FICO - Your Credit Score

Because we live in an automated, it's probably not that surprising that your creditworthiness comes down to one number. Credit reporting agencies use your history of paying all types of loans to build a FICO score.

All three major credit agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) use a slightly different system to arrive at a credit score. The original FICO was developed by Fair Isaac and Company. While Experian still calls its score "FICO", TransUnion calls its score "Beacon" and Equifax uses "Empirica." While each of the models considers a range of data available in your credit report, each agency uses the following to calculate your score:

• Your Credit History - How many years have you had credit?
• History of Payments - Do you have a history of late payments?
• Balances on your Credit Cards - How many credit card accounts do you have, and how much do you owe on them?
• Credit Inquiries - How many times have lenders pulled your credit report for the purpose of giving you a loan?

These factors are weighted slightly differently depending on which formula the agency uses. The results are added up and distilled into a single number. FICO scores range from 300 to 800. Higher scores are better. Most home buyers probably find their scores above 620.

Credit scores make a difference in your interest rate

Credit scores are used for more than just determining whether or not you qualify for a mortgage. Higher scores indicate you are probably a better credit risk, and thus may qualify for a better mortgage rate.

Can I improve my credit score?

Is it possible to raise your credit score? Some companies promise quick fixes, but they can't do anything different than what you can do — for free. You must remove any incorrect reporting from your credit report, which is the only way to quickly improve your credit score.

Getting your credit score

Before you can improve your credit score, you must know your score and ensure that the reports from each reporting agency are correct. Fair Isaac, the company that invented the first FICO score, sells FICO scores on myFICO.com. For a reasonable fee, you can get your FICO score from all three reporting agencies, along with your credit report. Also available are information and online tools that can help you analyze what actions might have the greatest impact on your FICO score.

You can get a federally-mandated free credit report every year from all three credit reporting agencies by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. You won't get a free credit score from AnnualCreditReport.com, but getting it is quick and inexpensive.

Armed with this info, you will be a more informed consumer and you'll be better positioned to obtain the most favorable mortgage.

Curious about credit scores? Give us a call at (707) 252-2700.