Posts Tagged Credit Scores
Equifax Personal Credit Report – Phone and Address Information
Hector Milla asked:
There are plenty of places that you can receive a detailed credit report. Equifax is one of the three credit bureau agencies. Everyone is entitled to one free finance report each year. There are a couple of things the report will show including; credit scores, opened and defaulted accounts, phone and address information and much more.
Many people seek an up-to-date credit report to make sure their identity has not been stolen. With the increase of identity fraud, account agencies are now offering people the chance to protect themselves. Some of their account services include annual credit report requests, fraud alerts, freezes and dispute options.
How To Request a Free Annual Report From Equifax
To get an up-to-date report from Equifax, go the agency’s main website. Next, you will be asked to request a report by choosing your current state of residence. After that, you will be taken to another page which will require you to fill out some basic information such as your name, date of birth, social security number, current address (and past address if it applies). People have the option to receive reports over the web, or in the mail (or a combination of both). The site is also sponsored by the other two account agencies; TransUnion and Experian.
From there, you will receive a report that shows all of your activity regarding loans, lines of credit, employment and address history.
It is important to check your financial status every year in order to monitor for scams, fraud and unlawful charges. Some people’s lives have been tarnished because they didn’t know they were a victim of identity fraud.
Viewing Credit Scores
There is a small fee for viewing specific scores. This is essential to those who want to know what their chances will be of getting a loan from creditors in the future. Most creditors are worried about lending money to those who have a poor credit score.
Fraud Alerts and Freezes
Requesting a fraud alert is quite simple. The alert will remain active for 90 days. There are options to extend the alert (the information is available in a free downloadable PDF document on the main website). When a fraud alert is made, your personal information and alert will be forwarded to the other two agencies (which means you don’t have to contact them separately). This is a good option to protect your identity and credit.
Lance
There are plenty of places that you can receive a detailed credit report. Equifax is one of the three credit bureau agencies. Everyone is entitled to one free finance report each year. There are a couple of things the report will show including; credit scores, opened and defaulted accounts, phone and address information and much more.
Many people seek an up-to-date credit report to make sure their identity has not been stolen. With the increase of identity fraud, account agencies are now offering people the chance to protect themselves. Some of their account services include annual credit report requests, fraud alerts, freezes and dispute options.
How To Request a Free Annual Report From Equifax
To get an up-to-date report from Equifax, go the agency’s main website. Next, you will be asked to request a report by choosing your current state of residence. After that, you will be taken to another page which will require you to fill out some basic information such as your name, date of birth, social security number, current address (and past address if it applies). People have the option to receive reports over the web, or in the mail (or a combination of both). The site is also sponsored by the other two account agencies; TransUnion and Experian.
From there, you will receive a report that shows all of your activity regarding loans, lines of credit, employment and address history.
It is important to check your financial status every year in order to monitor for scams, fraud and unlawful charges. Some people’s lives have been tarnished because they didn’t know they were a victim of identity fraud.
Viewing Credit Scores
There is a small fee for viewing specific scores. This is essential to those who want to know what their chances will be of getting a loan from creditors in the future. Most creditors are worried about lending money to those who have a poor credit score.
Fraud Alerts and Freezes
Requesting a fraud alert is quite simple. The alert will remain active for 90 days. There are options to extend the alert (the information is available in a free downloadable PDF document on the main website). When a fraud alert is made, your personal information and alert will be forwarded to the other two agencies (which means you don’t have to contact them separately). This is a good option to protect your identity and credit.
Lance
Do Personal Credit Scores Affect Your Ability to Borrow Money?
Jack Igan asked:
You Should Know Something About Your Personal Credit Score and understand how a low personal score can affect your ability to secure a credit loan.
The prospect of applying for credit unnerves many people unnecessarily. Just be truthful when you answer the questions and you should not have any problems. In our everyday lives we fill out “applications” rather frequently. Aside from the more obscure employment application we fill out more familiar forms for people several times a week. At least I do.
