|
|
|
Identity Theft: Dont Be A Victim!
Moments after stepping out of the taxi, Rachel plunged through the entranceway of the hotel lobby eager to put behind what had been a terribly exhausting day. Flight delays due to weather had caused her LAX-MDW-BWI trip to take nearly eleven...
Know Your Debt Consolidation Options
Nobody likes being in debt or the additional stress it adds to their life. Additionally, most individuals have some form of debt that is weighing heavily on them and they simply want to get rid of it. If you are in this situation then you might...
Setting Your Wedding Budget
The first and most important task a bride and groom must do is
to set their wedding budget. Weddings can be expensive, and the
average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is over $20,000 not
including the honeymoon. While $20,000 sounds like a lot...
Sorting Your Money
For anyone that is familiar with The Complete Budget and Bill Organizer, http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline.html you already know that I recommend that you use your checking account to pay bills and cash to cover your household expenses. With...
Your Social Security
It seems like everyone I talked to has a different opinion on when they would be eligible for Social Security. Some younger folks said that they couldn't retire until they were at least 70. A lot of older folks believe that they can't start...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Like It Or Not, You Have A Score To Settle!
Like It Or Not, You Have A Score To Settle! (Part 1 of 2 on Credit Scoring) by http://www.creditandyou.com
Just when most people finish with school and can stop worrying about test scores, there’s a new kind of scoring that enters the picture. It’s called credit scoring. And, its impact on your financial future can mean more to you than a college degree.
You may never know your precise credit score, but you need to know if you’re at risk!
Credit Scoring ... Why It’s So Important:
Ever wonder how a creditor decides whether to grant you credit? For years, creditors have been using credit scoring systems to determine if you’d be a good risk for credit cards and auto loans. More recently, credit scoring has been used to help creditors evaluate your ability to repay home mortgage loans.
Precisely what is credit scoring?
Credit scoring is a system creditors use to help determine whether to give you credit. Information about you and your credit experiences, such as bill-paying history, the number and type of accounts you have, late payments, collection actions, outstanding debt, and age of your accounts is collected from credit applications and your credit report.
Using a statistical program, creditors compare this information to the credit performance of consumers with similar profiles. A credit scoring system awards points for each factor that helps predict who is most likely to repay a debt. Total number of points (credit score) helps predict how creditworthy you are; how likely it is that you will repay a loan and make payments when due.
You may never know your precise credit score, but you need to know if you’re at risk!
Why is credit scoring used?
Credit scoring is based on real data and statistics, so it usually is more reliable than subjective or judgmental methods. It treats all applications objectively. Judgmental methods typically rely on criteria that are not systematically tested and can vary when applied by different individuals.
To develop a model, a creditor selects a random sample of its customers (or a sample of similar customers if their sample is not large enough), and analyzes it statistically to identify characteristics that relate to creditworthiness. Then, each of these factors is assigned a weight based on how strong a predictor it is of who would be a good credit risk.
Each creditor may use its own credit scoring model, different scoring models for different types of credit, or a generic model developed by a credit scoring company.
How reliable is the credit scoring system?
Credit scoring systems enable creditors to evaluate millions of applicants consistently and impartially on many different characteristics. But to be statistically valid, credit scoring systems must be based on a big enough sample. Remember that these systems generally very from creditor to creditor.
Although you may think such a system is arbitrary or impersonal, it can help make decisions faster, more accurately, and more impartially than individuals when it is properly designed.
In fact, many creditors design their systems so that, in marginal cases, applicants whose scores are not high enough to pass easily, or are low enough to fail absolutely are referred to a credit manager who decides whether the company or lender will extend credit. This may allow for discussion and negotiation between the credit manager and the consumer.
What happens if you are denied credit or don’t get the terms you want?
For the answer to that crucial question and how to improve your credit score, be sure to read Part II of “Like It Or Not, You Have A Score To Settle.”
