credit report - Loans: Helping or Hurting Your Credit

All around the world, there are many individuals who are worried about their credit. In the past, a person's credit only use to be taken into consideration when trying to obtain financing, but things have since changed. Your credit may be examined when you are applying for a job or looking to rent an apartment. Your credit score is determined by a combination of factors. One of those factors is whether or not you have taken out a loan in the past. If you have attended college, bought a house, or purchased a new vehicle, it is likely that you have obtained a loan before. If you have yet to obtain a loan, it is likely that you will need one in the future. When it comes to loans, there are many individuals who are concerned with what they will do their credit. In most cases, having a loan will help to improve your credit, but there are times when it may hurt it. Whether or not a loan will help or hurt your credit is completely up to you. If you are like most individuals, you will want a loan to have a positive impact on your overall credit score. There are a number of ways that this can be done. The first step is to do business with a reputable financial lender. Reputable financial lenders often come in the form of local banks or online lenders. You will need to make sure that your financial lender will report your payment history to a credit bureau. If you make all of your loan payments on time, you will notice that your credit score will remain solid or even improve. A few late payments may not have a negative impact, but you never know. Each lender is likely to report payment histories in different ways. That is why it is advised that you make all of your payments on time, the earlier the better. A large number of late payments may result in you receiving a poor mark on your credit report. In addition to a poor credit report marking, it is also possible that your relationship with your financial lender may turn sour. It is important to stay in good standing with your financial lender, whether that lender is your local bank or an online lender. You never know when you may need a loan in the future. You do not want to ruin your chances of being able to obtain financing later on in life by making a number of late payments on your loan. If you know ahead of time that you will be unable to make a loan payment, it is advised that you contact your financial lender. In addition to improving your business relationship, it is likely that your lender may be able to provide you with alternative payment options. The worst thing that you can do is avoid the situation altogether. There are many individuals who get so far behind with their payments that they just do nothing. This will not make your situation go away; in fact, it may make it worse. Making on time loan payments is often easier said than done. Before you obtain a loan, you are encouraged to make sure that you can afford to make payments. If you feel that you may be unable to afford monthly payments, you are encouraged to rethink applying for a loan. It is important to take into consideration your future and what a poor credit score could do to that future. Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store where you can find out how to improve your credit score. Visit today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/ Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Kenny credit report - Credit Scores: How Are They Calculated? Most people know that credit scores determine what and how much you can borrow from lenders, but very few are actually knowledgeable about how credit scores are calculated. When you attempt to borrow money from a financial institution or to obtain a credit card, the financial companies retrieve a copy of your credit report, which contains a score that qualifies (or disqualifies) you for the loan or line of credit. Credit scores range from 340 to 850, and are used to determine the risk lenders take on when they give you money or credit. An individual with a credit score of 480 will pose a much larger risk to the lender than an individual with a credit score of 700. If you don't know your credit score, it might be a good idea to find out. The three credit bureaus - Equifax, Transunion and Experian - use a special type of software that uses the information in your credit report to generate a numerical score. Credit scores are sometimes called "FICO scores" because the first credit score software was produced and distributed by Fair Isaac Corporation'FICO. Credit scores are calculated using the following information: 35% Payment History 30% Amount Owed 15% Length of Credit History 10% Types of Credit Utilized 10% New Credit Obtained Payment History Your payment history encompasses all of your past credit accounts - including loans, mortgages, financing and lines of credit. It will include the accounts that you have "paid as agreed"; negative accounts and collections; and delinquent accounts. Delinquent accounts will show how many accounts are past due, the amount of time that the account has been past due and how much time has elapsed since you've had a past due payment. Amount Owed The part that includes the amounts you owe will include how frequently you pay down your credit, how much of your revolving credit lines you've used, and the total number of zero-balance accounts. This is used to determine how frequently you pay off your debts and how much you continue to accrue as time goes on. Length of Credit History Your credit score will also reflect how long your credit report has been tracked and how long it has been since you've last opened an account. The longer your credit report is tracked, the higher your credit score will be as along as you continue to make payments and to avoid collections. Types of Credit Utilized There are many more types of credit than just credit cards. Your credit history encompasses mortgages, auto loans, business loans and all types of financing. When you've used several different types of credit - rather than just revolving credit, such as a credit card - your credit score will be higher. New Credit Obtained New credit refers to accounts that you have opened or paid off within the last six months. New credit doesn't hold as much weight as older accounts because you've had less time to pay (or not pay). Credit scores are generated by all three credit bureaus, and you might have three very different credit scores. The three bureaus use different ways of calculating credit scores, and one bureau might have more information than another. It is up to your lenders to report positive or negative credit, and if they report it to only one company, then it will not show up elsewhere. Copyright Ed Vegliante. Free online reprints of this article are allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-surplus.com .