Kentucky Mortgage Loan Programs

FHA Pricing Improvements Any FICO (down to 550) Conventional Pricing Improvements Any FICO ( down to 580) Non-Traditional Credit/ No Score Options Available on FHA, VA and USDA FreddieMac ChoiceRenovation Down to 580 Fico EasyPath FHA 203K Limited and standard Down to 620 FICO Purchase and Refinance options LOWER FICO OPTIONS Down to 550 FICO on FHA and VA Down to 580 FICO on USDA and Conventional MANUAL UW OPTIONS FHA, VA & USDA CASH OUT REFINANCES FHA and VA down to 550 FICO VA cash-out up to 100 LTV Manual Underwrite options Manufactured housing options MANUFACTURED HOMES Single and multi-wide options Available for FHA, VA, USDA and conventional Options for manufactured homes built after June 15th 1976 USDA 97% of the USA is eligible 100% LTV available USDA Streamline NO FICO allowed Escrow holdbacks allowed DACA and EAD allowed FICOs down to 580 Temporary Buydowns Currently available on FHA, VA and Conventional loans

Louisville Kentucky Mortgage Lender for FHA, VA, KHC, USDA and Rural Housing Kentucky Mortgages: WHAT IS THE MINIMUM CREDIT SCORE FOR A KENTUCKY FH...

Louisville Kentucky Mortgage Lender for FHA, VA, KHC, USDA and Rural Housing Kentucky Mortgages: WHAT IS THE MINIMUM CREDIT SCORE FOR A KENTUCKY FH...: Kentucky FHA Mortgage Credit Score Requirements FHA is introducing new guidelines on loan to value ratios and the minimum credit score requ...

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM CREDIT SCORE FOR A KENTUCKY FHA MORTGAGE HOME LOAN APPROVAL?

Kentucky FHA Mortgage Credit Score Requirements

FHA is introducing new guidelines on loan to value ratios and the minimum credit score required for FHA borrowers in Kentucky. As detailed in a Mortgagee Letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the following credit requirements will apply for FHA borrowers, effective October 4, 2010.

To be eligible for maximum financing, borrowers will need a minimum credit score of 500 or higher.

Kentucky FHA Borrowers with a credit score between 500 and 579 will be limited to a loan to value of 90%. A sub 580 FICO credit score borrower will henceforth need to make a 10% minimum down payment on a purchase transaction.


All Kentucky FHA borrowers with a credit score below 500 will not be eligible for FHA-insured mortgage financing in Kentucky.


The new credit requirements are not expected to dramatically change the number of Kentucky FHA mortgage approvals.


Get used to the term credit overlays. You may call several FHA lenders and a lot of them will tell you that even though FHA will insure lower credit scores, most lenders had already imposed a minimum credit score requirement of 580 to 620 or higher for Kentucky FHA borrowers.


In limited cases, borrowers with scores between 580 and 639 could still obtain mortgage approval with compensating factors such as large down payment (more than 3.5% minimum), low debt to income ratios, and substantial reserves in the bank with a verifiable pay history of no late payments in the last 12 months of rent and on credit report. A late is considered 30 days late in the credit rating world.

Ultimately, there is no singular credit score that can guarantee you a mortgage approval. Each lender is free to set their own credit score requirements.

But many loan types are insured by government organizations. And lenders cannot accept borrowers with credit scores below the minimum these organizations set. The four most popular home loan types are:


Conventional: Not backed by any government agency, but must meet the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines

FHA: Loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration


VA: Loans backed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (for military members)USDA: Loans backed by the US Department of Agriculture (for low- to moderate-income families who buy homes in rural areas)

What is a good FICO Score for Mortgage Loan Approval?

 What is a good FICO Score for Mortgage Loan Approval?

FICO Scores generally range from 300 to 850, where higher scores demonstrate lower credit risk and lower scores demonstrate higher credit risk (note: some types of FICO® Scores have a slightly broader range). 

What’s considered a “good” FICO® Score varies, since each lender has its own standards for approving credit applications, based on the level of risk it finds acceptable. So one lender may offer its lowest interest rates to people with FICO® Scores above 730, while another may only offer it to people with FICO® Scores above 760.

The chart below provides a breakdown of ranges for FICO® Scores found across the U.S. consumer population. Again, each lender has its own credit risk standards, but this chart can serve as a general guide of what a FICO® Score represents.

