Zach Ford asked:




If you’ve read or heard anything about credit scores, you’ve heard mention of a FICO score but may not know what it is. The FICO calculates all your financial activities into a score ranging from 300 to 850. The higher your score, the better credit risk you are. The FICO is a tool used by lenders to help them decide if you’re a good credit risk. Anyone who applies for a loan will likely have their credit checked and their FICO number could make the difference between being approved for the loan or turned down.

Your credit report, used to calculate your FICO score, is an accounting of all your financial activity. Returned checks (NSF), late payments and loan defaults are all reported by your creditors to the three major credit history companies. If you pay off a loan early or make all your payments on time, there’s no glowing recommendation made. A credit report and the resulting FICO score are merely a dry accounting of financial facts.

You can and should receive a free credit report and FICO score every year from the three major credit-reporting companies. By calling or going online, it’s easy to keep an eye out for any erroneous information or mix-ups on your credit history.

The more responsible you’ve been with credit, the better your FICO score will be. Your score above 700 identifies you as an excellent credit risk and qualifies you for lower-interest loans as well as access to higher credit limits. You’re still considered a good risk if your score is above 680 but less than 700 but if the FICO sinks below 580 you’re considered a poor credit risk.

Your FICO is your credit reputation, just as your family name is your character reputation. It’s important to check it at least yearly to be sure that you’re not a victim of credit fraud. Your financial reputation is nearly as important as your personal reputation in this age of credit and credit abuse. Perhaps you want to buy your first home and have worked hard the past few years to establish yourself as a good credit risk; without regular checks of your credit report, all your conscientious efforts can be ruined by fraudulent activity of which you were unaware.

Like everything else, your credit report and FICO score needs to be watched. It would be wise to designate a certain time of year to request your credit report. By checking your credit regularly you can maintain your reputation as a good credit risk, prevent or quickly report fraudulent activity and avoid being the victim of identity theft.

Rick

Mike Clover asked:




Free Credit Report with no credit card required is available at annualcreditreport once a year. Here is what they don’t tell you. When you get your Free Credit Report at annualcreditreport there is no Credit Scores. So what good is a Credit Report without your Credit Scores? A Credit Report with no Credit Scores is like a destination with no address, it is useless. The following look at your scores very closely when determining your credit risk, interest rates, and terms.

1. Insurance Companies

2. Utility Companies

3. Credit Card Companies

4. Mortgage Companies

5. Car Finance Banks

6. Employers

7. Even Hospitals are now determining your Credit Risk.

Folks this is serious business, just imagine if you are applying for that new job that pays more, and they determine whether they are going to hire you based on your Credit Score. The main point is, yes you can get a Free Report with Annual but it’s once a year and no Scores are included. A Report with no Scores is useless, especially when that is what creditors look at. Let’s just assume you are getting ready to buy a car, and you are a customer that does not know there scores. Dealerships love customers like you because an uneducated consumer is a consumer they can rip off and make more money on. An educated consumer that knows there scores will show up ready to get the interest rate on the loan. This is what most lenders don’t want to deal with, because they make less money on consumers like this. Maybe you are wondering what is considered a good score.

Here is a break down:

o 780-850 – Low Risk

o 740-780 – Medium -Low Risk

o 690-740- Medium Risk

o 620-690- Medium High Risk

o 620 and Below – High Risk

There are all of these offers out there selling Free Credit Score Reports with all these up sales. For example:

1. Credit Monitoring

2. Savings Club memberships etc

When it comes down to being an educated consumer and that is all that is available out there to get your scores, there is not much choice. I would not hesitate to get these services, because everyday thousands of people get there identity stolen. I would recommend being an educated consumer so you are aware of what is being reported about you. Start saving today and protect yourself and your family.

Eddie

Zach Ford asked:




Your FICO score, calculated by information in your credit report, is one of the most valuable tools in your financial arsenal. FICO (named after Fair Issac Corp, the company that pioneered credit scoring) mathematically calculates your late or timely payments and other factors in your credit history into a number that indicates how good a credit risk you would be.

Hundreds of bits of financial information are used in calculating your score and it’s important to be certain that some of those factors aren’t errors or even credit fraud. Therefore, you should check your credit report and FICO score at least once a year and even more frequently if you relocate, change jobs or open new accounts. Quickly correcting any errors that may be in your report is vital to your financial health.

Another, very important, reason to check your credit report is your present and future employers. Checking a job applicant’s report has become standard practice in trying to determine if they’d be a good fit with the company. You can see how an error or fraudulent entry in your credit report can make a significant impact on your life!

You can obtain a copy of your credit report and FICO score by either going online or using the postal service. Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, the three agencies, offer free copies of your report and FICO score once per year. You will find forms online that you can use to request these reports. Take care, however, that you don’t inadvertently get taken in by the many look-alike websites that often imitate these legitimate reporting agencies. The imitators will offer the free reports but in authorizing it, you’re actually signing up for a monthly credit reporting service that will charge you a fee. Unless you want this type of service, be very careful to read all the agreements and fine print, even on the three legitimate websites.

Checking your credit report and FICO score at least once per year will help insure that you stay financially healthy and maintain your good credit reputation.

Randall

michaelsenoff asked:

From www.hardtofindseminars.com Everyone knows you need a high credit score in order to get a good loan. Its the single most important factor lenders use when determining whether you’re a credit risk or not. But fortunately no matter what your credit score looks like today, there are simple steps you can take that will boost it to its highest level possible. Thats why in this hour-long interview youll meet Dave. Dave is a credit consultant, newspaper columnist, and author of How Credit Really Works. And according to him, anyone can bring up their credit score – you just need to know how. But the bad news is your score may be lower than you think. Dave says the credit scores you get online are not the ones most lenders see. In fact, your real score could be more than 100 points lower! Hear how to protect yourself and get the highest credit score possible!

Chad

Anna Josephs asked:


Free credit report and credit score history determines what loans you qualify for and what the interest rate you pay. Take control of your credit by checking both your credit report and credit score from three of financial bureaus. Which will be always helpful for you in all your legal works and while big shopping like house, furniture, vehicle and many more.

You can have three credit reports from each credit bureau. Some times the information on each report can be very different, so it is important to review all three credit reports and credit scores regularly for your yearly accounting.

Let us see what your complete credit report includes:

1) Issued credit report from all three financial bureaus online is in an easy to read format.

2) Your credit score paired with tips for improvement.

3) All your financial information and articles to help in managing your credit.

4) Toll free customer service assistance.

Checking your Credit Report online on three of financial site is simple and secure. To get your credit report you have provide them following details like -

1 Submit all your basic contact information even if you have changed you house location with your old resident address too to request your 3-in-1 Credit Report & Credit Score.

2 Always create a username and password for your account. This will allow you to log in and access your products in the future.

3 You will need to provide a credit card number (your card will not be charged) and answer a few questions. Provide all the correct information its will get rejected if any false information is given. Once you have give all the correct information, your credit products will appear online in seconds.

Some of them don’t know, checking your own credit report does not harm your credit score. Actually your credit score is nothing but a numerical evaluation of your credit risk, which is count usually on a scale of 300-850. This score is used by creditors, lenders, employers and insurers to make decisions about you.

Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website Free Yearly Credit Report . For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com



Roberta