More Americans' Credit Scores Sink to New Lows

From ABCNews.com:

The credit scores of millions more Americans are sinking to new lows.

Figures provided by FICO Inc. show that 25.5 percent of consumers — nearly 43.4 million people — now have a credit score of 599 or below, marking them as poor risks for lenders. It's unlikely they will be able to get credit cards, auto loans or mortgages under the tighter lending standards banks now use.

Because consumers relied so heavily on debt to fuel their spending in recent years, their restricted access to credit is one reason for the slow economic recovery.

"I don't get paid for loan applications, I get paid for closings," said Ritch Workman, a Melbourne, Fla., mortgage broker. "I have plenty of business, but I'm struggling to stay open."

FICO's latest analysis is based on consumer credit reports as of April. Its findings represent an increase of about 2.4 million people in the lowest credit score categories in the past two years. Before the Great Recession, scores on FICO's 300-to-850 scale weren't as volatile, said Andrew Jennings, chief research officer for FICO in Minneapolis. Historically, just 15 percent of the 170 million consumers with active credit accounts, or 25.5 million people, fell below 599, according to data posted on Myfico.com.

Top Credit Score Misconceptions

Many Americans are mystified when it comes to their credit score. Do you sometimes wonder who’s really keeping track and what is it exactly that affects your score? There are many misconceptions when it comes to what really affects our credit scores. I thought I’d share an article from BudgetsAreSexy.com. This article lists and debunks the top credit score myths and misconceptions. Such as:

• When I get married, we get a joint credit score: Not so. Each person has their own credit score ’til death do you part—from your credit score that is. However, when you open accounts jointly, that information will be reflected on each of your credit reports, for better or for worse.
• My job/income impacts my credit score: Sorry, but making six figures, winning the lottery, or inheriting a fortune will not give you a good credit score. Your net worth and income are not factored into your score.
• Paying off credit card debt will boost my credit score 50 points: Depending on how much credit card debt you had, you may see some increase. However, credit card utilization is an important component of your credit score and those with the highest credit scores have about 10% utilization. This means if you are using your card (and of course paying off the balances on time) you should see an increase in your credit score.
• Being an authorized user on a credit card will impact my credit score: Co-signing for a credit card can have an effect on your credit score, but unfortunately just being an authorized user won’t change your credit score one point.
• I only have one credit score: There are different credit score providers and each credit bureau provides their own credit score. However, these companies all use the same criteria to judge your credit worthiness and the scores basically fall within the same range of each other (good, ok, or poor).
• Checking my credit score will lower my credit score: False. When you check your credit score at sites such as Credit Karma, it’s a soft pull so it won’t lower your credit score at all. Only hard inquiries by lenders impact your credit.

Want to read more? Click here.

Washington Pushes for Free Credit Scores

As part of the huge Wall Street reform bill, yesterday the Senate passed an amendment that would give Americans having trouble securing credit or a job free credit scores. These scores are used as a rating system for all kinds of important financial decisions such as qualifying for a home mortgage or a small business loan. As this CNN Money article explains, the measure would expand an existing law that gave consumers the right to one free credit report every year from each of the top three consumer reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

The credit score, however, has not been made available for free. It is a numerical representation of the information in a consumer's credit report, which covers a consumer's entire credit history -- all debts, payment habits, and jobs held. The credit score is widely used as a shortcut by lenders, so monitoring it is crucial.

But options for getting a credit score have been limited to many "for-fee" sites. Some have lured consumers in by offering a "free" score in return for signing up to a credit monitoring service that could cost $14.95 a month or more, if consumers don't opt out before the end of the trial period.

The amendment "dramatically increases the number of people getting this critical piece of information," said Jennifer Talhelm, a spokeswoman for Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who is sponsoring the effort.

Credit Scores: What You Need to Know Now

Most people wrongfully assume that they have only one set credit score that anyone who runs a credit check will see. However, as this Washington Post article discusses, the average American actually has several different credit scores that creditors use to decide if you will qualify for a line of credit or not. Read the very informative article, below.

Are you keeping score?

Credit scores have been getting a lot of attention lately, as lenders tighten credit standards and contend with new legislation that has, among other things, reined in how credit-card issuers can raise rates.

Meanwhile, several firms, preying on our insecurities, are pushing credit scores and credit-score-tracking services for a monthly fee.

For all the attention they generate, though, credit scores are largely misunderstood. For instance, your precise score matters only when you're in need of new debt, like a home, auto or education loan or a new credit card, which should be a fairly rare occurrence.

You don't have just one score, but many. Your FICO score, the one developed by Fair Isaac Corp. that runs from a low of 300 to a high of 850, will vary depending on which credit bureau is reporting it and the kind of lender that requested it.

So the score that costs you $15.95 at MyFico.com may not be the score your lender sees. Beyond that, the three credit bureaus— Equifax, Experian and TransUnion— sell their own proprietary scores.

The Latest on FICO’s Lawsuit and What it Means to Consumers

Earlier today the Wall Street Journal posted a new story on Fair Isaac, or as they refer to the company, the “keepers of your credit history.” For those of you who may not know, Fair Isaac maintains the FICO scores most lenders use to determine your eligibility for a loan and potential interest rates. The lawsuit surrounds the difference between what the company calls bono fide FICO scores, and non-FICO scores, sometimes called “FAKO” scores. Check out the following article on the development courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

In a suit filed in October 2006, FICO alleged that Experian and TransUnion deliberately marketed VantageScore to customers as the bona fide FICO score, when they are actually purchasing access to Experian or TransUnion’s proprietary score.

There’s argument over how credit scoring played into the current financial crisis, but there’s little argument that credit scores have become a fundamental part of our consumer economy in the past decade. The FICO score is comprised of information submitted by all three major credit-reporting agencies, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

However, all three agencies sell additional products, like credit monitoring services and their own scores. Although some consumers like seeing these separate scores, these scores aren’t what most lenders consult when deciding whether to extend credit. Sometimes, these scores can be very different from a FICO score — which FICO says causes confusion and error should a consumer apply for a loan.

“There’s been some confusion in the marketplace,” said FICO CEO Mark Greene. (Anyone who has seen one of those freecreditreport.com ads knows this.) Credit score ads online have proven particularly problematic, he says.

It poses a company challenge for FICO, which has to work with credit reporting agencies Experian and TransUnion to gather information from credit reports to formulate its scores.