Student-Loan Freeze Led to Big Credit-Score Gains

 

Student-Loan Freeze Led to Big Credit-Score Gains, N.Y. Fed Says

• Some 30 million student borrowers saw scores rise, study says
• Freeze is set to expire on Aug. 31 but Biden may extend it

Share of Borrowers by Credit Score

Credit scores for student loan borrowers increased dramatically

Here are some key takeaways from the New York Fed report.

Better Credit Scores

The share of student-loan balances held by subprime borrowers fell to 26% in 2021, from 36% in 2019. That’s primarily because loans owed to the federal government that were delinquent before the pandemic were marked as current under the forbearance policy, putting millions of households on a sounder financial footing. 

“The end of forbearance will have impacts on credit scores, borrowing, and household cash flow over the coming year for the 38 million federal borrowers that have benefited from the pause,” the New York Fed researchers wrote. “Some borrowers will enter delinquency or default.”

Growing Balances

With repayments on hold, about two-thirds of student-debt holders had balances that were growing or flat at the end of 2021, compared with just 48% in 2019. That’s an increase of roughly 3.2 million borrowers.  

There was also a shift in the typical size of debts, with larger loans accounting for a bigger share of the total. At the same time, 5.4 million people who were recorded as having student debt outstanding at the end of 2019 no longer owed anything by the end of 2021.

Loan Shifts

Since the pandemic, larger debts have increased as a share of total loans

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax

DC Debt Leader

On average, student borrowers in and around the nation’s capital owed the most at the end of 2021. Washington DC topped the list, with an average debt of $53,769, while Maryland ranked second and Virginia fifth. 

Student Loans by State

Average balances vary widely across states

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax

Note: As of Q4 2021, average balance

“Of the ten states (not including D.C.) with the largest median balance, seven belong to the Southern Census region (Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee),” the report found.

Top 10 Student Loan Debt

Seven of top-10 largest belong to the Southern Census region

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax

Note: Ranked by median loan amount

Once the forebearence period ends, loan amounts are anticipated to rise and delinquency rates across states in the South are expected to have worse outcomes.

 

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-09/student-loan-freeze-raised-credit-scores-dramatically-ny-fed

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will also no longer include medical collection debt under at least $500 on credit reports

 Consumer Reporting Agencies to Remove Most Medical Debt From Credit Reports

The three nationwide credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, announced that effective July 1, 2022, they will no longer include medical debt that was paid after it was sent to collections on consumer credit reports.

The companies’ CEOs provided a joint statement on the decision to change their approach to medical collection debt reporting:

“Medical collection debt often arises from unforeseen medical circumstances. These changes are another step we’re taking together to help people across the United States focus on their financial and personal wellbeing,” said Mark W. Begor, CEO Equifax; Brian Cassin, CEO Experian; and Chris Cartwright, CEO TransUnion. “As an industry we remain committed to helping drive fair and affordable access to credit for all consumers.”

The time period before unpaid medical collection debt would appear on a consumer’s report will be increased from 6 months to one year, according to a press release, “giving consumers more time to work with insurance and/or healthcare providers to address their debt before it is reported on their credit file.”

In the first half of 2023, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will also no longer include medical collection debt under at least $500 on credit reports.

The changes will remove nearly 70% of medical debt in collections accounts from consumer credit reports.

How do I get a copy of my credit report? — consumerfinance.gov

Kentucky First Time Home Buyer Programs For Home Mortgage Loans: 5 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Credit Score - Clark...

Kentucky First Time Home Buyer Programs For Home Mortgage Loans: 5 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Credit Score - Clark...: 

5 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

.

How to Raise Your Credit Score Fast

1. Find Out When Your Issuer Reports Payment History

Call your credit card issuer and ask when your balance gets reported to the credit bureaus. That day is often the closing date (or the last day of the billing cycle) on your account. Note that this is different from the “due date” on your statement.

There’s something called a “credit utilization ratio.” It’s the amount of credit you’ve used compared to the amount of credit you have available. You have a ratio for your overall credit card use as well as for each credit card.

It’s best to have a ratio — overall and on individual cards — of less than 30%. But here’s an insider tip: To boost your score more quickly, keep your credit utilization ratio under 10%.

