Understanding the Credit Scale

By Pat Johnson

While there is no guarantee that past performance is indicative of future behavior, this is the model lenders have employed with respect to credit worthiness. They use your credit score, which is a summary of your past loans, as a measure of how likely you are to repay your debts.

Your credit history is tabulated by three main reporting agencies. They collect and organize information regarding late payments and outstanding balances and put them into the form of a report. Then when you apply for credit, the lender can review your past behavior and make an informed decision as to whether or not to approve your request.

You are entitled to a copy of your credit report once a year at no cost. This is not the same as obtaining your credit score, which the bureaus will charge you for. You can write to the reporting agencies to request your copy.

The Fair Isaac Corporation were among the first to launch a credit scoring system that they named FICO. This system is in use by many lenders today in their effort to ascertain borrower risk. They importance various institutions place on this measurement varies, but it is definitely considered to some degree by all.

Every effort is made to ensure your credit report is kept as accurate as possible, but sometimes errors do happen. The onus is upon you to routinely get a copy of your credit report check it for factual inconsistencies. If you do find that mistakes have been made, I can assure you that the sooner they are identified the easier they are to fix.

There is no denying that a high credit score makes it easier to be approved for credit and obtain better interest rates. In this light it is crucial to protect your credit rating. Be certain to make your loan payments on time, because late payments are the fastest way to bring down your score.

After that too much outstanding credit will hurt your score as well. Do not over extend yourself with credit cards and do not bring the ones you do have to their limits. Frequent inquiries to your credit bureau can bring down your credit score so be careful not to unnecessarily apply for new loans or cards. Remember that it is much easier to lower your rating than it is to improve it so make your borrowing decisions wisely.

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For more further details about rating credit score scale and increasing your average FICO score please visit The Credit Camp.