How To Get The Right Credit Score

Imagine that you are going into a lender's office prepared to apply for and receive a loan. You know what your credit scores are and you even got one score from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax. Experian, and TransUnion. You are shocked when your loan is denied, or maybe you were approved, but the interest rate is much higher than you anticipated. How can that be you say? My credit score is good, I know I checked. Maybe it's not as good as you think. It all depends on there you got it and what kind of credit score it is.

The fact is there are several different credit scoring methods. Credit scores calculated from the same credit reports can differ substantially from credit scoring method to credit scoring method. So how can you ever know what your credit score really is? Well, luckily, 75% percent of lenders use FICO scores exclusively and you can purchase FICO scores yourself--you just have to know where to go. ( myfico.com)

FICO credit scoring is a numeric method of scoring your credit worthiness developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Your credit score is a number between 300 and 850 that tells creditors how likely you are to pay your bills. The higher the number, the better it looks to potential lenders and creditors.

The three major credit bureaus each have their own version of the FICO score: 1Equifax uses the Beacon system, 2TransUnion uses the Empirica system, and 3Experian uses the Experian/Fair Isaac system. Despite each credit bureaus' use of their own versions, all systems are based the original Fair Isaac FICO scoring method, so each credit score calculated with these systems are generally called FICO scores. However, although most lenders do use FICO scoring, some lenders may have their own scoring methods.

Adding to the confusion is the credit bureaus themselves. Recently, Experian revealed that the national average credit score of its consumers is 678. This is very misleading to the average consumer. When you buy your credit report and score directly from Experians website, you are getting what they call the "PLUS Score," which is NOT a FICO score, and is NOT used by lenders anywhere. (Equifax is the exception--you can buy your FICO score directly from them at their website; however, the only place to get all three scores together is at myfico.com.) The 678 PLUS Score reported by Experian is actually the average of consumers' PLUS Scores, not their FICO Scores.

It can be clearly seen that the PLUS Score (and all Non-FICO scores) are useless. Not only that, but such hype misleads consumers into purchasing their PLUS Score thinking that they are getting the same credit score that their lender will use. Non-FICO scores are worthless not matter what the credit bureaus or any website selling non-FICO scores claim. Even a few points difference in your credit score can mean confronting the reality of the loss of thousands of dollars out of your pocket--a loss that you probably didn't plan for. The next time you want the most accurate credit score available, do yourself a favor and get the industry standard: the FICO credit score.

Credit Score Repair – The Higher Your Score, The Better For Your Credit

Credit score repair means that you want to take steps to improve the credit score you have on your credit report. A good credit score means that creditors see you as a good risk to repay the money you borrow. The higher your score, the more loans and lower interest rates you are likely to qualify for. If you have a low credit score, then you do need to consider ways of credit score repair.

What does my credit score mean? This is one question that people often ask when they get their free credit report. In order to do well with credit score repair, it is necessary to know what information the score is based on. One important factor is your payment history. This is the details of your accounts, your monthly payments and whether or not you make them on time. If this is what is causing you to have a low credit score, then a simple way of repairing your credit score is to start paying all your bills before the due date.

What is considered a good credit score? Credit scores range from 375 to 900. Most people with good credit have a score around 600 to 650. If you have a score higher than 650, then you are in good financial shape when it comes to getting credit and you don’t have to worry about credit score repair. It is when you see your score below 550, then you have to start taking steps to repair the score.

How can I find out what my credit score means? If you look for information about credit scores online, then you will find the percentages that each of the following are involved in computing the score: payment history, amount of money you owe, length of time you have been borrowing, the types of credit you use and the amount of credit you have received recently. There is also a section of your credit report that tells how many times you have applied for credit in the past few months. If there is a list of names, you have to stop applying in order to do credit score repair.

Credit score repair is not something that will happen after a month of paying your bills on time. It is something you have to work at and it could take six months or more for you to notice a gain in your credit score repair. Just keep the range of a good credit score in mind and work at paying your bills. No one can do this for you – only you.

Credit score repair is perfectly possible, despite what you may have been told. But don’t expect it to be fast.

An Average Credit Score – It Is Important When Borrowing

The average credit score is the rating that the 3 major credit bureaus assign to your credit report. It is based on your borrowing and repayment habits and depends on how much money you owe and how many times you have applied for credit. If you have a low credit score, there are ways of improving it. In general, an average credit score tells creditors that you are a good risk for them to lend you money.

Computing a credit score is a scientific process that Experian, Trans Union and Equifax use and each one has its own unique system. The credit score range is between 375 and 900, with around the 600 mark being the average credit score. In order to find out what your credit score is, you need to request a free copy of your credit report. This will give you an idea of what creditors see when they do a credit check on you.

If you find that your average credit score is below 500, then you are in the lower part of the credit score range. It also means that you have to take steps toward improving credit scores. For example, if you plan to look for a loan for a new car within the next year, you should start now by making a diligent effort to pay all your bills on time. If you apply for a loan, even if you are accepted based on your earnings, every person that asks for your credit score shows up on your credit report. This deters some creditors because they think you are a compulsive borrower.

The higher your credit score, the better chance you have of being granted credit. This is why you should always know what your credit report says about you and what your average credit score is. The credit score range you fall in not only determines whether or not you get a loan, bit it also determines the interest rate you have to pay. When you understand what creditors are looking for, you can work towards improving credit scores. When your average credit score is good, you will save money in the interest rates charged on the loan.

An average credit score is fine, although you can always do better.