Here’s an example of how the utilization ratio is calculated:

Let’s say you have two credit cards. Card A has a $6,000 credit limit and a $2,500 balance. Card B has a $10,000 limit and you have a $1,000 balance on it.

This is your utilization ratio per card:

Card A = 42% (2,500/6,000 = .416, or 42%), which is too high.

Card B = 10% (1,000/10,000 = .100, or 10%), which is awesome.

This is your overall credit utilization ratio: 22% (3,500/16,000 = 0.218), which is very good.

But here’s the problem: Even if you pay your balance off every month (and you should), if your payment is received after the reporting date, your reported balance could be high — and that negatively impacts your score because your ratio appears inflated.

So pay your bill just before the closing date. That way, your reported balance will be low or even zero. The FICO method will then use the lower balance to calculate your score. This lowers your utilization ratio and boosts your score.

2. Pay Down Debt Strategically

Okay, let’s build on what you just learned about utilization ratios.

In the above example, you have balances on more than one card. Note that Card A has a 42% ratio, which is high, and Card B has a wonderfully low 10% ratio.

Since the FICO score also looks at each card’s ratio, you can bump up your score by paying down the card with the higher balance. In the example above, pay down the balance on Card A to about $1,500 and your new ratio for Card A is 25% (1,500/6,000 = .25). Much better!

3. Pay Twice a Month

Let’s say you’ve had a rough couple of months with your finances. Maybe you needed to rebuild your deck (raising my hand) or get a new fridge. If you put big items on a credit card to get the rewards, it can temporarily throw your utilization ratio (and your credit score) out of whack.

You know that call you made to get the closing date? Make a payment two weeks before the closing date and then make another payment just before the closing date. This, of course, assumes you have the money to pay off your big expense by the end of the month.

Take care not to use a credit card for a big bill if you plan to carry a balance. The compound interest will create an ugly pile of debt pretty quickly. Credit cards should never be used for long-term loans unless you have a card with a zero percent introductory APR on purchases. Even then, you have to be mindful of the balance on the card and make sure you can pay the bill off before the intro period ends.

4. Raise Your Credit Limits

If you tend to have problems with overspending, don’t try this.

The goal is to raise your credit limit on one or more cards so that your utilization ratio goes down. But again, this only works out in your favor if you don’t feel compelled to use the newly available credit.

I also don’t recommend trying this if you have missed payments with the issuer or have a downward-trending score. The issuer could see your request for a credit limit increase as a sign that you’re about to have a financial crisis and need the extra credit. I’ve actually seen this result in a decrease in credit limits. So be sure your situation looks stable before you ask for an increase.

That said, as long as you’ve been a great customer and your score is reasonably healthy, this is a good strategy to try.

All you have to do is call your credit card company and ask for an increase to your credit limit. Have an amount in mind before you call. Make that amount a little higher than what you want in case they feel the need to negotiate.

Remember the example in #1? Card A has a $6,000 limit and you have a $2,500 balance on it. That’s a 42% utilization ratio (2,500/6,000 = .416, or 42%).

If your limit goes up to $8,500, then your new ratio is a more pleasing 29% (2,500/8,500 = .294, or 29%). The higher the limit, the lower your ratio will be and this helps your score.

5. Mix It Up

A few years back, I realized I didn’t have much of a mix of credit. I have credit cards with low utilization ratios and a mortgage, but I hadn’t paid off an installment loan for a couple of decades.

I wanted to raise my score a nudge, so I decided to get a car loan at a very low rate. I spent a year paying it off just to get a mix in my credit. At first, my score went down a little, but after about six months, my score started increasing. Your credit mix is only 10% of your FICO score, but sometimes that little bit can bump you up from good credit to excellent credit.

A 3D pie chart calculating the 5 categories that make up a credit score including 35% for payment history, 30% for amounts owed, 10% for credit mix, 10% for new credit and 15% for credit history

5 categories that make up your credit score

I wasn’t planning on applying for credit within the next six months, so my approach was fine. But if you’re refinancing your mortgage (or planning something else really big) and you want a quick boost, don’t use this strategy. This is a good one for a long-term approach.

Bottom Line

When you want to boost your credit score, there are two basic rules you have to follow:

First, keep your credit card balances low.

Second, pay your bills on time (and in full). Do these two things and then toss in one or more of the sneaky ways above to give your score a kickstart.

And remember — you do not have to carry a balance to build a good score. If you do that, you’re on a slippery slope to debt.