Credit and You are a group of expert on credit and the authors of “CREDIT AND YOU ... Secrets To Improving Your Credit Rating.” Feel free to pass this article along to family and friends. And be sure to pick up your FREE 7 day course on “Credit Basics” at http://www.creditandyou.com
Copyright © 2002-2003 Credit and You | All Rights Reserved |
Like It Or Not, You Have A Score To Settle! (Part 2 of 2 on Credit Scoring) by Credit and You.com
In part 1, we covered the basics about credit scoring – what it is and how it is calculated. It’s time to address the critical question ...
What happens if you are denied credit or don’t get the terms you want?
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act requires that the creditor give you a notice either with the specific reasons your application was rejected, or stating that you have the right to learn the reasons if you ask within 60 days.
NOTE: Indefinite and vague reasons for denial are illegal, so ask the creditor to be specific.
If you were denied credit because you are too near you credit limits on your charge cards, or you have too many credit card accounts, you may want to reapply after paying
down your balances or closing some accounts. Credit scoring systems consider updated information and change over time.
You also can be denied credit because of information from a credit report. If so, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires the creditor to give you the name, address and phone number of the credit reporting agency that supplied the information. You should contact that agency to find out what your report contains.
NOTE: This information is free if you request it within 60 days of being turned down for credit. The credit reporting agency can tell you what’s in your report, but only the creditor can tell you why your application was denied.
If you’ve been denied credit, or didn’t get the rate or credit terms you want, ask the creditor if a credit scoring system was used. Be sure to ask what characteristics or factors were used in that system, and the best ways to improve you application.
If you get credit, ask the creditor whether you are getting the best rate and terms available and, if not, why. If you are not offered the best rate available because of inaccuracies in your credit report, be sure to dispute the inaccurate information in your credit report.
Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, a credit scoring system may not use certain characteristics like: Race, Sex, Marital status, National origin, or Religion. However, creditors are allowed to use age in properly designed scoring systems. But any scoring system that includes age must give equal treatment to elderly applicants.
What can I do to improve my score?
Credit scoring models are complex and often vary among creditors, and for different types of credit. If one factor changes, your score may change. But improvement generally depends on how that factor relates to other factors considered by the model.
NOTE: Only the creditor can explain what might improve your score under the particular model used to evaluate your credit application.
Nevertheless, scoring models generally evaluate the following types of information in your credit report:
• Have you paid your bills on time? Payment history is a significant factor. It is likely that your score will be affected negatively if you have paid bills late, had an account referred to collections, or declared bankruptcy, if that history is reflected on your credit report.
• What is your outstanding debt? Many scoring models evaluate the amount of debt you have compared to your credit limits. If the amount you owe is close to your credit limit, that is likely to have a negative effect on your score.
• How long is your credit history? Generally, models consider the length of your credit track record. An insufficient credit history may have an effect on your score, but that can be offset by other factors, such as timely payment and low balances.
• Have you applied for new credit recently? Many scoring models look at inquiries” on your credit report when you apply for credit. If you have applied for too many new accounts recently, that may negatively affect your score. However, not all inquiries are counted. Inquiries by creditors who are monitoring your account or looking at credit reports to make “prescreened” credit offers are not counted.
• How many and what type of credit accounts do you have? Although it is generally good to have established credit accounts, too many credit card accounts may have a negative effect on your score. In addition, many models consider the type of credit accounts you have. For example, under some scoring models, loans form finance companies may negatively affect your credit score.
Scoring models may be based on more than just information in your credit report. For example, the model may consider information from your credit application as well: your job or occupation, length of employment, or whether you own a home.
Bottom Line: To improve you credit score under most models, concentrate on paying your bills on time, paying down outstanding balances, and not taking on new debts. It’s likely to take some time to improve your score significantly.
Credit and You are a group of expert on credit and the author of “CREDIT AND YOU ... Secrets To Improving Your Credit Rating.” Feel free to pass this article along to family and friends. And be sure to pick up your FREE 7 day course on “Credit Basics” at http://www.creditandyou.com.
