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When Not to Strive for a Perfect Credit Score [Money]

We recently highlighted a video dispelling ten credit score myths in 60 seconds. Now the Wall Street Journal has chimed in with some other myths you should know, including why gunning for that oft-elusive perfect credit score is a waste of time.

Photo by TrinityCreditServices.

According to the WSJ, a credit score of 800 or higher won’t make you more attractive to lenders than a lower, though comparable credit score. Specifically, the paper says that while “every 20 points in your score can mean a slightly lower mortgage rate or better car loan,” this is only true for scores up to the mid-700s. This means that if your score is in the 600s or low 700s, it’s worthwhile to improve your numbers, but starting from the high 700s, spending your time striving for anything more is “meaningless.”

Browse the full post for some more credit-score education.






The Credit Scores You Don’t Get to See [Credit Report]

You have a right to see your credit score once a year, but that’s not the only credit knowledge lenders and sellers base their decisions on. MSN Money runs down eight “secret scores” that the credit world keeps on you.

Photo by TrinityCreditServices.

These non-FICO scores don’t factor into that seemingly all-important trio of credit bureau numbers, but they do affect how credit issuers and contracts will be negotiated. Besides looking at credit histories to determine if a borrower is likely to be late or go bankrupt, credit histories allow companies to fine-tune their marketing to you, even if you’ve been strong-willed in the past:

Attrition-risk score: Attrition risk refers to the likelihood a user will stop using a card, and attrition-risk scores are typically used in combination with other scores to determine what to do next if you look ready to bolt. If your account generates a lot of revenue and is deemed at low risk for default or bankruptcy, for example, the issuer might aggressively try to keep your business by jacking up your credit limit, lowering your rate and pelting you with convenience checks. If your account isn’t that profitable or is deemed risky, on the other hand, the issuer might just let you go.

Hit the link to see seven other “secret” scores the junk mailers and lenders of the world are looking at.





Ten Credit Score Myths Dispelled in 60 Seconds [Videos]

A former FICO executive, now head of VideoCreditScore, knocks down 10 common misconceptions and myths of the seemingly monolithic, impenetrable credit score. Learn the real deal on credit cards, frequent checking, and the 50-point “swings.”

Here’s Andy Jolls dishing out 10 answers in 60 seconds:

If you’re at work or otherwise unable to watch video, follow the link below to the full post from I Will Teach You To Be Rich, where Jolls’ 10 truths are outlined in good ol’ text. While you’re learning more about your real credit valuation, read up on the recent FICO score calculation changes and check out how to get a free FICO score estimation (which, funny enough, ranges in about the 50-point swing Jolls says any two bureaus may differ by).

60-second video: Myths of credit [I Will Teach You To Be Rich]





FICO Credit Score Calculations Change Today [Credit Report]

In the current economic downturn, the last thing you want to see is your credit score go to hell. Today, a new system for determining your credit score has rolled out, and here are the highlights.

Photo by TheTruthAbout….

The new FICO system—called FICO 08 (apparently it was meant to debut last year)—has tweaked many factors, hoping to distinguish between consumers who've made an isolated mistake and those with habitual credit troubles. Our friends over at Consumerist have covered the highlights:

  • Debts less than $100 that go to collections will matter less.
  • They will look at the total picture more. A single repossession, for instance, won’t matter as much if everything else looks good.

Head over to Consumerist for a closer look at four other ways the scoring has changed, then let’s hear how you feel about those changes in the comments.






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