Archive for the ‘Credit Scores’ Category
Raising My Credit Scores Fast – Tips and Techniques
Faster you raise your credit score, more you will be benefited. This becomes even more important if you plan to apply for some sort of credit in near future. Higher credit score is directly proportional to lower interest rates and hence, you will get the best of interest rates once you go for applying a credit. Thus, proving lighter on your pocket and heavier on your bank balances ultimately.
In this article, I will try to review few popular ones of the several methods to raise your credit scores fast. The frontrunner in these all is to reduce the revolving credit. Try to reduce more and more of your credit card and departmental store debts. The simple equation is that the closer you will be to the ending limit, more adversely it affects your score. Try to use the cards as less as you can and even if you want to use them, try to clear them within a month. The lower the balance will be the faster your credit score will raise.
Consider that for instance you don’t have any outstanding credit at all. In this situation you need to apply a different approach. First of all you have to build up a credit history and there are two ways to develop it. The first one is to look for some one who is willing to co-sign a loan with you. It can be any kind of loan varying from car loan or a credit card loan or anything. Make sure that this person whom you are co signing with, should have a good credit on his belt. If he is having a good credit, you too will get approved and your credit limit will get raised and so will your credit scores rise up faster.
If somehow you are unable to find such person for yourself then comes the other way which is better known as secure credit. In this way a person deposits a certain amount and his credit is approved depending on the security deposited amount. This method is usually used with the credit cards. For instance, you deposit $ 1000 and the credit card company approves you for a credit card limit up to $ 1000. This is a security measure for the company. In case, you default from the loan, they will just withdraw the security deposit and clear the debts. The trick here is that it still looks like a revolving account on your credit report and hence, it raises your credit score fast.
Find out how to get your Free Credit Report and learn how to raise your credit score 107 points in 39 days and get approved for that car, home or credit card loan you need, credit repair click here to get started today.
Owner Builder Loans – Everything You Need to Know About Credit Scores
With all of the recent changes in the mortgage industry, it can be tough to keep up with the different requirements for the different loan programs available. Owner builder construction loans are probably as complex as residential mortgages can get. But, there are some simple rules about your credit scores that can make understanding the owner builder guidelines a little easier.
The first rule of thumb for an owner builder construction loan is that you will want to have a credit score of at least 620. Obviously, the higher your credit score is, the better it will be for your loan. However, if you want to be an owner builder to build your own home, then you will need to have a middle FICO credit score of at least 620.
Technically, for most owner builder loan programs, there is no strict minimum credit score requirement. In most cases, your loan application will be run through an automated approval system, which will analyze your overall risk factor. However, even without a strict minimum, you most likely are not going to get the approval through the computer system without at least a 620 score.
Along those same lines, an owner builder may not get approved for their financing even with a credit score above 620. In addition to analyzing your credit score, the approval system will also examine your current credit health. In other words, if you don’t have any current, healthy accounts that are at least one to two years old, then having a credit score above 620 probably won’t be enough to get your approval.
Likewise, owner builder construction loans are going to provide better rates in terms for borrowers with higher credit scores. Specifically, having a credit score above 700 will help you get the best rates and terms available.
It is important to remember, though, that a strong credit score will not assure an owner builder of getting approved. In other words, an owner builder with a strong credit score is not going to get through underwriting if he has too low of a documented income or too much debt. Furthermore, a strong credit score won’t be enough to get the loan approved if the project has a poor appraisal or an unrealistic budget. Therefore, a good credit score is just one piece of the puzzle for a strong owner builder file.
In fact, here are some of the specific advantages of having a higher credit score when applying for an owner builder construction loan:
1. An owner builder who has a high credit score can often get approved with less than the normal amount of savings in reserves.
2. If you have a credit score above 700, you will have a much smaller down payment requirement for an owner builder construction loan.
3. Also, an owner builder with high credit scores will get better interest rates as compared to someone with just average credit scores.
So, even though a having a credit score won’t get an owner builder approved if there are other glaring issues with the file, it will certainly provide the three advantages listed above.
Therefore, if you are considering being an owner builder, make sure you have a middle FICO score that is at least above 620. If your score is just barely over the 620 mark, then expect to have stricter down payment and interest rate requirements for your owner builder construction loan. So, if you have a limited amount of savings in the bank, you may want to work to get your credit scores above 700 before applying for an owner builder loan.
The Job Search is Much Tougher for Consumers with Poor Credit Scores
Being jobless for many months can destroy your credit scores. Even if you manage to juggle accounts and keep paying the bills on time, using the credit cards to make up the shortfall between unemployment benefits and monthly expenses is damaging.
Worse, as too many consumers have learned, when you start using your credit cards, card issuers start lowering credit lines and raising interest rates. That’s a practice that has caused many of the jobless to simply stop paying the credit card bills. Thus, their credit scores have fallen to the basement.
Most are anxious to find employment and get back on track with bill payment, but that fallen credit score gets in the way.
As of a 2004 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 40% of employers were checking credit before hiring. Now, with applicants flooding the job market, that number is likely higher. Many are reviewing credit histories prior to a first interview with a job candidate. Others are checking after hiring, and then terminating employees based on their credit scores.
Employers cite it as a good business practice – one that will prevent them from hiring people who are irresponsible or who make bad decisions. Some also state that the practice could cut down on employee theft. And of course, with so many applicants to choose from, using credit scores is an easy way to thin down the numbers.
Advocates for the jobless contend that checking credit scores is a form of “safe” discrimination – and that a good credit score is often completely irrelevant. Missed payments or a medical debt have no bearing on a person’s skills and ability as, for instance, a plumber or an auto mechanic.
States are slowly recognizing the problem and a few are taking steps to prevent this practice. In Washington, for instance, a job candidate’s credit history must be relevant to the job he or she is seeking. Lawmakers in Hawaii have approved a similar measure, but take it a step farther by allowing employers to review credit histories only after making a job offer.
Lawmakers in Ohio and Michigan are considering measures that would prohibit employers from using credit history in hiring decisions.
Federal law requires employers to get permission from potential employees before running a credit check. Further, if they decide to deny employment based on the credit report, they’re required to notify the applicant. This rule is intended to give the potential employee an opportunity to explain the reason or to spot errors on the report.