credit Score Check

By: admin
Published: January 20th, 2010

http://securefreecreditscore.com Free credit score check will allow you to see how many percent of your annual income is spent on paying off debts such as credit card balances, arrears on mortgages or car payments and whatever else that you have to pay for.

Duration : 1 min 31 sec

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