Is A Credit Score Important And What’s My Credit Score?
Posted by | Posted in Financial News | Posted on 22-08-2010
What’s My Credit Score Mean and How Important Is It?
A common question these days is “What’s My Credit Score Mean and How Important is it?” A credit score can range anywhere from 300 to 850. 300 is the lowest score possible, which would be very bad credit. 850 would be the highest score possible, meaning perfect credit. A credit score is very important in determining if someone qualifies for a loan, credit card, a mortgage, or even a cell phone.
If someone would like to check their credit score they can contact a credit reporting agency. There are a few different credit reporting agencies to choose from but it is best to contact each one because each one reports a credit score a little differently.
If someone does not know their credit score then it is a good idea to check it out. Credit scores play a huge role in getting approved for different forms of credit. If someone does not know their credit score they will have no idea of knowing if they have good or bad credit and what needs to be worked on as far as their credit goes. Anyone can be a victim of identity theft as well and no one would even know it until a credit report is checked. So it is always good to double check a credit report.
To have good credit means that people need to make credit card and loan payments on time. Missing payments will hurt the credit score. Having high balances on credit cards can hurt the debt to income ratio which will negatively impact the credit score. Having too many lines of credit or loans will raise ones debt to income ratio which can also look bad on the credit score.
If someone is unsure of how to work on bad credit, then it does not hurt to start up a secured credit card. These usually have lower credit limits but they do report to the credit reporting agencies every month which will help build up good credit history. Check around with a few different banks to see who offers these and choose the one that best suits the situation.
So having a good credit score is definitely something that everyone should have. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to maintain a good credit score. By actively monitoring one’s credit score and credit report, anyone can work on improving their own credit. This will be a positive influence on getting approved for that car loan or house mortgage.
