In the United States mortgage lenders rely heavily on an applicants FICO score in making lending decisions. The score is a reflection of the applicants ability and willingness to repay loans; it also impacts the terms of any loan offered and even whether or not the loan is offered at all. A higher FICO score generally translates into a lower risk loan for a creditor; higher scores usually mean better loan terms and rates.
The industry secrets regarding how a FICO score is calculated is top secret. Fortunately, the company has allowed consumers a glimpse of the process by giving a list of what sorts of information they use and how they use it in analyzing and scoring a persons credit. This knowledge can help individuals clear up bad credit or appeal false information, and handle their available credit appropriately. Here is a list of the information the FICO Corporation uses and how it is weighted in their formula:
Payment History: This data carries the most weight in the analysis. It makes up 35% of ones score. This is information about a persons payment history, whether it has been on time or not. Scores are lowered for slow payments.
Available Credit Ratio: This is the second highest-weighted factor, making up 30% of the score. The scoring process looks at how much credit has been extended to a person and compares it to how much credit is outstanding at any given moment. Available revolving credit will increase a persons score; closing revolving accounts will lower the score. Paying down outstanding loans regularly without closing them also has a positive affect on your FICO score.
Duration of Credit History: The FICO score is a tool to give creditors insight into how a person will behave if credit is extended. The longer the credit history the more information is available to indicate how a person will handle future loans. The longer your credit history the higher this part of your score will be. At 15%, it ranks third in weight for the scoring process.
Two additional factors weigh in at about 10% a piece. These are the number of types of credit one has successfully managed and the number of recent credit inquiries. The FICO score generally considers the successful use of diverse types of credit as a positive factor. FICO also looks at the number of recent queries into a persons credit and considers this indicative of the persons current financial situation. The more queries made " meaning the more credit the person has applied for recently " the lower the score.
Knowing these factors and their relative weights can help the potential borrower modify their behavior in order to get a higher FICO score and hopefully more favorable terms for their loans.
The industry secrets regarding how a FICO score is calculated is top secret. Fortunately, the company has allowed consumers a glimpse of the process by giving a list of what sorts of information they use and how they use it in analyzing and scoring a persons credit. This knowledge can help individuals clear up bad credit or appeal false information, and handle their available credit appropriately. Here is a list of the information the FICO Corporation uses and how it is weighted in their formula:
Payment History: This data carries the most weight in the analysis. It makes up 35% of ones score. This is information about a persons payment history, whether it has been on time or not. Scores are lowered for slow payments.
Available Credit Ratio: This is the second highest-weighted factor, making up 30% of the score. The scoring process looks at how much credit has been extended to a person and compares it to how much credit is outstanding at any given moment. Available revolving credit will increase a persons score; closing revolving accounts will lower the score. Paying down outstanding loans regularly without closing them also has a positive affect on your FICO score.
Duration of Credit History: The FICO score is a tool to give creditors insight into how a person will behave if credit is extended. The longer the credit history the more information is available to indicate how a person will handle future loans. The longer your credit history the higher this part of your score will be. At 15%, it ranks third in weight for the scoring process.
Two additional factors weigh in at about 10% a piece. These are the number of types of credit one has successfully managed and the number of recent credit inquiries. The FICO score generally considers the successful use of diverse types of credit as a positive factor. FICO also looks at the number of recent queries into a persons credit and considers this indicative of the persons current financial situation. The more queries made " meaning the more credit the person has applied for recently " the lower the score.
Knowing these factors and their relative weights can help the potential borrower modify their behavior in order to get a higher FICO score and hopefully more favorable terms for their loans.
About the Author:
Wendy Polisi is the Vice-President of Finance the Dream which offers Rent to Own Houses and Lease Options throughout the United States. To find out more about how they can help you get into your dream home, please visit them at financethedream.com. To learn more about increasing credit score, please visit her blog.
