Five Ways To Improve Your FICO Credit Score, Get Lower California Mortgage Rate

Over 30 million people in the U.S.A. have credit scores low enough (less than 620) to make shopping for low mortgage loan rates very difficult at best.

The major credit reporting agencies use a slightly different system to arrive at a credit score. The best known is called the FICO score, developed by Fair Isaac and Company (FICO).

A FICO credit score can range from 300 to 800. Most borrowers fall into the 600-800 credit score range.

A high FICO score is your reward for paying bills on time. This is one of the most important factors that determine your California home mortgage loan rate

If you've had a few credit "bumps in the road" recently, and you're asking yourself, "How can I improve my FICO credit score"? Here are 5 ways to boost your FICO credit score.

1. Paying your bills on time is the first step in improving your FICO credit score. Late payments can have a big negative impact on your FICO score, 30 days or more late on one account can lower your FICO score 50 points or more.

If you don't like writing checks, go online and automate your bill paying.

2. Don't max out your credit cards. The smaller balance gives you a wider difference between your balance and your credit limit.

Also, if you are planning to purchase a new car or other major item, wait until you get that low mortgage loan rate.

3. If you are sincerely interested in improving your FICO credit score, bankruptcy MUST be avoided! Bankruptcy is more negative than late payments or collection accounts.

4. Get credit counseling if you have too much debt and begin to fall behind, or can't see a way out.

5. Keep old paid off accounts in an open status. If you close an account, it won't help your FICO score but it could lower your credit score.

If you close an old account it could make you look like a "rookie" in the credit world. A factor in obtaining credit is how long you've had credit.


If your FICO credit scores are over 620, but you want to raise it, obtain a copy of your credit report and request that the credit bureau remove any errors.

Do You Need To Improve? Credit Scores Count

To improve your credit score, you have to take steps to improve the rating that the credit bureaus give you on your credit report. The score is the grade they give so that merchants know whether or not you a good risk for them to lend money or allow you to have a credit account. If you have a low credit score, then you know you have to improve. Credit scores will determine whether or not you get a loan for a new house or a new car. If you need to improve credit scores there are ways.

There are recognised ways to improve credit scores and once you do improve your credit score you will qualify for more loans – sometimes more than you want. If you are in the market for a loan, it is a wise decision to review your credit score at least six months prior to submitting the application. This way if your score is low, you have an opportunity to improve your credit rating for at least six months before the lender does a credit check on you.

The credit score that shows up on your credit report tells creditors about your repayment habits. If you really want to improve your credit score, you need to know that score. If you find mistakes in your credit report, then you have to take steps to get them corrected in order to improve your credit rating. You will have to contact the credit bureau to find out the process involved in correcting any inaccuracies you find. Although this is one of the ways to improve credit scores, it only works if there are legitimate mistakes and you can prove it.

If you notice that you have been late making your payments or you have missed some entirely, one of the ways to improve credit scores and improve your credit rating is to start paying your bills on time. If you have any outstanding payments, you should also take steps to bring the accounts up to date. This will go a long way to helping your improve your credit score.

If you have all your credit cards maxed to the limit, this will also reflect badly in giving you a low credit score. If you want to improve credit scores, start paying on your credit cards and try not to use them. When your balance starts to go down, your credit score will start to rise. One idea for helping you improve your credit score is to cut up your credit cards so you can’t use them. Also, one of the ways to improve credit scores is to try to pay more than the minimum amount. This speaks volumes when it comes to your credit score.

There are some ways to improve credit scores. You just need to know how to do it.

Credit Repair Scheme Promises Fast Score Increases But May Be Illegal

Establishing a good FICO credit score isn't all that difficult; all you have to do is pay your bills on time. But if you have a bad credit score from a history of not paying your bills promptly, repairing your score and building it up to a level where you can get competitive loan rates can take time. It can take several years of paying your bills on time to build up your score and it can take seven years to wipe out a judgment or a bankruptcy from your credit report. Most consumers, understandably, would rather not wait that long and there is not shortage of companies that promise to repair credit quickly.

Several companies are offering dramatic increases in credit scores of up to 200 points in as little as 60 days using something known as "seasoned credit." The concept is simple - if you are added to the credit account of someone with good credit as a cosigner, that good credit will add to your own credit score. What these companies do, for fees ranging up to $5000, is arrange to add your name as a cosigner to the accounts of willing participants who have good credit of their own.

Adding a cosigner to an account isn't illegal; husbands and wives add each other to their own accounts all the time. What is illegal about this scheme is that it is a deliberate effort to manipulate credit reports and credit scores. If it is done for purposes of qualifying for a loan for which the borrower otherwise wouldn't qualify, such as for a mortgage, it constitutes fraud.

In addition to the questionable legality of the practice, there are some other reasons why this sort of credit "repair" should not be attempted. The idea of having someone else's credit rub off on you works both ways. Customers of these companies have no idea whose accounts their names are being attached to, and if those customers stop paying their bills, then their credit score will go down along with yours. None of this is under your control; you are stuck with whomever they stick you with. Since these companies advertise that once your score increases, you can become part of their "good credit network", it only stands to reason that you may have your name attached to that of a person who only recently had a bad payment history, too.

Increasing your credit score by 200 or more points in 60 days' time sounds like a great idea. But the risks of paying someone thousands of dollars to do it for you are great. It is better to build your credit the old fashioned way by taking your time.