FHA CHANGES TO HANDLING OF COLLECTIONS, JUDGEMENTS AND DISPUTED ACCOUNTS ON CREDIT REPORT

FHA CHANGES TO HANDLING OF COLLECTIONS

AND DISPUTED ACCOUNTS

FHA recently released Mortgagee Letters 2013-24 and 2013-25, to amend guidance on collections and disputed accounts and to clarify guidance on judgments. These changes will become effective for all case numbers assigned on or after October 15, 2013. This will apply to all FHA programs, with the exception of non-credit qualifying streamline refinances and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. The changes are found below. Should you have any questions, please contact your Account Manager.

1.           Credit Analysis of Collections and Judgments. Collections and judgments may indicate a borrower's disregard for credit obligations and must be considered in the creditworthiness analysis. The guidance below applies to loans with collection accounts and all judgments. Medical collections and charge off accounts are excluded from this guidance.

• Applicable to Manually Underwritten Loans: The lender must document reasons for approving a mortgage when the borrower has collection accounts or judgments.

Regardless of the amount of outstanding collection accounts or judgments, the lender must determine if the collection account or judgment was a result of:

• The borrower's disregard for financial obligations;
•  The borrower's inability to manage debt; or
• Extenuating circumstances.

The borrower must provide a letter of explanation with supporting documentation for each outstanding collection account and judgment. The explanation and supporting documentation must be consistent with other credit information in the file.

• Applicable to Loans Run Through TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard: TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard Accept/Approve - There are no documentation or letter of explanation requirements for loans with collection accounts or judgments run through TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard receiving an "Accept/Approve" despite the presence of collection accounts or judgments. These accounts have been already taken into consideration in the borrower's credit score. If TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard generates a"Refer," the lender must manually underwrite the loan in accordance with the guidance above applicable to manually underwritten loans with collection accounts and judgments. 

All medical collections and charge off accounts are excluded from this guidance and do not require resolution.

2.           Capacity Analysis of Collections and Judgments.

Collections - FHA does not require collection accounts to be paid off as a condition of mortgage approval. However, FHA does recognize that collection efforts by the creditor for unpaid collections could affect the borrower's ability to repay the mortgage. To mitigate this risk, FHA is requiring a capacity analysis of collection accounts with an aggregate balance equal to or greater than $2,000, as described below.

If the total outstanding balance of all collection accounts for all borrowers is equal to or greater than $2,000, the lender must perform a capacity analysis as detailed below. Unless excluded under state law, collection accounts of a non-purchasing spouse in a community property state are included in the cumulative balance.

All medical collections and charge off accounts are excluded from this guidance and do not require resolution.

Capacity analysis includes any of the following actions:

• At the time of or prior to closing, payment in full of the collection account (verification of acceptable source of funds required).
• The borrower makes payment arrangements with the creditor. If the borrower has entered into a payment arrangement with the creditor, a credit report or letter from the creditor verifying the monthly payment is required. The monthly payment must be included in the borrower's debt-to-income ratio.
• If evidence of a payment arrangement is not available, the lender must calculate the monthly payment using 5% of the outstanding balance of each collection, and include the monthly payment in the borrower's debt-to-income ratio.

TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard Accept/Approve/Refer - Regardless of the Accept/Approve/Refer recommendation by TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard, the lender must include the payment amount in the calculation of the borrower's debt-to-income ratio.

               Judgments - FHA requires judgments to be paid off before the mortgage loan is eligible for FHA insurance. An exception to the payoff of a court ordered judgment may be made if the borrower has an agreement with the creditor to make regular and timely payments. The borrower must provide a copy of the agreement and evidence that payments were made on time in accordance with the agreement, and a minimum of three months of scheduled payments have been made prior to credit approval.

Borrowers are not allowed to prepay scheduled payments in order to meet the required minimum of three months of payments. Furthermore, lenders are instructed to include the payment amount in the agreement in the calculation of the borrower's debt-to-income ratio.

FHA requires judgments of a non-purchasing spouse in a community property state to be paid in full, or meet the exception guidance for judgments above, unless excluded by state law.

    3.           Handling of Disputed Accounts - The existence of potentially inaccurate information on a borrower's credit report resulting in a dispute must be reviewed by an underwriter. Accounts that appear as disputed on the borrower's credit report are not considered in the credit score utilized by TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard in rating the application. Therefore, FHA requires the lender to consider them in the underwriting analysis as described below.