I spend a lot of time on my computer and the Internet and I am always requesting information. Usually they require your name, password, username, but quite often they will ask for additional information such as your address, date of birth, telephone number. Try requesting a telephone or cable service or posting a certified letter with a return receipt without first filling out a form.
The day you are born you get a birth certificate and a social security number; both follow you for life. Everytime you do a search on Google a record is made and saved in a database somewhere in California. This record includes information from your computer so they can trace that search right back to you and your house or your office.
So, by the time you get around to requesting credit, you are already in one or more databases and your personal information is usually available to anyone who wants to buy it. Everyone already knows who you are. So breathe easy and just go ahead and fill in the form.
What does this have to do with credit scoring and how does it affect me? All I want to do is buy a new (fill in the blank).
Any company that is in the business of lending money to its customers has to know with reasonable certainty that the borrower will pay it back. Credit risk is the name of the game but managing that risk is a science and a skill combined.
If any company makes it a practice to take unnecessary risks by approving bad loans it increases the likelihood they will loose money. If that same company only extends credit to no-risk or prime risk borrowers they will ignore a sizeable group of hard working, honest, and responsible people who need credit. This group will fall somewhere between the high risk groups and the low risk groups but represents an enormous amount of profitable business. Not working with this ‘average’ group will cost any lender a sizeable amount of business income and opportunities for commensurate profits.
To help make it more profitable for companies to work with these borrowers a system of credit scoring was developed about twenty-five years ago in an attempt to forecast an assumed credit reliability model against which any single person applying for credit would be rated. Basically, whenever you buy anything on time, that purchase and your record of repayments is recorded in a database under your name and social security number. These records are constantly updated each time you make additional credit purchases or repayments on a loan.
Your personal credit score is a fluctuating number based on your individual record of prompt on-time payments to satisfy your loans, the number and amounts of loans you have made, the number and amounts of your current outstanding loans, and how quickly or how slowly you have lived up to your obligations to repay each of those loans, your total debt, how detailed you credit history is, information found in public records, and other factors.
Opening a new account or making a payment could operate to change your score. Your information is categorized, sorted, and analyzed against previously created statistical credit models. The result of all of these reports and comparisons represents a predictive analysis of your credit worthiness, or your personal credit score.
The major credit reporting agencies are using a recently consolidated scoring system called FICO, developed by The Fair Isaac Corporation. Experian uses a proprietary version of FICO called “The Vantage System”. Vantage has a scoring range from “501 to 990″. The older FICO system has a range of scoring from “300 to 850″. In a nutshell, the higher you’re score, the lower your risk, and all other things being equal. The problem here is that all things are not equal.
Interpretation of the results is pretty much up to the lender and it is hard to get a consensus on what is an average score. Not all credit companies interpret the available information in exactly the same manner. Suze Ormand, a CNBC financial guru and television personality quotes “703″ as an average FICO credit score. A personal loan credit score of 500 would probably place you at the lower end of the scale.
Your credit score affects every aspect of your financial life. Your ability to repay a loan and the probability or your repaying that loan are the highest considerations for any lender and he uses your personal credit score to determine your credit worthiness.
It is a paradox that the major credit reporting companies all use the same credit scoring models or a proprietary version but none are all that willing to tell you what threshold, or “point score” they use to deny you credit or what the “number” is that dictates the interest rate they will charge when you buy that new car, HDTV, or boat. For a more complete personal credit report that includes the actual credit score assigned you by that reporting company and a chart comparing you to other borrowers nationwide, you have to pay a fee, usually about $15.00.
There are many websites where you can get a free personal credit report. Just do an internet search using the phrase “free credit report”. I would suggest using one of the top credit agencies only because their reports may be more up to date. you should note however that the free credit report you will receive is not the same report you would get as a paying customer. Unless you have a serious problem with your credit it should be adequate for your needs. If you need a more detailed report you can always order one if you think it’s needed.
I have no interest or affiliation with any of them. They are listed here as a convenience to you, only. One caveat when visiting these websites; they all offer a free credit report but each site has enhanced additional services that do cost money.
