Credit Scores

Before they decide on the terms of your loan, lenders want to discover two things about you: your ability to repay the loan, and if you are willing to pay it back. To assess your ability to repay, lenders look at your debt-to-income ratio. To assess your willingness to repay, they use your credit score.

The most commonly used credit scores are FICO scores, which were developed by Fair Isaac & Company, Inc. The FICO score ranges from 350 (very high risk) to 850 (low risk). We've written more about FICO here.

Credit scores only consider the information contained in your credit profile. They don't consider income or personal characteristics. These scores were invented specifically for this reason. "Profiling" was as bad a word when FICO scores were first invented as it is today. Credit scoring was envisioned as a way to assess a borrower's willingness to repay the loan while specifically excluding any other demographic factors.

Your current debt load, past late payments, length of your credit history, and a few other factors are considered. Your score reflects both the good and the bad of your credit report. Late payments lower your credit score, but establishing or reestablishing a good track record of making payments on time will raise your score.

For the agencies to calculate a credit score, borrowers must have an active credit account with at least six months of payment history. This history ensures that there is enough information in your credit to build a score. Some borrowers don't have a long enough credit history to get a credit score. They may need to build up a credit history before they apply.

Foxfield Financial can answer your questions about credit reporting. Give us a call at 720-598-8300.