Credit Score Knowledge Quiz Information for Kentucky Mortgage Loans
Credit scores are taking an even more important role in qualifying for a Kentucky FHA, VA, Rural Housing and Fannie Mae mortgage today, which makes it vital to maintain a good credit history. See how much you know about credit scores with our Credit Knowledge Quiz and what you need to focus on to better your score.
Question 01
A credit score is:
- a. A three-digit number summarizing the state of your credit
- b. An alphabetical score grading your creditworthiness
- c. A numerical score reporting how much money you owe
CORRECT
The major credit reporting bureaus might report slightly different scores, but all three use a three-digit number to summarize the state of your credit. A credit score is a number that summarizes the historical credit information on a credit report. The number reflects the likelihood that you will become delinquent on a loan or a credit obligation in the future.
Question 02
What is the number-one contributing factor to a good credit score?
- a. Length of credit history
- b. Amounts you owe
- c. Payment history
CORRECT
Paying bills on time is generally the single most important contributor to a good credit score. Being late on any bill, for any length of time, is a possible indication of future nonpayment of debt and is almost always viewed negatively by lenders. Any late payments will remain on your credit report for up to seven years.
Question 03
Does each consumer have just ONE generic credit score?
- a. Yes
- b. No
- c. Don't Know
CORRECT
The answer is "no." Most Americans have many generic scores reflecting the use of the scoring system and the source of the credit report—Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. One of the most common myths about credit scores is that there is only one credit score. Web sites or financial advisers who claim there is only one "real" credit score either are misinformed or are being misleading. In fact, there are many different credit scores used by lenders (according to some estimates, more than 1,000), although some scores are used more than others. While there are many credit scores on the market, VantageScore® is the first credit score developed jointly by Experian and the other national credit reporting companies, TransUnion and Equifax.
Question 04
Your credit score affects?
- a. Whether you can get a loan
- b. Your interest rate
- c. Both A and B
CORRECT
In addition to using your credit score to help decide whether it's a good idea to give you money, lenders use the score to determine your rate. In general, the better the score, the lower the rate – and the lower your payments.
Question 05
Who collects the information on which credit scores are most frequently based?
- a. FICO and VantageScore
- b. Three main credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- c. Individual lenders
- d. Federal government
CORRECT
The answer is the "three main credit bureaus," which collect information on the credit use of more than 200 million Americans and make it available in credit reports. FICO and VantageScore have developed the most popular scoring systems for using credit reports to compute credit scores.
Question 06
Lenders look at credit scores when deciding whether to extend which type of credit?
- a. Credit cards
- b. Mortgages
- c. Loans
- d. All of the above
CORRECT
Banks, credit card companies, auto dealers, retail stores and other lenders decide if you get your loan. Most businesses that issue credit or loans use credit scores to quickly summarize a consumer's credit history, saving the need to manually review an applicant's credit report and providing a better, faster decision. Although many additional factors are used in determining whether or not you receive the credit you applied for — such as an applicant's income versus the size of the loan — a credit score is a leading indicator of one's basic creditworthiness. Credit reporting agencies do not make lending decisions.
Question 07
How important is it to check the accuracy of your credit reports at the three main credit bureaus?
- a. Very Important
- b. Somewhat Important
- c. Not Very Important
- d. No Big Deal
CORRECT
The correct answer is "very important." Lenders may have provided inaccurate information, or failed to add accurate information, about your payment history to your credit reports. And, since many consumers have similar names, even accurate information may have been added to the wrong file. Fortunately, a federal law requires the three main credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—to provide on request a free copy of your credit report once a year. An easy way to get these reports is to visit
www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.
Question 08
Which of the following actions helps a consumer raise a low score or maintain a high one?
- a. Make all loan payments on time
- b. Avoid opening several credit card accounts at the same time
- c. Use a credit card keeping the balance under 25% of the credit limit
- d. All of the above
CORRECT
The correct answer is "all of the above," though it takes much longer to raise a low score than lower a high one. For example, someone with a good score may lose 100 points if they miss payments on two credit cards. But they may gain only 50 of these points back by making all mortgage, car, and credit card payments on time for six months.
Question 09
After paying off a high-interest credit card, you should:
- a. Continue using it occasionally
- b. Close the account
- c. Use the full amount of available credit every month
INCORRECT
You may be tempted to close old accounts you're not using, but that won't help your credit scores and may actually hurt them. It reduces the amount of your available credit, which can lead to lower scores.
Question 10
Which of the following does a credit score MAINLY indicate?
- a. Knowledge of consumer credit
- b. Amount of consumer debt
- c. Risk of not repaying a loan
- d. Financial resources to pay back loans
CORRECT
The answer is "risk of not repaying a loan." The other factors may influence this risk, but it is the risk itself that a credit score tries to measure.
Question 11
How long can negative items on your credit history impact your score?
