Your FICO score is the same as your credit score. It ranges from 300 -850, the higher the FICO score the better. This means that a higher FICO score makes your financial reputation appear less risky to banks, resulting in you higher chances of lower interest on your loans. This rating is most frequently used when clients apply to a bank for a mortgage. Having a higher credit rating will allow you to receive better interest rates and terms on your loan.
An average FICO score is from 700 to 720, if you are within the range then more banks would approve your loan. The computation of your score is based on your payment history, current amount of debt, length of financial history, number of consumer credit cards, and whether you have defaulted on any previous debts. As mentioned a previously, the range is from 300 to 850, and anything below 600 is considered to be a bad credit history and scores higher than 600 are usually viewed as a good credit line.
Because the Internet is a place of endless possibilities, you can now receive your FICO score through several different websites. This is excellent news to anyone who is curious about their own credit history, especially if you suspect you may need to to improve your financial reputation. All you need to do is make a request from an online credit bureau to receive your credit report. This will give you the chance to look over the contents, and check for any errors, fraudulent activity such as identity theft, and out of date information.
By: Zach Ford
Posts Tagged ‘Reputation’
Credit Restoration Tips
April 9th, 2010
It seems like more and more credit restoration services are popping up by the minute. You can spot the advertisements for them online, on television and on the radio almost everyday. While I believe the awareness of credit repair and the help available to consumers is a good thing, it can also be very confusing on who to turn to.
When choosing a credit restoration service, one should always research the company’s reputation. Many of the new services that are popping up mean well, but they are not as advanced as some of the credit restoration services that have been around for awhile. I would recommend sticking with a service that has been around for at least a couple years. The more you can find out about them, the better.
Do-it-yourself credit repair is another wise way to mend your credit history and can be a little less expensive. I say “can be” because if you are able to get the same results as a credit restoration service, you are obviously going to save yourself some money. However, if you are not able to get the same or better results as a credit repair service, it may end up costing you hundreds and even thousands of dollars in the long run. I’m not saying that to scare you, but you should take caution when trying to attempt repairing your credit on your own.
Most websites are eager to tell you that credit restoration should be done individually by the consumer. I agree that it should be as well, but encouraging consumers to just jump right in to it without warning them of the horrible consequences that could happen is just very bad advice. The way I look at it is this: Either way you are going to spend time and/or money if you have bad credit, either by paying higher interest rates, spending the time to learn credit repair, or paying for a credit repair service to fix it for you. It’s your choice, but let it be known that sometimes when you try to skimp on things this important it can end up biting you in the end.
By: Chane Steiner
Is Credit Repair A Scam?
January 27th, 2010
If you want to find an industry with a horrible reputation look no further than credit repair. Over the years I have seen countless companies coming to my office wanting me to send all of my applicants for a mortgage who had bad credit to them. Most of them stated the same thing, “I will get it removed.” Let’s face it, if you owe the debt, it will not be removed. Most of the creditors sell debts owed to collections companies. These collections companies will not go away until you settle on the debt or pay it in full. The 3 credit bureaus do have to respond to a dispute within 30 days which must be verified. If the dispute is not verified, it must be removed. Credit Repair companies will dispute derogatory information on your credit report for you, but you can do the same thing yourself for free. You can also dispute items from your credit report on-line now.
The advantage of using a reputable credit restoration company is they dedicate all their time during your normal working ours to dispute inaccuracies on your report. Most working people don’t have time to do this. So you are paying someone else to do this since you don’t have the time to do it yourself. So is Credit Repair a scam? Well not exactly. They are a legitimate business as long as they give you the correct information. Can they get information removed you owe? They can if the bureaus don’t respond in time, and believe me the bureaus are set up to respond quickly. There systems are automated now. They can blast through a dispute letter in a few key strokes. The Bureaus will also disregard repetitive disputes as “frivolous.” Credit restoration companies claim that if the following inaccuracies are on your credit report, it has to be removed.
Credit Bureaus reporting: $190.02
Should be reporting: $190.20
The FTC claims that this is false.
So the big question is Credit Repair a SCAM? Well there are a lot of credit repair companies out there that just take your money, and hope you go a way. So make sure you get references when using a credit restoration company. There are reputable companies out there, and there are companies that just take your money. It is important you know what is on your credit report, and take the time to learn how to fix errors on your report, or pay a company to provdie the service for you.
By: Mike Clover