Tyrone
You Should Know Something About Your Personal Credit Score and understand how a low personal score can affect your ability to secure a credit loan.
The prospect of applying for credit unnerves many people unnecessarily. Just be truthful when you answer the questions and you should not have any problems. In our everyday lives we fill out “applications” rather frequently. Aside from the more obscure employment application we fill out more familiar forms for people several times a week. At least I do.
I spend a lot of time on my computer and the Internet and I am always requesting information. Usually they require your name, password, username, but quite often they will ask for additional information such as your address, date of birth, telephone number. Try requesting a telephone or cable service or posting a certified letter with a return receipt without first filling out a form.
The day you are born you get a birth certificate and a social security number; both follow you for life. Everytime you do a search on Google a record is made and saved in a database somewhere in California. This record includes information from your computer so they can trace that search right back to you and your house or your office.
So, by the time you get around to requesting credit, you are already in one or more databases and your personal information is usually available to anyone who wants to buy it. Everyone already knows who you are. So breathe easy and just go ahead and fill in the form.
What does this have to do with credit scoring and how does it affect me? All I want to do is buy a new (fill in the blank).
Any company that is in the business of lending money to its customers has to know with reasonable certainty that the borrower will pay it back. Credit risk is the name of the game but managing that risk is a science and a skill combined.
If any company makes it a practice to take unnecessary risks by approving bad loans it increases the likelihood they will loose money. If that same company only extends credit to no-risk or prime risk borrowers they will ignore a sizeable group of hard working, honest, and responsible people who need credit. This group will fall somewhere between the high risk groups and the low risk groups but represents an enormous amount of profitable business. Not working with this ‘average’ group will cost any lender a sizeable amount of business income and opportunities for commensurate profits.
To help make it more profitable for companies to work with these borrowers a system of credit scoring was developed about twenty-five years ago in an attempt to forecast an assumed credit reliability model against which any single person applying for credit would be rated. Basically, whenever you buy anything on time, that purchase and your record of repayments is recorded in a database under your name and social security number. These records are constantly updated each time you make additional credit purchases or repayments on a loan.
Your personal credit score is a fluctuating number based on your individual record of prompt on-time payments to satisfy your loans, the number and amounts of loans you have made, the number and amounts of your current outstanding loans, and how quickly or how slowly you have lived up to your obligations to repay each of those loans, your total debt, how detailed you credit history is, information found in public records, and other factors.
Opening a new account or making a payment could operate to change your score. Your information is categorized, sorted, and analyzed against previously created statistical credit models. The result of all of these reports and comparisons represents a predictive analysis of your credit worthiness, or your personal credit score.
The major credit reporting agencies are using a recently consolidated scoring system called FICO, developed by The Fair Isaac Corporation. Experian uses a proprietary version of FICO called “The Vantage System”. Vantage has a scoring range from “501 to 990″. The older FICO system has a range of scoring from “300 to 850″. In a nutshell, the higher you’re score, the lower your risk, and all other things being equal. The problem here is that all things are not equal.
Interpretation of the results is pretty much up to the lender and it is hard to get a consensus on what is an average score. Not all credit companies interpret the available information in exactly the same manner. Suze Ormand, a CNBC financial guru and television personality quotes “703″ as an average FICO credit score. A personal loan credit score of 500 would probably place you at the lower end of the scale.
Your credit score affects every aspect of your financial life. Your ability to repay a loan and the probability or your repaying that loan are the highest considerations for any lender and he uses your personal credit score to determine your credit worthiness.
It is a paradox that the major credit reporting companies all use the same credit scoring models or a proprietary version but none are all that willing to tell you what threshold, or “point score” they use to deny you credit or what the “number” is that dictates the interest rate they will charge when you buy that new car, HDTV, or boat. For a more complete personal credit report that includes the actual credit score assigned you by that reporting company and a chart comparing you to other borrowers nationwide, you have to pay a fee, usually about $15.00.