- a. 1 year
- b. 3 years
- c. 5 years
- d. 7 years
CORRECT
Negative items generally affect your score for up to seven years, but, as time goes by, their impact lessens. If you pay your bills, keep account balances low and don't open a lot of new accounts, your score can rebound surprisingly quickly.
Question 12
Are missed payments a factor used to calculate a credit score?
CORRECT
Paying bills on time is generally the single most important contributor to a good credit score. Being late on any bill, for any length of time, is a possible indication of future nonpayment of debt and is almost always viewed negatively by lenders. Any late payments will remain on your credit report for up to seven years.
Question 13
Which of the following is NOT considered when calculating your FICO score?
- a. Your payment history
- b. The types of credit you are using
- c. The amount of debt you owe
- d. Your income
CORRECT
Your FICO score consists of 35% Payment History, 30% Amounts Owed, 15% Length of Credit History, 10% New Credit, 10% Types of Credit used. Credit scores use information from three key areas of your credit report: account information (such as credit cards, auto loans, student loans, mortgages and rent), public records (such as tax liens or bankruptcies) and inquiries (requests by lenders to view your credit). Information such as race, gender, where you live and marital status are not used in credit scores.
Question 14
Applying for credit cards in order to just receive a free sign-up gift (t-shirt, mugs, etc.) has no impact on my credit profile?
INCORRECT
Opening an account to get freebies such as filling out a credit card application just to get a free t-shirt, goofy hat, or official university credit card isn't worth the risk. Most students don't realize that applying for multiple credit cards in a short period of time may cause the credit bureaus to regard this as very risky behavior, which in turn drives their credit scores down.
Question 15
Is marital status a factor used to calculate a credit score?
CORRECT
Marital status is not one of the factors used to calculate a credit score. If you hold a joint credit account, have cosigned a loan or have authorized use of another person's credit, these items could affect a score if they appear on your credit report. It's important that joint account holders or authorized users understand that their credit behavior does affect the other joint account holder or main account holder.
Question 16
Does a cell phone company use a credit score to decide whether a person can buy a service and/or what price they'll pay?
CORRECT
Cell phone companies may use credit scores to decide whether you can buy a service or if a deposit will be required.
Question 17
Does a mortgage lender use a credit score to decide whether a person can get credit and what interest rate they'll pay?
CORRECT
Mortgage lenders use credit scores to help them decide if you can get credit and what interest rate you'll pay.
Question 18
Does a landlord use a credit score to decide whether a person can rent a property and/or what price they'll pay?
CORRECT
Landlords use credit scores to decide whether you can rent a property and/or what price you'll pay.
Question 19
Does an electric utility use a credit score when establishing service for a consumer?
CORRECT
Electric utilities may use credit scores as they evaluate whether or not to require a deposit.
Question 20
Your credit card company just increased the spending limit on your card. Will this help or hurt your credit score?
CORRECT
As long as you don't borrow more money, the higher limit improves your credit utilization ratio, which is the percentage of your available credit that you've used. Lenders like you to use only a small percentage of your available credit so you don't appear to be maxing out your cards. Charging $3,000 when you have a $10,000 limit, for example, looks a lot better than charging $3,000 when your limit is only $5,000.
Question 21
In regards to a married couple purchasing a home, the mortgage lender uses which credit score when more than one borrower is applying together?
- a. The highest score between both people
- b. The lowest middle score between both people
- c. The average of all scores
- d. The median score between both people
CORRECT
Both you and your spouse have individual FICO scores. When you apply for credit stating your joint income, lenders will usually look at both of your FICO scores when evaluating your loan application. For example if your FICO scores are 750, 730, 700, your middle score is 730. If your spouse has FICO scores of 640, 600, 650, your spouse's middle score is 640. The lender will then take the lower of the two middle scores. So in this example your score is 640 which may lead to higher rates.
Joel Lobb
Mortgage Loan Officer
Individual NMLS ID #57916
American Mortgage Solutions, Inc.
10602 Timberwood Circle
Louisville, KY 40223
Company NMLS ID #1364
Text/call: 502-905-3708
email: kentuckyloan@gmail.com
Disclaimer: No statement on this site is a commitment to make a loan. Loans are subject to borrower qualifications, including income, property evaluation, sufficient equity in the home to meet Loan-to-Value requirements, and final credit approval. Approvals are subject to underwriting guidelines, interest rates, and program guidelines and are subject to change without notice based on applicant's eligibility and market conditions. Refinancing an existing loan may result in total finance charges being higher over the life of a loan. Reduction in payments may reflect a longer loan term. Terms of any loan may be subject to payment of points and fees by the applicant Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS#57916 http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
-- Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. The content in this marketing advertisement has not been approved, reviewed, sponsored or endorsed by any department or government agency. Rates are subject to change and are subject to borrower(s) qualification.
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