Article Distribution
In: Mortgage
2 Nov 2009Apparently there is a way to increase your credit score and it is probably not what you think it is. When asked this question randomly at a college, most students reported that the way to increase you credit score was to pay off your bills every month and on time. Some home owners said that the way to do so was to pay your mortgage on time and try to remove bad references from your credit records.
It seemed that everyone claimed to have heard a trick or two. Others said that constantly querying the credit bureau and challenging them to respond to you within 30 days or as mandated by law would result in the credit agency messing up and the matter being cleared based on a technicality. Truthfully, enough people mentioned the latter, that it appears that this somewhat unorthodox method may have some validity in a few jurisdictions.
Invariably however, what appears to be missing from nearly all the responses was an understanding of not of how credit works because most of us can figure that one out, but the understanding of the thinking/reasoning behind higher credit scores and what loan institutions are really looking for. So, myth number 1. Loan institutions love people who pay off their bills on time every month. Really? If this were the case, how would a loan institution make any money? ha ha Loan institutions love people who maintain a balance that they can get charged interest on. And that’s the truth.
Ok, Question number 2. Big borrowers who are simply big borrowers are simply loved by the banks. Is this really true ? If this were the case, people who couldn’t repay loans would get huge amounts of credit and constantly end up in repayment problems. Anyway, if I am wrong on this one, I would be the second in the line chasing you to the nearest bank for a mega loan. I have had my eye on some New York Prime Property for a while now. But this isn’t true is it? So perhaps this is not the answer either.
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between. Loan institutions love clients who pay something on their bills each month ( preferably just the interest and a little more ) and whom appear to have the ongoing ability to manage/to pay down on the debt load. I.e. Fifty thousand in available personal credit, 22,000 used already.
The keyword phrase “ongoing ability to pay ” is why some older retired persons with otherwise good credit may sometimes have difficulty refinancing longer term loans. Existing verifiable income is one of the underlying basis for credit that requires repayment. I think pension checks are income but for some reason lenders don’t rate those quite so highly.
So the key issue for those looking to increase their credit scores from perhaps a low 600 to a high 800 depends more on the factor of debt ratio.Primary amongst those additional factors is as mentioned, the DEBT RATIO. If you want to have a credit score above 800 then the credit agencies must think you have a very favorable debt ratio.
That something else is the debt ratio. The key issue for getting credit card ratings above 6-700 is the debt/credit ratio.
Who then are the loan arrangers really searching for? That would be the gentle person with a credit to debt ratio which is not only low, meaning they have room to increase it, but someone who also has shown the long term ability to handle an ongoing balance. Come to the site and view the Credit Score Video then make a few quick changes to fix your score. Is 72 hours too long?
Going for a loan, Mortgage or Lease. Increase your credit score first and get a better loan rate from your lender.