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What Is a Credit Report and What Does My Credit Score Mean?
By Credit Watcher | June 15, 2007
Many people, like yourself, lack an understanding of what their credit report is or what their credit score means to them financially. Instead of feeling bad about it, now is the time to learn more about how both of these things can have a big effect on your financial profile. Choosing to understanding how and why they exist is the first step. Congratulations on taking this first step! Be advised, however, that sometimes trying to understand what your credit report says about you can be frustrating, especially if it contains incorrect information.
You would be surprised at how many people could not tell you what their credit score is, or how many people know nothing about credit reports in general. There is a fear of numbers out there, and a lack of knowledge that is causing people to lose track of their finances. Even those few who do actually pull their credit reports don’t know how to read them. There are some basics that you should know when trying to read a credit report.
First of all, if your credit report is pulled by another source other than yourself, you will have a credit inquiry on your report. The inquiry will affect your credit score. You will not receive any notice of your report being affected, not in writing or by phone, but it will make a small difference and you will be slightly penalized.
When you look at the top of a credit report, you will see the words “Prepared For” as well as “Attention.” Prepared For will tell you what lender the credit report was actually made up for (who pulled the report), while the Attention blank will give you the actual name of a person and not just the company. Usually the Purpose of the Loan is also shown; and the Report Type will explain whether the credit report is for an individual or for a joint partnership.
Other sections that will be included on your credit report will be: Mortgage/Landlord Verification, Credit Summary (this can be the scary section), Vendor Errors (located right under the Credit Summary so you don’t look completely incompetent, often times, depending on the section, they do), and Scoring. There is sometimes a reason that is labeled as to why the score is what it is, but not always. There is no rhyme or reason for these reports; the entire field is clearly not rocket science.
The Vendor Information works on a number score basis, and these scores will be listed. A 0 will mean that the account is too new to rate for that vendor, a 1 will mean that you paid them, 2-6 will tell how many days you have been blowing the vendor off (for instance 5 means 120 days past due), 7 shows that you are bankrupt, 8 means that they had to come to your home and take away your things (repossession), and 9 means that you have bad debt issues. If you get an X that means that they don’t have any information on you – yet. If you see an N this will mean that you have a zero balance. Make sure that you have provided the right calming essentials when reading this part of the report because a number 2-9 could give you a really bad day, or headache, take your pick.
Ignoring what your credit report says about you, and your credit score, is not a financially prudent decision. The time involved and seemingly endless inquiries to rectify any information that is not correct may seem daunting but will well be worth the effort in the long run. Once you have a clear understanding of your credit report says about you and what your credit score means, you will be one step ahead of the rest.
Topics: Credit Reports, Managing Credit | No Comments »