credit score and history 3 29 11 b wills
TRANSCRIPT
Revised 2.21.11C
How does my credit
report and credit
score affect me? }What is the cost of “Poor” credit score?
Revised 2.21.11C
Revised 3.28.11C
How much does it cost me? } Monthly Payments For the
Average Family.
Credit Report } Information communicated by a credit reporting agency
that bears on a consumer’s credit standing.
Name
Address
Credit history
Credit inquiries
Collection records
Public records (e.g. tax liens, judgments, bankruptcies)
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Score} “Refers to a number generated by a statistical model
which objectively evaluates information that pertains to
making a credit decision.”
Revised 2.21.11C
What is a Credit Score? } A numerical score indicating a consumer’s
likelihood to repay a loan.
Revised 2.21.11C
Revised 3.28.11C
Credit Report
& Credit
Score}
Race, color, religion, national origin, sex and marital
status
Salary, occupation, job title, employer, date employed
or employment history
Interest rates on any accounts
Rental agreements (monthly rent may be reported if the
major, rental company reports to Experian-only.)
Any information reported as child/family support
obligations (lates may be reported)
What’s not included in a credit report or credit score?
Credit Agencies }EquiFax: Beacon Score
TransUnion: FICO Score
Experian: Fair Issac Score
Not all companies report to all three credit agencies.
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Report
Information }Heading information
Scores
Trade-lines
Inquiries
Collection and Public Record
Revised 2.21.11C
Resource dated 2.21.11: http://hubpages.com/hub/Lesson-2-you-know-your-crdit-score-Now-What Revised 2.21.11C
Average }Credit Statistics
Past Payment Performance
Credit Utilization
Credit Statistics:
9 credit cards
4 installment loans
Past Payment Performance:
<50% have ever had 30 day late reported
<30% have ever had a 60 day late reported
<27% have ever had a 90 day late reported
<20% have ever had a loan or account closed due to default
Credit Utilization:
48% owe less than $5,000 on credit cards
15% owe more than $10,000 on credit cards
Revised 2.31.11C
How are my credit score calculated? }A snap shot in time.
Components:
Payment History
Credit Utilization
Credit History
Types of Credit in Use
Inquires on your Credit
PAYMENT
HISTORY
CREDIT
UTILIZATION
CREDIT HISTORY
TYPES OF CREDIT IN USE
INQUIRES ON CREDIT
Revised 2.21.11C
Payment History
Revised 2.21.11C
Payment History (35%) }What is considered….
Number of accounts paid as agreed
Presence of collections and public records (bankruptcy,
judgments, tax liens)
Payment information on all accounts
Number of past dues
Severity of Past Dues (30, 60, 90, 120, 150 & foreclosure)
Time since past dues
Revised 2.21.11C
Payment History }What you need to know…
The fewer late payments, collections, judgments, liens the
better.
RECENT late payments and collections DECREASE YOUR
SCORE MORE than events older than 24-months.
For example:
A 30-day payment today will drop your credit score more than
a bankruptcy three-years ago: with clean credit since the
bankruptcy.
Revised 2.21.11C
Payment History }Tips to improve my scores
Pay all bills on time
If you are past due on an account, get current and stay current.
Pay off judgments and liens
Pay off collections (if needed*)
Contact creditors to ask for extensions, or as a last resort,
negotiate lower payments.
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Utilization
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Utilization (30%) }What is considered:
Amounts owed on specific type of accounts (i.e.: mortgage,
installment, revolving etc.)
Number of accounts with balances
Installment loan – proportion of balance to original loan
amount.
Revolving Accounts – Proportion of balance to credit limit.
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Utilization }What you need to know.
Proportion of balance to credit limit is key!
Max score for a credit card is when you owe between $1 to
30% of the credit limit.
Owing zero and never using a credit card doesn’t increase your
scores.
Not having credit cards does not increase your scores.
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit Utilization }Tips to improve my scores.
Keep credit card balances between $1 and 50% of credit limit.
It’s better to have a couple cards with small balances than one
maxed out.
Pay down debt: don’t move it around.
Don’t close open, unused credit cards, use them.
