About Your Credit Score

Before lenders decide to lend you money, they must know if you are willing and able to repay that loan. To assess whether you can pay back the loan, they assess your income and debt ratio. To calculate your willingness to repay the loan, they look at your credit score.

The most widely used credit scores are FICO scores, which Fair Isaac & Company, a financial analytics agency, developed. Your FICO score ranges from 350 (high risk) to 850 (low risk). You can find out more about FICO here.

Your credit score is a result of your history of repayment. They don't consider income or personal characteristics. These scores were invented specifically for this reason. Credit scoring was developed to assess willingness to repay the loan without considering other irrelevant factors.

Past delinquencies, derogatory payment behavior, current debt level, length of credit history, types of credit and the number of credit inquiries are all calculated into credit scoring. Your score results from positive and negative information in your credit report. Late payments count against you, but a record of paying on time will raise it.

To get a credit score, borrowers must have an active credit account with at least six months of payment history. This history ensures that there is sufficient information in your credit to generate an accurate score. Some borrowers don't have a long enough credit history to get a credit score. They should build up credit history before they apply for a loan.

Debbie Oliver NMLS License #248252, America's First Choice Mortgage, NMLS License #279234 can answer questions about credit reports and many others. Call us: 214-663-5355.