With this ML, FHA is revising policy on manual downgrades for applications with disputed accounts to reflect the risk associated with derogatory and non-derogatory disputed accounts for factors such as age and size of outstanding balance.

Disputed Derogatory Accounts Indicated on the Credit Report - If the credit report utilized by TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard indicates that the borrower is disputing derogatory credit accounts, the borrower must provide a letter of explanation and documentation supporting the basis of the dispute. The lender must analyze the documentation provided for consistency with other credit information in the file to determine if the derogatory credit account should be considered in the underwriting analysis.

Guidance for TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard Accept/Approve loans with disputed accounts.

Disputed Derogatory Credit Accounts greater than or equal to $1,000	If the cumulative outstanding balance of disputed derogatory credit accounts of all borrowers is equal to or greater than $1,000, the mortgage application must be downgraded to a"Refer" and a Direct Endorsement underwriter is required to manually underwrite the loan as described above.
Disputed Derogatory Credit Accounts less than $1,000	If the cumulative outstanding balance of disputed derogatory credit accounts of all borrowers is less than $1,000, a downgrade is not required.
Excluded Accounts	Disputed medical accounts are excluded from the $1,000 limit and do not require documentation. Disputed derogatory credit accounts resulting from identity theft, credit card theft, or unauthorized use are also excluded from the $1,000 limit. However, the lender must provide in the case binder a credit report, letter from the creditor, or other appropriate documentation to support the dispute, such as a police report disputing the fraudulent charges.

Disputed derogatory credit accounts are defined as follows:

• disputed charge-off accounts,
• disputed collection accounts, and
• disputed accounts with late payments in the last 24 months.

Disputed derogatory credit accounts of a non-purchasing spouse in a community property state are not included in the cumulative balance for determining if the mortgage application is downgraded to a "Refer".

Non-derogatory disputed accounts are excluded from the $1,000 cumulative total.

Non-Derogatory Disputed Accounts and Disputed Accounts Not Indicated on the Credit Report - Non-derogatory disputed accounts include the following types of accounts:

• disputed accounts with zero balance,
• disputed accounts with late payments aged 24 months or greater, and
• disputed accounts that are current and paid as agreed.

 If a borrower is disputing non-derogatory accounts, or is disputing accounts which are not indicated on the credit report as being disputed, the lender is not required to downgrade the application to a "Refer." However, the lender must analyze the effect of the disputed accounts on the borrower's ability to repay the loan. If the dispute results in the borrower's monthly debt payments utilized in computing the debt-to-income ratio being less than the amount indicated on the credit report, the borrower must provide documentation of the lower payments.

If you have loans pending that these changes will affect, be sure to order the FHA case number prior to October 15, 2013.

-- 

Joel Lobb (NMLS#57916)
Senior  Loan Officer
502-905-3708 cell
kentuckyloan@gmail.com

Fill out my form for mortgage pre-approval by clicking this link!

About FICO® Scores

 

About FICO® Scores

What is a credit score?

A credit score is a number that summarizes your credit risk to lenders, or the likelihood that you’ll pay the lender back the amount you borrowed plus interest. The score is based on a snapshot of your credit report(s) at one of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion®—at a particular point in time, and helps lenders evaluate your credit risk. Your credit score can influence the credit that’s available to you and the terms, such as interest rate, that lenders offer you.

What is a credit bureau?

A credit bureau, also known as a consumer reporting agency, collects and stores individual credit information and provides it to creditors so they can make decisions on granting loans and other credit activities. Typical clients include banks, mortgage lenders, and credit card issuers. The three largest credit bureaus in the U.S. are Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion®.

What are FICO® Scores?

FICO® Scores are the most widely used credit scores and are used in over 90% of U.S. lending decisions. Your FICO® Scores (you have more than one) are based on the data generated from your credit reports at the three major credit bureaus, Experian®, TransUnion® and Equifax®. Each of your FICO® Scores is a three-digit number summarizing your credit risk, that predicts how likely you are to pay back your credit obligations as agreed.

What it the highest credit score?