Copyright © 2002-2003 Credit and You | All Rights Reserved |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Credit and You are a group of expert on credit and the authors of “CREDIT AND YOU ... Secrets To Improving Your Credit Rating.” Feel free to pass this article along to family and friends. And be sure to pick up your FREE 7 day course on “Credit Basics” at http://www.creditandyou.com
Copyright © 2002-2003 Credit and You | All Rights Reserved |
|
|
|
|
|
| Kiplinger.com - Timely, Trusted Personal Finance Advice, Financial ... |
| Investing, personal finance, calculators and financial advice. |
| www.kiplinger.com |
|
| Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine - Your Guide to Making Money ... |
| Subscibe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine to help you manage your finances. Achieve your financial goals and objectives with help from our ... |
| www.kiplinger.com |
|
| Personal finance advice, news - CNNMoney |
| News & advice on retirement planning, college saving, taxes, mortgages, autos, real estate, investing and more from CNNMoney.com. |
| money.cnn.com |
|
| Business, financial, personal finance news - CNNMoney |
| Combines practical personal finance advice, calculators and investing tips with business news, stock quotes, and financial market coverage from the editors ... |
| money.cnn.com |
|
| Personal Finance, Personal Finances, and Financial Advice - Forbes.com |
| Personal Finance - Get financial advice and information from Forbes.com. |
| www.forbes.com |
|
| SmartMoney.com — Investing, Saving and Personal Finance |
| SmartMoney has daily stock and mutual fund recommendations, hourly market updates, personal finance investing research tools and advice, ... |
| www.smartmoney.com |
|
| Personal Finance Home (Personal Finance: Personal Finance ... |
| Links to articles covering a range of topics where monetary planning is or should be involved. |
| www.smartmoney.com |
|
| Personal Finance - Front Page |
| Read the details in Personal Finance this Saturday. Also in this weekend's edition:; You should take financial services companies' marketing material with a ... |
| www.persfin.co.za |
|
| Get stock quotes, market news, rates, and more - Netscape Money ... |
| Market News. • Market News. • News Search. Financial Planning. • Finance Calculators. • Saving for College. • Personal Finance ... |
| money.netscape.cnn.com |
|
| globeandmail.com: Personal Finance |
| Personal Finance. Home · National · British Columbia · Prairies · Ontario · Quebec · Atlantic · Politics · World · Americas · Europe · Asia-Pacific ... |
| www.theglobeandmail.com |
|
| Personal Finance - MSNBC.com |
| Answer Desk: Submit your question about personal finance or the world of business ... Personal Finance. • Learn more about RSS ... |
| www.msnbc.msn.com |
|
| Personal Finance Newsletter |
| 7600 Leesburg Pike, West Building Suite 300 • Falls Church, VA 22043 703-394-4931 (ph) • 703-905-8100 (fax) • personalfinance@kci-com.com ... |
| www.pfnewsletter.com |
|
| Personal Finance Advice - Personal Finance Management - Personal ... |
| Tips and stories for managing your personal finances. |
| www.marketwatch.com |
|
| CNBC.com: Personal Finance |
| Investing home page features investment tools like stock quotes, charts, a portfolio manager and much more. Plus market news and financial commentary from ... |
| moneycentral.msn.com |
|
| Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Business: Personal ... |
| Knowing retirement, health plans can help avert disaster · At one firm, financial crisis crushed 401(k)s, insurance · Personal finance news briefs ... |
| www.dallasnews.com |
|
| Morningstar: Personal Finance |
| Sharpen your personal finance and investing skills with Morningstar. Access articles covering stocks, mutual funds, bonds, retirement, 401(k)s and 529 plans ... |
| www.morningstar.com |
|
| Fool.com: Personal Finance |
| Personal Finance - The Motley Fool exists to educate, amuse, and enrich the individual investor; to prove to you that the best person to manage your money ... |
| www.fool.com |
|
| Fool.com: Investing, Stock Research, and Personal Finance |
| Expert advice on picking stocks, investing for retirement, and dealing with life's major personal finance decisions. |
| www.fool.com |
|
| Telegraph | Money |
| Market news from the Telegraph newspaper online. Includes money product finders. |
| www.telegraph.co.uk |
|
| Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Personal Finance at Epinions.com |
| Epinions has the best comparison shopping information on Personal Finance. Compare prices from across the web and read reviews from other consumers on ... |
| www.epinions.com |
|
|