There are many websites where you can get a free personal credit report. Just do an internet search using the phrase “free credit report”. I would suggest using one of the top credit agencies only because their reports may be more up to date. you should note however that the free credit report you will receive is not the same report you would get as a paying customer. Unless you have a serious problem with your credit it should be adequate for your needs. If you need a more detailed report you can always order one if you think it’s needed.
I have no interest or affiliation with any of them. They are listed here as a convenience to you, only. One caveat when visiting these websites; they all offer a free credit report but each site has enhanced additional services that do cost money.
Tyrone
Your Personal Credit Rating Explained
Francine Denson asked:
Your personal credit rating is considered any time you are seeking a loan or line of credit. This is what ultimately determines if you get the loan or not and if so what interest rate you will pay. For this reason, your credit rating is one of the most important numbers in your life. Having a good score can save you money while having a poor credit score will cost you dearly.
Learning your personal credit rating is not difficult. There are many services online that offer a free credit report, and some that also offer a credit score. Be aware that these are two different things. A credit report is a look at your credit history and accounts where as a credit score (also known as a FICO score) is a numerical representation of the risk you represent to a lender.
It is a good idea to keep tabs on your credit especially if you are looking to buy a home, car or even if you are seeking a job as employers are looking at this data these days as well. Another good reason to mind your credit is that you will be able to detect fraud and identity theft before it destroys your credit. Unfortunately, identity theft is becoming more and more common and it is costing innocent people countless sums of money and time.
So what can you do? Your first step is to order a free credit report with credit scores. Its very important that you choose a provider that offers the ability to see your scores and not just your report. Your scores are what lenders are mostly interested in, so you should know those as well. Some free credit report services offer this and some don’t. Your best bet is to use a comparison tool like the one linked below to find out which services offer the scores as well.
Maintaining and improving your personal credit rating is easier if you use a credit monitoring service. These are often offered as free trials when you request your credit report, so you will get a chance to see how it works before they bill you and you can decide if it’s something you want to keep or not. Overall, they are incredibly useful because they watch your credit for you and alert you to changes on your reports. This is good for those who are actively repairing their credit and also good for detecting identity theft early on before the damage sinks in.
As you can see, learning more about your credit rating is as simple as taking a look at your current credit report and credit scores. This information is available for free from a number of services and it will give you great insight in to your current borrowing power.
Fernando
Your personal credit rating is considered any time you are seeking a loan or line of credit. This is what ultimately determines if you get the loan or not and if so what interest rate you will pay. For this reason, your credit rating is one of the most important numbers in your life. Having a good score can save you money while having a poor credit score will cost you dearly.
Learning your personal credit rating is not difficult. There are many services online that offer a free credit report, and some that also offer a credit score. Be aware that these are two different things. A credit report is a look at your credit history and accounts where as a credit score (also known as a FICO score) is a numerical representation of the risk you represent to a lender.
It is a good idea to keep tabs on your credit especially if you are looking to buy a home, car or even if you are seeking a job as employers are looking at this data these days as well. Another good reason to mind your credit is that you will be able to detect fraud and identity theft before it destroys your credit. Unfortunately, identity theft is becoming more and more common and it is costing innocent people countless sums of money and time.
So what can you do? Your first step is to order a free credit report with credit scores. Its very important that you choose a provider that offers the ability to see your scores and not just your report. Your scores are what lenders are mostly interested in, so you should know those as well. Some free credit report services offer this and some don’t. Your best bet is to use a comparison tool like the one linked below to find out which services offer the scores as well.
Maintaining and improving your personal credit rating is easier if you use a credit monitoring service. These are often offered as free trials when you request your credit report, so you will get a chance to see how it works before they bill you and you can decide if it’s something you want to keep or not. Overall, they are incredibly useful because they watch your credit for you and alert you to changes on your reports. This is good for those who are actively repairing their credit and also good for detecting identity theft early on before the damage sinks in.
