Learn About Credit Score Information Guide

Understanding What a Credit Score Is and Why It Matters

A credit score is a three-digit number that lenders use to understand your borrowing history and financial responsibility. This number typically ranges from 300 to 850, with higher scores indicating lower risk to potential lenders. Your credit score is calculated based on information in your credit report, which is a detailed record of your borrowing and payment history maintained by credit reporting agencies.

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Credit scores matter in many areas of your financial life. When you apply for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or personal loan, lenders review your score to decide whether to lend you money and what interest rate to offer. Landlords sometimes check credit scores when deciding whether to rent an apartment to you. Insurance companies may use credit information to set rates. Employers in certain industries may review credit reports as part of the hiring process. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, approximately 200 million Americans have credit reports maintained by the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Understanding your credit score empowers you to make better financial decisions. If your score is lower than you'd like, knowing how scores are calculated helps you take steps to improve it over time. If your score is strong, you can understand what habits maintain it. Many people discover errors in their credit reports that negatively affect their scores—information that can be corrected once you understand how to review your report.

• Credit scores range from 300 to 850
• Five major credit reporting agencies maintain your information
• Your score impacts borrowing costs, housing, and sometimes employment
• Understanding your score takes about 30 minutes of reading

Practical Takeaway: Request your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com to begin understanding your credit situation. This official government-authorized website allows you to view your report from all three major agencies once yearly at no cost.

The Five Factors That Make Up Your Credit Score

Credit scores are built from five main factors, though different scoring models weight these factors differently. The most common scoring model is the FICO score, which divides your score into these categories. Understanding each factor helps explain why your score is what it is and where you might focus attention for improvement.

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Payment history is the most important factor, making up 35 percent of your FICO score. This includes whether you've paid your bills on time, how often you've missed payments, and how long it's been since any missed payments. A single late payment can affect your score, but the impact decreases over time. A payment that's 30 days late affects your score differently than one that's 90 days late. Payments sent to collection agencies have particularly serious impacts. For example, someone with one missed payment from three years ago will likely have recovered much of their score by now, while a recent missed payment causes more damage.

Credit utilization makes up 30 percent of your score. This measures how much of your available credit you're using at any given time. If you have five credit cards with $1,000 limits each (totaling $5,000 available credit) and carry $2,500 in balances, your utilization rate is 50 percent. Most experts suggest keeping utilization below 30 percent for optimal scoring. This means if you have $5,000 in available credit, try to keep balances under $1,500.

Length of credit history accounts for 15 percent of your score. This includes how long you've had credit accounts open and the average age of all your accounts. Someone who has maintained a credit card for 10 years will have a longer history than someone with cards opened only in the past year. This factor rewards long-term credit management, which is why closing old accounts can sometimes hurt your score—it shortens your average account age.

Credit mix makes up 10 percent of your score. This refers to the variety of credit types you have: credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, student loans, and other installment loans. Having multiple types of credit shows lenders you can manage different borrowing situations responsibly. Someone with only credit cards might have a lower score than someone with both cards and an auto loan, all else being equal.

New credit inquiries account for 10 percent of your score. When you apply for new credit, the lender makes a "hard inquiry" into your credit report. Multiple hard inquiries in a short time can indicate financial desperation and may lower your score. However, shopping for rates on the same type of credit (like comparing mortgage offers) typically counts as a single inquiry if done within 14-45 days, depending on the scoring model.

• Payment history (35%): Your track record of on-time payments
• Credit utilization (30%): How much of your available credit you're using
• Length of history (15%): How long you've had credit accounts
• Credit mix (10%): Variety of credit types you manage
• New credit (10%): Recent credit inquiries and accounts

Practical Takeaway: Identify which factors might be affecting your score negatively. If you've missed payments, focus on paying on time going forward. If utilization is high, create a plan to pay down balances. If your credit history is short, commit to keeping accounts open and maintaining good standing.

Different Credit Scoring Models and Their Ranges

While FICO is the most well-known credit scoring model, several other scoring systems exist, and understanding the differences helps you interpret the scores you see. Different scoring models may give you different numbers based on how they weight the five factors or what information they include. This guide explains the major models so you understand why your score might vary across different reports.

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FICO scores are used by approximately 90 percent of lenders in the United States. FICO offers several versions of its score, including FICO 8, FICO 9, and FICO 10, with some lenders using older versions. FICO scores range from 300 to 850, with scores of 670 and above generally considered "good." A score of 740 and above is often considered "very good," while 800 and above is "excellent." Different lenders have different minimum requirements—some may lend to those with scores of 580, while others require 720 or higher. The average American FICO score is approximately 714, according to data from Experian.

VantageScore is an alternative model developed by the three major credit reporting agencies as a competitor to FICO. VantageScore 3.0 and VantageScore 4.0 also range from 300 to 850, but they weight factors differently than FICO does. VantageScore gives more weight to payment history and credit mix while placing less emphasis on length of history. VantageScore is used less frequently by lenders than FICO, but it's increasingly common. Some companies that provide free credit scores to consumers use VantageScore rather than FICO.

Industry-specific scoring models exist for mortgage lending, auto lending, and credit card issuing. These models may use slightly different calculations because the risk factors differ between industries. An auto lender cares about different information than a mortgage lender does. These specialized models might emphasize recent payment history more heavily or consider alternative data. If you're shopping for a specific type of credit, understand that lenders use industry-specific models rather than your standard FICO score.

Soft inquiries and alternative data scoring models represent newer approaches to credit assessment. Some lenders now consider utility payments, rental payments, and other alternative data when assessing creditworthiness. These models may be particularly useful for people with limited credit histories or those rebuilding credit after difficulties. However, these models are not yet standard in the lending industry.

Score ranges across models generally follow this pattern: 300-579 is considered poor, 580-669 is considered fair, 670-739 is considered good, 740-799 is considered very good, and 800-850 is considered excellent. However, lenders establish their own thresholds for lending, meaning a score in the "good" range doesn't guarantee approval.

• FICO scores are used by approximately 90% of lenders
• VantageScore is an alternative model with different weightings
• Industry-specific models exist for mortgages,