Beware the Web, where you’ll see plenty of claims that short sales will save your credit, simple as that. But there’s nothing simple about deciding whether to sell your house in a foreclosure or in a short sale, which means you sell the property for less than you owe the bank. And in most cases, going through either process will wreck your credit score.

“Both short sales and foreclosures are considered negative by the score, because our data shows us it’s very predictive of future credit risk,” Tom Quinn, Fair Isaac Corp.’s vice president of FICO scores, said. “The claim that doing a short sale is not going to hurt your score is false. It’s inaccurate.”

Credit scores, which are designed to assess how likely it is that consumers will uphold their side of the bargain, look at the severity (are we talking bankruptcy or a late car payment?), frequency (have you skipped a payment once, or have you missed a bunch?), and recently (did you miss a payment last month or last year?) of items on your credit report.

This is not to say that there aren’t some instances where short sales are better. If a borrower is current at the point of a short sale, for instance, then the consumer’s credit score won’t sink as far as it would have if he hadn’t made a mortgage payment for six months. Still, Fair Isaac says that the benefit from not having prior delinquencies on file pales when compared with the hit a score takes from a short sale.

If you’re having mortgage trouble, seek help right away from a housing counselor or an attorney. Realtors are the go-to professionals to learn about the local housing market and what it takes to sell your home.

But they aren’t credit experts. And don’t pay someone a lot of money if they promise to quickly rehab your credit score after foreclosure. Credit scores are forgiving — over time.

Source: thestate.com

To give the issue a sense of an academic taste, we can refer to Loretta J. Mester who is a vice president and economist in the Research Department of the Philadelphia Fed. She is also the head of the department’s Banking and Financial Markets section. In her article which is named as “What’s the Point of Credit Scoring?” Loretta J. Mester introduces credit scoring in a funny way as following:
“When one banker asks another “What’s the score?” shareholders needn’t worry that these bankers are wasting time discussing the ball game. More likely they’re doing their jobs and discussing the credit score of one of their loan applicants. Credit scoring is a statistical method used to predict the probability that a loan applicant or existing borrower will default or become delinquent. The method, introduced in the 1950s, is now widely used for consumer lending, especially credit cards, and is becoming more commonly used in mortgage lending.”

She also gives a strict definition of credit scoring:
“Credit scoring is a method of evaluating the credit risk of loan applications. Using historical data and statistical techniques, credit scoring tries to isolate the effects of various applicant characteristics on delinquencies and defaults. The method produces a “score” that a bank can use to rank its loan applicants or borrowers in terms of risk. To build a scoring model, or “scorecard,” developers analyze historical data on the performance of previously made loans to determine which borrower characteristics are useful in predicting whether the loan performed well. A well-designed model should give a higher percentage of high scores to borrowers whose loans will perform well and a higher percentage of low scores to borrowers whose loans won’t perform well. But no model is perfect, and some bad accounts will receive higher scores than some good accounts”

Have you been deprived of getting a loan, mortgage or credit card?
Do you know how you can increase your credit score?

Your credit score can make or break your way of living or lifestyle in a lot of ways. Maintaining or keeping a good credit score, especially in times of economic hardships, is really quite extraordinary.

Most lenders looks into the credit score of those applying for loans, mortgage, or for credit cards. As it is part of the business, they want to know and double check the capability of the debtor to pay for the loan being applied for. The lenders are taking a lot of risk when they give somebody the use of their money.

Here are just some of the helpful guidelines in increasing ones credit score:
1. Avoid applying for credit much too frequently. Numerous credit applications will mean inquiry of ones file. A lot of new credit applications can greatly affect and lower the score.

2. Always pay all statement of accounts on time. Paying bills behind of schedule are always recorded in the credit report and can reflect a not so good paying habit. This will definitely lower the credit score.

3. Avoid high outstanding balance or debit in ones credit card and other existing credit can drop off the credit score. As much as possible, keep those debts low.

4. Catch up on missed payments. Its never too late to pay the bill.

5. Avoid closing unused accounts or credit cards. This will not help increase the score.

6. Avoid opening unnecessary accounts with the notion of increasing ones credit score by having a brand new credit card. This strategy will actually lower the score.

7. Having too few or no loan and credit account in ones name, is also measured as a credit risk to lenders. Maintaining a small number of credit cards showing a good credit standing, having a reasonable balances and limits, can help increase the credit score.

The rate of credit scores will be the deciding factor in the approval of a loan, the extent or amount of credit that will be offered, and the interest rate that will be added to the loan for the period or duration of the agreement.

Credit scores also significantly affect the rates or charges one will incur for the monthly payments. A low score will mean paying a higher interest rate on the borrowed money.

Also, if one wants to create a difference in applying for insurance premiums and employment, debtors must strive to increase their credit scores.

Some employment agencies, firms and industries check the credit scores of applicants and would-be employees before deciding on whether or not they would hire them. They would also look at credit activities, and employment and payment history.

Recently, most insurance companies do a background check especially on the credit scores of their clienteles. Through this, they will determine the cost of the insurance premiums, housing premiums, auto insurance, and others.