As you can see, learning more about your credit rating is as simple as taking a look at your current credit report and credit scores. This information is available for free from a number of services and it will give you great insight in to your current borrowing power.
Fernando
What Is FICO and How Do I Fix My Credit Report?
Bud T Johnson asked:
In order to improve your credit scores which make up your credit reports it is important to understand the FICO business and scoring model.
FICO stands for Fair, Isaac and Company and was founded in 1956 by Bill Fair an engineer and Earl Isaac a mathematician. In 1958, they began selling the first credit scoring system these systems were used to help companies evaluate credit worthiness and they continued producing and selling these systems. In 1987, the company went public and created a new predictive general purpose credit scoring model affectionately known as the FICO score. This score was originally named the Beacon score and was used to determine which borrowers were most likely to default on a loan. In 2003, the companies name was changed to the Fair Isaac Corporation.
The general purpose FICO model was adopted by all three major credit bureaus Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. The FICO ranges between a low of 300 and a high of 850. The higher the score the better credit risk a borrower is considered. The FICO scoring model uses five factors to determine the likelihood of default. The five factors used to create your FICO score are: payment history; outstanding balances; length of history; type of credit; and inquires. The overall score is a weighted average of each of these factors. FICO breaks down with 35% of your overall result related to payment history, outstanding balances make up 30% of your result, the length of credit history has a 15% impact on your overall result, the type of credit has a 10% impact on your result, and the amount of inquiries accounts for the final 10% of your overall credit scores. Generally, a credit score of 720 and above is considered excellent, 680 – 720 is considered good, 620 – 680 is considered fair, and 619 and below is considered poor.
In 2006, the three credit bureaus created a company called VantageScore Solutions. This company was created to start a new credit scoring model to compete with FICO. The two companies have been in ongoing litigation regarding the two scoring methods and the results have not been finalized. However, a majority of businesses and lenders still use FICO as the main credit scoring model.
As a credit repair specialist I hear “Fix My Credit Report” all the time. In order to help achieve the highest credit results possible it is imperative that all consumers understand the FICO model.
Earl
In order to improve your credit scores which make up your credit reports it is important to understand the FICO business and scoring model.
FICO stands for Fair, Isaac and Company and was founded in 1956 by Bill Fair an engineer and Earl Isaac a mathematician. In 1958, they began selling the first credit scoring system these systems were used to help companies evaluate credit worthiness and they continued producing and selling these systems. In 1987, the company went public and created a new predictive general purpose credit scoring model affectionately known as the FICO score. This score was originally named the Beacon score and was used to determine which borrowers were most likely to default on a loan. In 2003, the companies name was changed to the Fair Isaac Corporation.
The general purpose FICO model was adopted by all three major credit bureaus Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. The FICO ranges between a low of 300 and a high of 850. The higher the score the better credit risk a borrower is considered. The FICO scoring model uses five factors to determine the likelihood of default. The five factors used to create your FICO score are: payment history; outstanding balances; length of history; type of credit; and inquires. The overall score is a weighted average of each of these factors. FICO breaks down with 35% of your overall result related to payment history, outstanding balances make up 30% of your result, the length of credit history has a 15% impact on your overall result, the type of credit has a 10% impact on your result, and the amount of inquiries accounts for the final 10% of your overall credit scores. Generally, a credit score of 720 and above is considered excellent, 680 – 720 is considered good, 620 – 680 is considered fair, and 619 and below is considered poor.
In 2006, the three credit bureaus created a company called VantageScore Solutions. This company was created to start a new credit scoring model to compete with FICO. The two companies have been in ongoing litigation regarding the two scoring methods and the results have not been finalized. However, a majority of businesses and lenders still use FICO as the main credit scoring model.
As a credit repair specialist I hear “Fix My Credit Report” all the time. In order to help achieve the highest credit results possible it is imperative that all consumers understand the FICO model.
