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How to Boost Your Credit Score
As an example, let's say you've never missed a car payment, you've
never been late on your credit cards and are generally considered
a no-risk, A-1 credit consumer.
You want to refinance your mortgage, but when the lender pulls
your credit score you fall below the magic mark. So you decide to
"fix" your score by paying off some small balances on
high-limit credit cards. Your broker suggests you cancel those cards
and shift the balance, thousands of dollars, onto fewer cards in
an effort to show meaningful consolidation. Interested
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You
apply again but score even lower.
As
word gets out that more and more lenders use credit scoring to swiftly
qualify applicants, uninformed consumers who try to beat the system
could end up with results that are the opposite of what they hoped
for.
Offering
the widely used "FICO" credit-scoring system, San Rafael-based
Fair, Isaac and Co. scores range from a low in the 300s to a high
above 800. The score represents a statistical evaluation of how
likely you are to default on a loan. The higher the score, the lower
the probability you'll default.
The lender requests the score as part of the Credit
Report it obtains from one or more of the three national credit
bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Fair, Isacc's statistical-modeling
software crunches the numbers from your credit report data to come
up with a score.
Some
lenders rely more heavily on credit scoring than others. While it
can speed up your loan application, it can also reject it. It is,
after all, only a computer-generated number and the best lenders
consider additional factors.
For
instance, suddenly canceling many cards with small balances and
then shifting all the debt to fewer cards effectively raises the
ratio of your unpaid balances to the maximum credit lines available
on fewer cards. To the software, it appears as if your financial
situation has tightened.
Quick
fixes won't get you the loan, but there are some strategies to get
you the highest score possible.
Periodically
keep tabs on your Credit
Report for inaccuracies, especially several weeks before you
apply for a large loan, including a mortgage. Obtain your report
from one or all of the three credit reporting agencies or obtain
all three from Web sites like Oakland, CA-based QSpace Inc.'s iCreditReport.
Fair Isaac's Web site can tell you how to handle derogatory remarks.
Pay
all your bills on time. Lateness, collections, bankruptcies weight
most heavily against your credit score.
Use
credit wisely. That means use only the credit you need and can afford
to pay.
Don't
max out your credit cards. Keep balances low.
Don't
apply for or open many credit accounts in a short period of time.
Don't
try to change a score overnight by suddenly closing or opening accounts.
Scores are based on complex statistical models that could make such
actions backfire.
Avoid
so-called "credit repair" services. Good credit is created
over time.
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