Scoring your Credit - How's your FICO?

Because our society is so automated, you're probably not surprised to hear that your ability to repay virtually any loan boils down to a single number. Credit reporting agencies use your loan payment history in order to create your FICO score.

Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, the three major credit agencies, each have their own proprietary formula for building your credit score. The original FICO was developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Experian uses this model and calls its score FICO. Equifax's model, based on FICO, is called BEACON, while TransUnion, which also uses a slightly modified FICO, calls its score EMPIRICA. While these methods vary from one agency to another, the differences aren't huge; all of the agencies use the following in building your credit score:

• Your Credit History - How long have you had credit?
• Late Payments - Do you have a history of late payments?
• Balances on your Credit Cards - How many accounts do you carry? How much do you owe?
• Credit Inquiries - How many times have lenders pulled your credit report for the purpose of lending you money?

These factors are weighted slightly differently depending on the formula being used. Each formula produces a single number which may vary a a little from one agency to another. FICO scores can be as low as 300 and as high as 800. Higher scores are better. Typical home buyers will likely find their FICO scores falling above 620.

Not just for qualifying

Did you know? FICO scores are used for more than just determining whether or not you qualify for a mortgage. Lenders give lower interest rates to individuals with higher scores.

Raising your FICO score

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do to immediately improve your credit score. Some companies promise quick fixes, but they can't do anything different than what you can do — for free. (Of course you must appeal incorrect items on your credit report.)

Getting your FICO score

To raise your score, you must have the reports that are used to build it. Of course, you need the score as well. Fair Isaac, the corporation that offered the original FICO credit score, offers credit scores on its website: myFICO.com. For a reasonable fee, you can quickly get your FICO from all three agencies, along with your credit report. They also provide information and online tools that help you analyze what actions might have the greatest impact on your FICO score.

You can get a federally-mandated free credit report once per year from all three credit reporting agencies by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. While this report does not include a free credit score, the cost to "upgrade" your report to include a credit score is very reasonable.

Now that you have all the facts, you will be a more informed consumer and you'll be better positioned to get the most favorable mortgage.

Want to know more about your credit score? Give us a call at 502-491-0749.