Earl
Credit Rating Improved in 30 Days
Mike Clover asked:
Did you know you can improve your credit rating in 30 days? Most people don’t know what to do to get their rating up quickly. There are some tricks you can do to your personal credit report to increase your credit score with ease. In this article I am going to discuss how you can do this within 30 days. Keep in mind while you are doing this process I am about to discuss make sure you are not charging up your credit cards, and make sure you are not late on any of your obligations that report to all 3 credit bureaus.
Paying down credit card debt
Since amount owed on debt that reports to credit bureaus accounts for 30% of your overall credit score, this is what we will attack first. This is the quickest way to increase your credit rating if you are about to make a purchase and need that credit score higher. If you have some money in savings, take that money and pay down any credit cards that are above 30% of your allowed credit limit. If you can pay them off, your credit rating will sky rocket. Let’s assume you can’t pay them off, make sure you pay down the credit cards that have the highest balance owed.
Increase your credit card limits
This is a little trick that I have done for myself. I have increased credit limits at times when I did not have the money to pay down my debt at the time. The trick is to get your credit card balances below the 30% allowed credit limit threshold. Typically when you do this you will see about a 20 to 30 point increase in your overall credit rating. I know it sounds crazy to increase your credit limit on credit cards to get your score up, but it will do the job.
Get a letter to delete collections from creditor
If you have not done a credit check lately go ahead and do so. Once you have got a copy of your credit report with all 3 credit scores, look at it and determine if you have anything that has gone to collection. Always start with the most recent collections and small balances owed first. Typically medical and apartment collections are the easiest to get removed from a credit report. The reason is the collection companies usually are more willing to give you a letter once paid or settled to remove any record from TranUnion, Equifax and Experian. Once you have paid in full or settled on debt, make sure the collection company gets you a letter to delete. After you receive this letter you send a copy of the letter to all three credit bureaus to remove any record of the collection. This process will increase your credit rating around 10 to 15 points, depending on how many collections you get a letter for.
Once you have gone through this entire process make you do a credit check to see where you stand after 60 days. The results will surprise you because you will have an increase in your overall credit rating.
Veronica
Did you know you can improve your credit rating in 30 days? Most people don’t know what to do to get their rating up quickly. There are some tricks you can do to your personal credit report to increase your credit score with ease. In this article I am going to discuss how you can do this within 30 days. Keep in mind while you are doing this process I am about to discuss make sure you are not charging up your credit cards, and make sure you are not late on any of your obligations that report to all 3 credit bureaus.
Paying down credit card debt
Since amount owed on debt that reports to credit bureaus accounts for 30% of your overall credit score, this is what we will attack first. This is the quickest way to increase your credit rating if you are about to make a purchase and need that credit score higher. If you have some money in savings, take that money and pay down any credit cards that are above 30% of your allowed credit limit. If you can pay them off, your credit rating will sky rocket. Let’s assume you can’t pay them off, make sure you pay down the credit cards that have the highest balance owed.
Increase your credit card limits
This is a little trick that I have done for myself. I have increased credit limits at times when I did not have the money to pay down my debt at the time. The trick is to get your credit card balances below the 30% allowed credit limit threshold. Typically when you do this you will see about a 20 to 30 point increase in your overall credit rating. I know it sounds crazy to increase your credit limit on credit cards to get your score up, but it will do the job.
Get a letter to delete collections from creditor
If you have not done a credit check lately go ahead and do so. Once you have got a copy of your credit report with all 3 credit scores, look at it and determine if you have anything that has gone to collection. Always start with the most recent collections and small balances owed first. Typically medical and apartment collections are the easiest to get removed from a credit report. The reason is the collection companies usually are more willing to give you a letter once paid or settled to remove any record from TranUnion, Equifax and Experian. Once you have paid in full or settled on debt, make sure the collection company gets you a letter to delete. After you receive this letter you send a copy of the letter to all three credit bureaus to remove any record of the collection. This process will increase your credit rating around 10 to 15 points, depending on how many collections you get a letter for.
Once you have gone through this entire process make you do a credit check to see where you stand after 60 days. The results will surprise you because you will have an increase in your overall credit rating.
Veronica