First, some terms and acronyms!
~ FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation, which is a large company that provides the software that calculates your credit score. One founder’s last name is Fair. The other’s is…you guessed it…Isaac.
~ Credit is a promise to buy now and pay later
~ Credit risk is the likeliness of you paying back the debt
~ Credit reporting agency (there are 3 major ones) collect, maintain and provide information about your credit history
~ Credit score is the number that all of the above leads to! Your credit score is a number that is compiled to determine your creditworthiness
Credit scores range from 300 to about 850 and if you haven’t guessed by now, the higher the score the better your credit, and perceived willingness to repay a debt. The 3 large reporting agencies are Experian, Equifax and Transunion, and for the purposes of obtaining a mortgage, your lender will use all three. But your credit score is used for much more than just getting a loan to purchase a home. Credit card companies, insurance agencies, cable companies, cell phone companies and landlords are just an example of who may want to see your credit score and credit report before saying “yes” to your requests.
Here’s a great link to a booklet to find out much more about FICO and credit scores ~ http://bit.ly/2nmZmh9
And one to find out how to improve your current score ~ http://bit.ly/2mD1GAl