Your credit score is a key metric that summarizes your entire financial health and that's why discuss factors for credit score. Many people don’t realize they could've improved their own until it's too late - when you find out about all the services denied or not offered to due lack of qualification because someone else had better ratings than yours!
The good news is that you have control over your credit scores! There are several factors affecting them, and understanding what they all mean can help create an actionable plan for maintaining or improving yours to unlock more opportunities.
Top 5 factors for credit score
#1. Payment history – 35%
Your payment history is a major factor in determining your credit score. It shows lenders that you’ve been reliable and paid on time, which makes it more likely for them to trust you and lend again in the future! This means one or two late payments could drag down any potential good marks with this information so make sure not only I avoid Making purchases without paying off first but also know how long ago was each charge.
Missing just one payment can result in a “derogatory mark” on your credit report that will stay there for seven to ten years. This includes accounts in collections, bankruptcies, and foreclosures as well as any liens placed against you by lenders who are owed money!
Remember that paying your bills on time is one of the best things you can do for your credit score! Setting up online alerts or automatic payments across different accounts will help keep track and avoid missing any deadlines. The payment history is the major factor for credit score and its heavy impact on your credit score.
#2. Amounts owed and credit card utilization – 30%
Your credit utilization percentage is the amount of your overall limit that you’re using. If it exceeds 30%, this could be an indication for lenders to think about cutting back on their lending or even shutting off access altogether! The lower and more manageable though, than good because high values mean overextending yourself which may result in the inability to provide further loans should something happen.
Credit utilization – also known as debt-to-limit ratio or personal financing portfolio analysis is the measure of how much you are utilizing your credit card limit. A good goal would be to stay below 30%, but if this isn't possible for some reason then it's better than having a high number which may signal an issue with overextending oneself and not being able to handle more loans in case they were given out again by lenders. This can result from cards being used at full capacity, and going into deep repayment mode so nothing else comes along until things settle down financially again.
#3. Established credit history and an average age of credit lines – 15%
Having a long credit history helps your score as long as you make on-time payments. The age and type of accounts matter too! You need to add up how old each account is, along with an average duration for all active lines in order get the most accurate picture possible before applying for loans or mortgages through banks."
#4. Credit Mix and Number of Accounts in Use: 10%
Credit scores are an important part of your financial life. The more accounts you have, the better! It's also helpful to maintain a diverse mix in both revolving credit (like cards) and installment loans because this can help increase how high up on those rankings they rank people who use them as well- which means that if one goes down due to say...an illness- then chances may be greater than before for another one being approved since he'll look healthier overall.
- Revolving Credit: credit products such as credit cards or home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) in which you make different payments each month depending on how much credit you utilize
- Installment Loans: loans with terms of fixed payments made over a fixed timeline with fixed rates
#5. Hard Credit Inquiries and New Credit – 10%
Hard inquiries on your credit report can have a major effect. It may seem like each time someone pulls it, the matter is only minor and won't affect anything for years to come; however, these little bits of documentation stay there until they're resolved or removed by another party pulling an individual's file (a lender). If you've had many hard inquiries with short periods between them then this information could show up.
Bottom Line
When you are looking over your first credit report, it's important to keep in mind that there is a lot of information, and not all items will have an impact on improving the score. Understanding what comprises each item can help prioritize those steps that might be most helpful toward building strong financial habits!
Call on (888) 803-7889 & Build your credit score now!
