How's your FICO Score?

Since we live in an computer-driven world, it's not surprising that your ability to repay your mortgage comes down to just one number. The FICO score is compiled by credit reporting agencies. They use the payment history from all of your loans: credit cards, mortgages, car loans and the like.

All three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) use a slightly different system to arrive at a credit score. Fair Isaac and Cooriginally developed this score. . While Experian still calls its score "FICO", TransUnion calls its score "Beacon" and Equifax uses "Empirica." While each of the models considers a range of data available in your credit report, the differences aren't huge; each agency uses the following factors in building your score:

• Your Credit History - How long have you had credit?
• Late Payments - Do you pay your bills on time?
• Balances on your Credit Cards - How many accounts do you hold, and how much do you owe?
• Credit Inquiries - How many times have you had your credit checked for a loan?

These factors are assigned weights based on the formula being used. The results are added up and distilled into a single number. FICO scores can be as low as 300 and as high as 800. Higher is always better. Most home buyers in the current environment have a score above 620.

Not just for qualifying

Did you know? Credit scores are used for more than just determining whether or not you qualify for a mortgage. Higher scores indicate you are a better credit risk, and thus may qualify for a better mortgage rate.

Improving your score

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do to immediately improve your credit score. Because the score is based on a lifetime of credit history, it is hard to change it quickly. You must, of course, remove any incorrect reporting from your credit report, which is the only "quick fix" for credit problems.

How do I find out my FICO score?

Before you can improve your FICO score, you have to get your score and make sure that the reports from each reporting agency are correct. Fair Isaac has created a web site (www.myFICO.com) that lets you do just that. It's inexpensive to get your FICO from all three reporting agencies, along with your credit report. Also available are information and tools that help you understand how to improve your credit score.

You can get a free credit report once per year from the three major agencies at AnnualCreditReport.com. While this report does not include a free credit score, the cost to "upgrade" your report to include a credit score is very reasonable.

Now that you have all the facts, you will be a more informed consumer and you'll be better positioned to obtain the right mortgage for you.

Want to know more about credit scores? Call us: (808) 935-0678.