Credit reports can provide insights to employers and insurance agents a run-down summary about the attitude and behavior of a person.

Discipline is an important tool to maintain a good credit score. Increasing ones credit score takes time. It cant be quick and instant.

The better the person deals with his or her credit accounts to have a good and high credit score, the more assurance of saving more money in the bank there is.

Are you having trouble getting your loan application approved?
Probably you are one of the millions of individuals who are having trouble getting their loan application approved. They have complied with the requirements and submitted necessary documents, yet they always got a negative response from the application division of the lending company.

What have gone wrong?
Yes, you have complied with the necessary requirements and submitted necessary documents, yet you forgot something which is very vital in getting your loan application approved your credit score.

Many individuals find themselves getting rejected every time they apply for a loan (such as a home equity loan or an auto loan) because they are not aware of their credit score, or worse, do not know what credit score is at all. They tend to deal with something which they do not understand what they are really dealing with, thus they get caught in the pitfalls of rejection. It is important that you know what credit score is and how vital it is in your loan application. As many say, start with the basics to get rid of the complexities.

A credit score is used to determine whether you are a credit risk or not. It is one of the major factors that will initially determine whether your loan applications would be accepted or rejected. It possesses every inch of details with regards to your credit experiences, such as the loans that you have previously availed, any late payments that you have made, and existing debts that you failed to pay prior to your present loan application. In other words, this will serve as your grade whether you passed or failed in a certain subject.
Your credit score is recorded in your credit report, which is one of the requirements when applying for a loan. It is divided into 4 main sections, which is as follows:

General information, such as your present address, date of birth, contact numbers, drivers license number, and your employers name.
Personal history, which contains information about your personal accounts.
Public records, which contains financial data such as any judgments from county courts, defaults, or bankruptcy.
Inquiries, which includes list of individuals or groups who have requested for your credit report.

You can obtain copies of your credit score from 3 major credit reporting agencies. One of which is the Trans Union, which is one of the global leaders in terms of credit information and management. Since Trans Union was founded in 1968, they have worked with various businesses and individuals to gather, evaluate, and deliver the critical information needed to create strong economies around the world. As a result, businesses are now managed effectively, resulting to better client relationship. Individuals now understand and manage their credit effectively, thus achieving their financial goals.

Serving more than 30 countries in 6 continents around the world, Trans Union developed local relationship among different nationalities, using the expertise of its manpower in terms of credit management and offering services to individuals who are having a hard time managing their credit profile.

Managing your credit means managing your life as a whole. For Trans Union, credit score is not a subject that should be taken for granted. In fact, it should be one of the top priorities of every individual who prefer credit solutions to their financial needs. Thus, if you want to have that great financial potential and have an access to loans with affordable interest payments and incredible terms of conditions, trust Trans Union.

Honesty, experience, and relationship. Those are the 3 values that made Trans Union a leader in credit management and information.

Individuals who possess a good credit score always heads to the finish line first. They are eligible to loans and other forms of credits of lower interest rates and convenient terms of payment. Their good credit score serves as their assurance to the lending institution that they are not of credit risk and they have the capability of repaying any forms of credit that they will avail without committing delinquencies. Thus, individuals with good credit score have the access over loans and other forms of credits of lower interest rate payments and best credit terms.

On the other hand, if you possess a bad credit score, expect that you will experience difficulties in securing loans and credit plans of lower interest rate. Your bad credit score makes you a financial risk on the part of the lending institution, thus you are only entitled to loans and other forms of credit with higher interest rate so that the lender will have an assurance that the amount of money you borrowed will return back to them at the end of the loan term.

This could be a huge financial setback for your part and will really hurt your pocket. Higher interest payments mean fewer savings for your part and will cost you more than the actual amount you borrowed from your lender. At this point, you should realize the importance of possessing a good credit score if you have plans of getting loans and other forms of credit in the future.
To have an idea of what a good credit score is, you should be aware of its range, or what you call an “acceptable credit score range”. It is commonly determined using the national average credit score. In addition, the national credit score could definitely say something about how a nation handles its financial matters.

The typical national credit score range is between 650 and 700. This would now be your basis whether your credit score is above or below the national average. For instance, if your credit score is below the national range, then something should be done in order to improve your credit score. On the other hand, if your credit score is above the national range, then you are safe enough in applying for loans of your choice without the fear that your loan application might be rejected later on.

Remember that you need to stay close within the national average credit score so that you will not experience difficulties in applying for loans with lower interest rates. Credit score above the national average means something and can affect the way you will deal with loans and other forms of credit in the future. As previously mentioned, it will improve your chances of securing loans or credit cards with lower interest payments, which in return could generate substantial amounts of savings in the long run. Staying close on the acceptable credit score range will help you in making decisions and not regretting the results later on.

Be responsible enough in your personal financial matters. Knowing the national range and staying close to it will give you the advantage of securing loans or other forms of credit and at the same time generating substantial amounts of savings in the long run. You are just like setting your mind on something that you know will give you benefits in the future.

And that is a great thing for you to consider.