Credit Score

Your credit score gets checked whenever you try to apply for a credit card, apply for a loan, or make any kind of credited purchase. Your credit score is basically a number that represents how trustworthy the business world believes you to be as far as making your payments is concerned, a higher number indicating more confidence in your ability to pay. Your credit score is derived from information found in a credit report.

All the financial activity you have engaged in over the past seven years is recorded in your credit report. If you have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or closed an account that had been in good standing, this will continue to appear in your credit report for ten years.

Your three digit credit score is calculated based on a formula developed by credit report companies. They go over information connected to your credit history to determine your score. California established a law in 2000 that allows anyone applying for credit to have access to their credit score. Now federal law permits you access to information that the credit card companies used to keep secret, like how your credit score is determined.

Credit scores are not difficult to calculate or understand. The actual score is made up of a number of variables and falls somewhere between 300 and 900. The score is based 35% off of your history of payments, 30% on current debt, 15% on how long you have had credit, 10% on what kinds of credit you have access to now, and 10% on how many times your report has been asked for. After comparing those pieces of information with other similar consumers, your credit score is calculated.

Suggestions for improving your credit score:
Maintain your credit rotating at about 25% of your total credit limit.
Don’t be late paying. Making payments earlier than necessary does not incur any penalty.
When trying to get a loan, shop around for one during a period of thirty days so that all requests made to check your credit score are considered to be one total request.
Know your credit score. Each year, you can check your credit score for free by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Doing so will help you prevent problems from escalating until they create large problems.