Most credit scoring models follow a credit score range of 300 to 850 with that 850 being the highest score you can have. However, there can be other ranges for different models, some of which are customized for a particular industry (credit card, auto lending, or insurance for example). While the majority follow the 300 to 850 range, there are some scores (e.g., FICO® Bankcard Score) that range from 250 to 900 and others that may use other score ranges. For more information on the different scoring models, view Understanding the difference between credit scores.

Why do FICO® Scores fluctuate?

There are many reasons why your score may change. The information on your credit report changes each time lenders report new activity to the credit bureau. So, as the information in your credit report at that bureau changes, your FICO® Scores may also change. Keep in mind that certain events such as late payments or bankruptcy can lower your FICO® Scores quickly.

FICO® Scores consider five main categories of information in your credit report.

• Your payment history
• The amount of money you currently owe
• The length of your credit history
• New credit accounts
• Types of credit in use

What are the minimum requirements to produce a FICO® Score?

In order for a FICO® Score to be calculated, a credit report must contain these minimum requirements:

• At least one account that has been open for six months or more.
• At least one account that has been reported to the credit reporting agency within the past six months.
• No indication of deceased on the credit report (Please note: if you share an account with another person and the other account holder is reported deceased, it is important to check your credit report to make sure you are not impacted).

Does a FICO® Score alone determine whether I get credit?

No. Most lenders use a number of factors to make credit decisions, including a FICO® Score. Lenders may look at information such as the amount of debt you are able to handle reasonably given your income, your employment history, and your credit history. Based on their review of this information, as well as their specific underwriting policies, lenders may extend credit to you even with a low FICO® Score, or decline your request for credit even with a high FICO® Score.

How long will negative information remain on my credit reports?

It depends on the type of negative information. Here’s the basic breakdown of how long different types of negative information will remain on your credit reports:

• Late payments: 7 years from the original delinquency date.
• Chapter 7 bankruptcies: 10 years from the filing date.
• Chapter 13 bankruptcies: 7 years from the filing date.
• Collection accounts: 7 years from the original delinquency date of the account
• Public Record: Generally 7 years

Keep in Mind: For all of these negative items, the older they are the less impact they will have on your FICO® Scores. For example, a collection that is 5 years old will hurt much less than a collection that is 5 months old.

Are FICO® Scores unfair to minorities?

No. FICO® Scores do not consider your gender, race, nationality or marital status. In fact, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits lenders from considering this type of information when issuing credit. Independent research has shown that FICO® Scores are not unfair to minorities or people with little credit history. FICO® Scores have proven to be an accurate and consistent measure of repayment for all people who have some credit history. In other words, at a given FICO® Score, non-minority and minority applicants are equally likely to pay as agreed.

How are FICO® Scores calculated for married couples?

Married couples don’t share joint FICO® Scores; each person has their own individual credit report, which is used to calculate FICO® Scores, and isn’t impacted by their spouse’s credit history. However, married couples should be mindful of the potential impact of opening joint credit accounts. For example, if you get a new credit card in both spouses’ names, and there is a late payment on that account, the late payment will impact both individuals’ FICO® Scores.

How can I access my credit report?

By federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company, TransUnion®, Equifax®, and Experian®. Find them at annualcreditreport.com. Take advantage of this service annually to ensure the information on your credit report is current and accurate.

Impacts to FICO® Scores

Will closing a credit card account impact my FICO® Score?

It is possible that closing a credit account may have a negative impact depending on a few factors. FICO® Scores may consider your “credit utilization rate”, which looks at your total used credit in relation to your total available credit. Essentially, it measures how much of your available credit you are actually using. The more of your credit that you use, the higher your utilization rate and high credit utilization rates may negatively impact your FICO® Score. Before you close any credit card account, Wells Fargo recommends that you should first consider whether you really need to close the account or if your real intention is just to stop using that credit card. If you really just want to stop using that card, it may make sense if you stop using the card and put it somewhere for safe keeping in case of an emergency. It’s also important to note that length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your FICO® Score calculation. Therefore, having credit card accounts that are open and in good standing for a long time may affect your FICO® Score.

How does refinancing impact my FICO® Score?