Don’t open new credit cards unnecessarily.
Pay credit cards bills before the due date (credit bureaus are
updated on due dates).
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit History
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit History (15%) }What is considered…
Length of time accounts have been open.
Revised 2.21.11C
Credit History }What types of credit are considered
The longer you have an account open, the better. Don’t closed
seasoned accounts!!
Avoid “Credit Surfing” (the continuous process of jumping
from one low-rate credit card to another)
Keep balances low.
Don’t open too many new accounts at once.
Revised 2.31.11C
Types of Credit in Use (10%) }What types of credit are considered?
Mortgage
Installment Loans
Revolving Accounts
Revised 2.31.11C
Credit History in Use }Tips to improve my scores:
Finance company accounts - score
lower than accounts you receive
through banks or stores.
REMEMBER:
Most “90-day same as cash” deals are
from finance companies.
You should have at least three open and active accounts in addition to any
mortgage(s) you may have.
Revised 2.21.11C
Inquiries on your
Credit Report (10%)}What is considered…
Only inquiries authorized by you. Pre-approved offers don’t count.
Revised 2.21.11C
Inquiries
Revised 2.21.11C
Revised 3.28.11C ASunderland
Inquiries on my
Credit Report }Tips to improve my credit score:
Auto and mortgage shopping should be done in a short-
period.
Multiple auto or mortgage inquiries within 45-days
count as one inquiry*.
Inquiries made by YOU are not counted
Research the credit card you want to apply for and
apply direct with the company. Don’t apply to
numerous companies.
*If the inquiring lender uses a general lending code, rather than an auto or mortgage specific
code, the inquiries must be within 15-days to count as a single inquiry.
Collections
Revised 2.21.11C
Collections }Know what’s on your credit report!
Improving your credit score – paying off collections in
a short-time to improve your credit score is not always
a good idea.
Negotiate pay-off amounts, ask if they will remove the
entry from your credit report.
Get settlement offer in writing.
Pay by check.
Keep settlement offer and cancelled check for record:
this is the proof you will need to reflect the said
collection account has been paid.
Revised 2.21.11C
Public Record
Revised 2.21.11C
Public Record }Judgments
Tax Liens
Other Liens
Bankruptcies
Revised 2.21.11C
Your Credit Report
Revised 2.21.11C
Revised 3.28.11C
How to get your
credit report }Federal law states you can get one-free credit report
from each of the bureaus once a year.
Annual Credit Report: www.annualcreditreport.com
1-877-322-8228
EquiFax Bureau: www.equifax.com
1-800-685-1111
TransUnion Bureau: www.transunion.com
1-866-726-7388
Experian Bureau: www.experian.com
1-888-322-5583
Credit scores are not included in the annual free-credit report. You
must purchase your credit scores from each bureau. To better
monitor your credit, space out your requests to the 3-credit bureaus
one at-a-time throughout the year, rather than all 3 bureaus at one-
time annually.
Errors on your
credit report }How do I dispute errors on my credit report?
EquiFax Bureau: www.equifax.com
1-800-685-1111
TransUnion Bureau: www.transunion.com
1-866-726-7388
Experian Bureau: www.experian.com
1-888-322-5583
Changes must be made at with the credit bureau in order for the changes to affect your
scores.
The best way to dispute your credit report errors is online.
Revised 2.21.11C
Bad Credit }How do I repair bad credit?
Pay all bills on-time
Check your credit report, dispute any
factual errors yourself
My opinion, avoid “credit repair
agencies”
Pay judgments and liens
Establish new credit: three-new cards
Credit cards, charge cards
Secured credit cards
Pay collections
Don’t call a creditor UNLESS you
can pay the collection in-full
Try to negotiate a lower payment
Bankruptcy (seek legal advice)
Chapter 7
Chapter 13|Revised 2.21.11C
Pre-Approved }How to stop pre-approved credit card and other offers.
www.optoutprescreen.comStops companies from sending you “pre-approval” offers.
Good for five-years.
Noticeable drop in junk mail within 30-days.
Theoretically doesn’t improve your credit score.
Revised 2.21.11C