Free Credit Reports
How do You Stack Up—Credit Wise? The average U.S. consumer has: Eleven credit accounts, of which seven are credit cards A 20 percent chance of having a delinquency report A total debt of $5,000 or less A 13-year credit history |
Free Credit Reports:
Massachusetts residents have access to free credit reports from the three big bureaus – Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. This free access should help consumers keep track of any inaccuracies or omissions in their credit files that could depress their credit scores and raise the cost of the mortgage money they need to purchase a home.
This central site allows you to request a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Credit Scoring Issues
Credit scoring has become a serious issue in the lending community and it can affect your ability to obtain or refinance your next mortgage. Credit scoring systems can gauge a mortgage applicant’s credit rating and assign an interest rate and risk value based upon information provided in the loan application. It offers several advantages – quick recommendations while taking human judgment out of the equation, efficient and, usually, inexpensive.
Feature Story from REALTOR Magazine
Quick loan approval or busted deal—
a buyer’s credit score can be the deciding factor.
BY CHRISTOPHER M. WRIGHT
Why do practitioners need to worry about a technical subject like credit scoring?… Read on