Refinancing and loan modifications may affect your FICO® Scores in a few areas. How much these affect the score depends on whether it’s reported to the consumer reporting agencies as the same loan with changes or as an entirely new loan. There are many reasons why a score may change. FICO® Scores are calculated using many different pieces of credit data in your credit report. This data is grouped into five categories: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%). If a refinanced loan or modified loan is reported as the same loan with changes, two pieces of information associated with the loan modification may affect your score: the new credit inquiry and changes to the amounts owed. If a refinanced loan or modified loan is reported as a “new” loan, your score could still be affected by the new credit inquiry and an increase in amounts owed,— along with the additional impact of a new “open date” which may affect the credit history category. In the end, a new or recent open date typically indicates that it is a new credit obligation and, as a result, may impact the score more than if the terms of the existing loan are simply changed.

How do FICO® Scores consider loan shopping?

In general, if you are “loan shopping” - meaning that you are applying for the same type of loan with similar amounts with multiple lenders in a short period of time - your FICO® Score will consider your “shopping” as a single credit inquiry on your score if the shopping occurs within a short time period (30 to 45 day) depending on which FICO® Score version is used by your lenders.

What are the different categories of late payments and do they impact FICO® Scores?

A history of payments is the largest factor in FICO® Scores. FICO® Scores consider late payments in these general areas; how recent the late payments are, how severe the late payments are, and how frequently the late payments occur. So this means that a recent late payment could be more damaging to a FICO® Score than a number of late payments that happened a long time ago. Late payments are listed on credit reports by how late the payments are. Typically, creditors report late payments in one of these categories: 30-days late, 60-days late, 90-days late, 120-days late, 150-days late, or charge off (written off as a loss because of severe delinquency). Of course a 90-day late is worse than a 30-day late, but the important thing to understand is that people who continually pay their bills on time tend to appear less risky to lenders. However, for people who continue not to pay debt, and their creditor either charges it off or sends it to a collection agency, it is considered a significant event with regard to a score and will likely have a severe negative impact.

How does a bankruptcy impact my FICO® Score?

A bankruptcy is considered a very negative event by FICO® Scores. As long as the bankruptcy is listed on your credit report, it will be factored into your scores. How much of an impact it will have on your score will depend on your entire credit profile. As the bankruptcy item ages, its impact on a FICO® Score gradually decreases. Typically, here is how long you can expect bankruptcies to remain on your credit reports (from the date filed):

• Chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcies up to 10 years.
• Completed Chapter 13 bankruptcies up to 7 years.

These dates and time periods refer to the public record item associated with filing for bankruptcy. All of the individual accounts included in the bankruptcy should be removed from your credit reports after 7 years.

How do public records and judgments impact FICO® Scores?

Public records are legal documents created and maintained by Federal and local governments, which are usually accessible to the public. Some public records, such as divorces, are not considered by FICO® Scores, but adverse public records, which include bankruptcies, are considered by FICO® Scores. FICO® Scores may be affected by the mere presence of an adverse public record, whether paid or not. Adverse public records will have less effect on a FICO® Score as time passes, but they can remain in your credit reports for up to ten years based on what type of public record it is.

What are inquiries and how do they impact FICO® Scores?

Inquiries may or may not affect FICO® Scores. Credit inquiries are classified as either “hard inquiries” or “soft inquiries”—only hard inquiries have an effect on FICO® Scores.

Soft inquiries are all credit inquiries where your credit is NOT being reviewed by a prospective lender. FICO® Scores do not take into account any involuntary (soft) inquiries made by businesses with which you did not apply for credit, inquiries from employers, or your own requests to see your credit report. Soft inquiries also include inquiries from businesses checking your credit to offer you goods or services (such as promotional offers by credit card companies) and credit checks from businesses with which you already have a credit account. If you are receiving FICO® Scores for free from a business with which you already have a credit account, there is no additional inquiry made on your credit report. FICO® Scores take into account only voluntary (hard) inquiries that result from your application for credit. Hard inquiries include credit checks when you’ve applied for an auto loan, mortgage, credit card or other types of loans. Each of these types of credit checks count as a single inquiry. Inquiries may have a greater impact if you have few accounts or a short credit history. Large numbers of inquiries also mean greater risk.

How does applying for new credit impact my FICO® Score?

Applying for new credit only accounts for about 10% of a FICO® Score. Exactly how much applying for new credit affects your score depends on your overall credit profile and what else is already in your credit reports. For example, applying for new credit may have a greater impact on your FICO® Scores if you only have a few accounts or a short credit history. That said, there are definitely a few things to be aware of depending on the type of credit you are applying for. When you apply for credit, a credit check or “inquiry” can be requested to check your credit standing.