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Encyclopedia > Credit history

Credit history or credit report is, in many countries, a record of an individual's or company's past borrowing and repaying, including information about late payments and bankruptcy. The term "credit reputation" can either be used synonymous to credit history or to credit score. Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... A credit score is a numerical expression based on a statistical analysis of a persons credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of that person, which is the likelihood that the person will pay his or her debts. ...


When a customer fills out an application for credit from a bank, store or credit card company, their information is forwarded to a credit bureau, along with constant updates on the status of their credit accounts, address or any other changes you may have made since the last time they applied for any credit. For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Look up credit card in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


This information is used by lenders such as credit card companies to determine an individual's or entity's credit worthiness; that is, determining an individual's or entity's means and willingness to repay an indebtedness. This helps determine whether to extend credit, and on what terms. With the adoption of risk-based pricing on almost all lending in the financial services industry, this report has become even more important since it is usually the sole element used to choose the annual percentage rate (APR). Look up credit card in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Credit risk or credit worthiness is the risk of loss due to a counterparty defaulting on a contract, or more generally the risk of loss due to some credit event. Traditionally this applied to bonds where debt holders were concerned that the counterparty to whom theyve made a loan... Risk-based pricing is the practice in the financial services industry to charge different interest rates on the same loan to different people, depending on their credit score and other factors which make it seem like they are more likely to not pay back the loan. ... Financial services is a term used to refer to the services provided by the finance industry. ... Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is an expression of the effective interest rate that the borrower will pay on a loan, taking into account one-time fees and standardizing the way the rate is expressed. ...

Contents

How credit rating is determined

Credit ratings are determined differently in each country, but the factors are similar, and may include:

  • Payment record - a record of bills being overdue will lower the credit rating.
  • Control of debt - Lenders want to see that borrowers are not living beyond their means. Experts estimate that non-mortgage credit payments each month should not exceed more than 15 percent of the borrower's after tax income.
  • Signs of responsibility and stability - Lenders perceive things such as longevity in the borrower's home and job (at least two years) as signs of stability. Having a respected profession can improve a credit rating.
  • Re-Aging - Through re-aging, a credit history is re-written and you are given a fresh start on that particular account. This can dramatically improve the credit score. In 2000 the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFEIC) clarified guidelines on re-aging accounts for delinquent borrowers. [1] (PDF)
  • Credit inquiries – An inquiry is a notation on a credit history file. There are several kinds of notations that may or may not have an adverse effect on the credit score. Soft pulls don't affect the credit score and are characteristic of the following examples:

A credit bureau may sell a person's contact information to an advertiser purchasing a list of people with similar characteristics, like homeowners with excellent credit. A creditor can check a person's credit periodically. Or, a credit counseling agency, with the client's permission, can obtain a client's credit report with no adverse action. Each of the preceding examples are commonly referred to as a "soft" credit pull. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, or FFIEC, is a formal interagency body of the United States government empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards, and report forms for the federal examination of financial institutions by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation... A credit score is a numerical expression based on a statistical analysis of a persons credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of that person, which is the likelihood that the person will pay his or her debts. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... A creditor is a party (e. ... Credit counseling (known in the United Kingdom as debt counselling) is a process offering education to consumers about how to avoid incurring debts that cannot be repaid. ... A credit report summarizes historical financial information collected to determine an individuals or an entitys credit worthiness; that is, the means and willingness to repay an indebtedness. ...


However "hard" credit inquiries are made by lenders. Lenders, when granted a permissible purpose by a borrower for the purposes of extending his credit, can check his credit history. Hard inquiries from lenders directly affect the borrower's credit score. Keeping credit inquiries to a minimum can help a person's credit rating. A lender may perceive many inquiries on a person's report as a signal that the person is looking for loans and will possibly consider that person a poor credit risk. ... For other uses, see Loan (disambiguation). ...

  • Credit cards that are not used - Although it is believed that having too many credit cards can have an adverse effect on a credit score, closing these lines of credit will not improve your score. The credit rating formula looks at the difference between the amount of credit a person has and the amount being used, so closing one or more accounts will reduce your total available credit. And the lower the percentage of available credit, the more the credit score will drop. The credit formula also factors in the length of time credit accounts have been open, so closing an account with several years of history is another avoidable credit mistake.

Understanding credit reports and scores

The Government of Canada offers a free publication called Understanding Your Credit Report and Credit Score. This publication provides sample credit report and credit score documents with explanations of the notations and codes that are used. It also contains general information on how to build or improve credit history, and how to check for signs that identity theft has occurred. The publication is available online at http://www.fcac.gc.ca, the site of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Paper copies can also be ordered at no charge for residents of Canada. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is an agency of the Government of Canada. ...


International issues

Credit history is typically local to one country. Even within the same credit card network information is not shared for different countries. For example, a person who has been using Visa credit cards issued by banks in China or Canada for many years who moves to the United States and immediately applies for a Visa will not be approved because of lack of credit history.


An immigrant must establish a credit history from scratch in the new country, which can take years. New immigrants are forced to seek loans from irregular channels, which can create social problems.


Bibliography

On the history and origins of credit reporting, see Born Losers: A History of Failure in America, by Scott A. Sandage (Harvard University Press, 2005), chapters 4-6.


External Links

The credit reporting companies:

References

  • Non Profit UK Credit Reporting educational Video Series

See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Secured Credit Card Marketing Scams (862 words)
Beware: while secured credit cards can be an effective way to build or re-establish your credit history, some marketers of secured cards make deceptive advertising claims to entice you to respond to their ads.
Your credit line is a percentage of your deposit, typically 50 to 100 percent.
Your credit history is maintained by companies called credit bureaus; they collect information reported to them by banks, mortgage companies, department stores, and other creditors.
Credit history - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (699 words)
Credit history or credit report is, in many countries, a record of an individual's or company's past borrowing and repaying, including information about late payments and bankruptcy.
When a customer fills out an application for credit from a bank, store or credit card company, their information is forwarded to a credit bureau, along with constant updates on the status of their credit accounts, address or any other changes you may have made since the last time they applied for any credit.
Credit inquiries – An inquiry is a notation on a credit history file.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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