Your Credit Matters!

Understanding your credit is an incredibly vital thing to grasp. It’s what employers, lenders, and even insurance agencies can look at to determine if they will provide you with a service. Especially in today’s world, credit can be a huge lifesaver when needing a little extra help.

What is a credit score?

Your credit score can range from 300-850. Ratings 720 and above will usually give the borrower the best rates available unless it is a thin file (minimal trade lines and history) also known as a false Beacon. The following are the roles of credit scores:
  • One element of the credit decision-making process.
  • Often the key to better rates. Higher scores equal a better rate.
  • Not a money-management tool. This is purely an indicator of how risky you are to a lender.
  • Discovering fraud or credit reporting errors is essential. You want to check your credit score periodically to ensure your personal information hasn’t been compromised.

How Scores are determined

Many different factors determine your credit score. No one knows precisely how much each category is worth, but they are all significant in determining your final number. Below are the different categories with an estimated percentage of how important each is.
  • Types of Credit (10%)
  • New Credit (10%)
  • Length of Credit History (15%)
  • Amounts Owed (30%)
  • Payment History (35%)
There are many mistakes that you can make when it comes to your credit. Each error will adversely affect your credit score. Typically, if you max out your card, it will decrease your score by 10-45 points. Late payments will reduce your score by 60-110 points. A foreclosure will affect your score by 45-125 points, and bankruptcy will decrease it by 130-240 points. Make sure you are responsible with credit to avoid penalties.

How to improve your credit score

It can take time to repair your credit score, but it’s essential to do. The following are ways that you can improve your score:
  • Pay on time, every time. Even if it’s just the minimum, pay it.
  • Pay collection accounts.
  • Keep your old accounts. Don’t cancel old credit cards that aren’t costing you money. The length of your credit is important when determining your score.
  • Avoid maxing out accounts.
  • Limit balance transfers.
  • Avoid excess credit applications. Generally, you only need 3-5 credit cards.
Beware of credit repair companies. They cannot legally do anything that you cannot do yourself for free. Take steps yourself to dispute incorrect or outdated information. Members of BrightStar Credit Union can speak with a financial advisor for FREE to sort out their credit issues and develop a plan to improve their score. Our Balance Financial Advisors will also help build a household budget, understand your credit report, buy a home, protect your identity, rebuild your credit rating, and more.

COVID-19 and your credit score

While employment status isn’t included in your credit report, job loss can still affect your credit. The reason job loss can affect your credit is that you might not stay current on your payments resulting in penalties. Unemployment itself does not prevent you from applying for new credit. The likelihood of a loan denial is much higher with a loss of steady income. Hopefully, during these hard times, you have taken the right steps to ensure your credit score remains healthy.