Credit Report
Introduction
The subject of credit scoring has become an increasingly hot topic, and for good reason. For many years, the general public only associated the concept of credit scoring with the need to purchase high-ticket items such as a new car or a home. Today, credit scoring goes much further. Your credit score can affect your ability to get a good rate on commodities such as car insurance, cell phones, or even determine whether or not you get the job that you want. Indeed, the financial snapshot provided by the credit score has also become a gauge for many employers, especially those who seek to place employees in a position.
The Five Factors of Credit Scoring
1. PAYMENT HISTORY – 35% IMPACT
Paying debt on time and in full has the greatest positive impact on your credit score. Late payments, judgments and charge-offs all have a negative impact. Missing a high payment will have a more severe impact than missing a low payment, and delinquencies that have occurred in the last two years carry more weight than older items.
2. OUTSTANDING CREDIT BALANCES – 30% IMPACT
This factor marks the ratio between the outstanding balance and available credit. Ideally, the consumer should make an effort to keep balances as close to zero as possible, and definitely below 30% of the available credit limit when trying to purchase a home.
3. CREDIT HISTORY – 15% IMPACT
This portion of the credit score indicates the length of time since a particular credit line was established. A seasoned borrower will always be stronger in this area.
4. TYPE OF CREDIT – 10% IMPACT
A mix of auto loans, credit cards and mortgages is more positive than a concentration of debt from credit cards only.
5. INQUIRIES – 10% IMPACT
This percentage of the credit score quantifies the number of inquiries made on a consumer’s credit
within a six-month period. Each hard inquiry can cost from two to 25 points on a credit score, but the maximum number of inquiries that will reduce the score is ten. In other words, 11 or more inquiries within a six-month period will have no further impact on the borrower’s credit score.
Note that if you run a credit report on yourself, it will have no effect on your score.
