Credit Information

How Credit Scoring Works


The all important credit score! It determines the amount of loan you can get, it determines the interest rate at which you are charged for a loan, etc. Your credit score plays an important figure in your financial life. So what goes into making that all important score of yours? How does it increase, how does it decrease and what are the factors that go into its calculation?

Your credit score is a number that reflects on the likelihood at which you will pay back a loan. Scores range from 350 (high risk) to 950 (low risk). Credit scores do not take into consideration your income, how much savings you have or demographic factors such as gender, race or nationality. Your credit score is affected by your current debt level, your past delinquencies, your credit history and how many times your credit report is pulled up by various agencies. Your score considers both positive and negative information in your credit report. For instance, recorded late payments will lower your credit score while a good track record of making payments on time will raise your credit score. Timely payment of your bills is important to ensure you maintain a good credit score. The amount of balance you have left on your credit card, how many credit card accounts you hold and your use of revolving credit also affect your credit score to a great extent.

Your credit score and credit report is formed on the basis of your credit history and you need to have at least one account which has been open or updated in the past six months to get a credit score. If you do not meet the minimum criteria for getting a score, you may need to establish a credit history prior to applying for a mortgage.

All in all, if you can pay for all your debts in a timely and consistent manner and not take more debt than you can handle, your credit score shouldn't be able to trouble you in life. So take care and be wise with your finances.

Sameer S Panjwani is the CEO and Founder of ChoiceOfHomes.com - A Real Estate Portal for Home Buying, Selling and Renting. Website url: http://www.choiceofhomes.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Credit security freeze a tool against ID theft
Newsday, NY - 6 hours ago
BY GREGORY KARP | The Allentown Morning Call Credit security freezes, a consumer's best defense against the worst types of identity theft, are becoming ...


Credit-card companies raising the bar
Seattle Times, United States - 5 hours ago
By Nancy Trejos According to Mintel Comperemedia, a marketing-research firm based in Chicago, 1.34 billion credit-card direct-mail offers were sent out in ...


The Associated Press

Retailers may take hit as credit tightens and shoppers swear off ...
Indianapolis Star, United States - 8 hours ago
By Dana Hunsinger As the nation's economy continues to deteriorate, some consumers are devising cash-only shopping strategies -- dropping credit card use ...
Advice on Giving, and Receiving, Gift and Pre-paid Bank Cards eNews Park Forest
Holiday shoppers picking cash over credit: survey Reuters
google news commentComment by Marshal Cohen Chief Industry Analyst, The NPD Group, Inc.
Baltimore Sun
all 350 news articles


Strategies for Car Shopping in a Time of Tighter Credit
New York Times, United States - Nov 21, 2008
But for consumers, the credit crunch may have a silver lining. “Dealerships are desperate to sell cars,” said William Ryan, who follows the auto finance ...


Ottawa Citizen

Betting AmEx Could Prosper in Spite of the Credit Crisis
Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago
Wall Street is worried about several things, including rising losses on AmEx's credit cards, slowing consumer spending and the company's ability to gain ...
Would Buffett Find Berkshire a Value? Wall Street Journal Blogs
Finally, Berkshire Looks Undervalued Barron's
What's Wrong With Berkshire Hathaway? Motley Fool
all 146 news articles


7 sentenced in phony tax-credit scheme
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 6 hours ago
AP Valdosta —- A federal judge in South Georgia has sentenced seven people in a tax-fraud scheme involving $5 million in phony credits for diesel fuel ...


Film tax credit is ripping off Ariz. taxpayers
Arizona Republic, AZ - 12 hours ago
The Arizona Department of Commerce this month released its mandated review of Arizona's film tax credit, and from this report and the first two years of the ...


Credit market freeze may claim local governments as victims
Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 22, 2008
By Michael A. Hiltzik The worldwide credit market freeze may be claiming a new set of victims: states, cities and other government entities that issued ...


Web sites offer detailed comparison shopping for cell phones ...
Chicago Tribune, United States - 7 hours ago
The free site attempts to simplify two often annoying comparison-shopping chores: choosing the right wireless phone plan and the right credit card. ...


Tax-credit donations vital to schools
Arizona Republic, AZ - 9 hours ago
Statewide, more than 211000 taxpayers in 2007 donated nearly $44 million for public school tax-credit programs. Taxpayers get dollar-for-dollar credit on ...

Credit - Google News

home | site map
© 2008