Tag Archives: CreditScore

What Does Not Affect My Credit Scores?

Posted on April 14, 2018 by The Sader Law Firm

Previous blogs have discussed why your credit scores can decrease. Unpaid bills, excessive use of credit and identity theft can significantly lower your credit scores. However, there are also factors that do not affect your credit scores. Factors that would not affect your credit score include: Checking your scores or reports. You can pull your free credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion and Experian once per year. In addition, many private services allow you to check your scores. Your credit scores are not affected if you are the one pulling the information. However, your scores could be minimally affected if a lender does a “hard pull” on your credit history. Using your debit card. Your credit scores are not affected by using a debit card. Only credit utilization is considered by your credit reports (and therefore your scores). However, your credit could be affected if you overdraft a debit card and…
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Are There Other Credit Scores Than FICO Scores?

Posted on December 13, 2017 by The Sader Law Firm

Several weeks ago, we published a blog on tips for improving your FICO scores. Many people may not realize that there is a competing credit scoring system. There are also other credit scoring models that are currently used and becoming more popular. More lenders are starting to use VantageScore. VantageScore bases your score on the following factors: Your payment history: Payment history is the most important scoring factor for the VantageScore model. Your score is docked for late payments. With VantageScore, certain types of late payments carry a more severe penalty. For instance, you are docked more points for late mortgage payments under the VantageScore model. Age and type of credit: VantageScore places a high importance on the ages and types of credit accounts listed in your credit reports. According to VantageScore, it is a good idea to maintain a mix of credit card, mortgage, auto and other types of…
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What Are Common Errors on Credit Reports?

Posted on November 15, 2017 by The Sader Law Firm

Errors on your three credit reports could reduce your access to credit and certain types of employment. Unfortunately, credit reporting errors are quite common. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), it received 43,000 complaints involving credit score errors during 2016. Common credit report errors may include: Incorrect reporting status: Your credit reports could contain very old accounts that should no longer be listed. Accounts that you have paid may be listed as unpaid. In addition, your credit reports may list the wrong balance or lender for an account. Mistaken identity: Your credit reports could list accounts that do not belong to you. This type of error may occur when your credit report lists an account that belongs to someone with a similar name. A family member’s negative account status may also be listed on your report by mistake. Data management errors: On its website, the CFPB lists common…
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