You may have heard that your credit score is important, but what is a FICO score? FICO is short for Fair Isaac and Co. The Fair Isaac Company developed custom software back in the 1980s that helped other companies determine a credit risk based on a number derived from a person’s credit history. This number soon became a standard that was adopted by the three main credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. The FICO score ranges between 300 and 850.
Credit Score vs. Credit Report
A credit score and a credit report are two different things, although the credit score ultimately depends on your credit report. Your credit report is simply a detailed account of your credit history. The report will contain information such as:
- Current credit accounts
- Payment history
- Credit inquiries
- Credit utilization
- Bankruptcy
Your credit report itself does not have a FICO number. It is simply a report of your current and past credit history. Most credit history will only go back seven years, although a bankruptcy will stay on your report for ten years. You’re entitled to a free credit report each year and it’s always a good idea to check it annually to make sure it’s correct. Here’s how to get your free credit report.
A FICO credit score is based off of your credit history, but it’s not actually a part of your credit report. Instead, the three major credit bureaus will calculate your FICO based on your credit history they have on file. This means you can have up to three different FICO scores at one time. Your FICO score does not come with your credit report and it isn’t something you’re entitled to annually. You may have to pay a fee to actually receive your score.
Credit and Mortgages
A new credit scoring system has been developed by the three major credit bureaus -- the VantageScore. Their VantageScore reports are available for $5.95 each, a fraction of the cost of the FICO score. However, the scores are not a direct substitute for each other and mortgage lenders continue to look at FICO scores when reviewing mortgage applications, so they are the scores a mortgage borrower should buy.
Borrowers with high FICO scores -- the top tier ranges between 760 and 850 -- can expect lenders to offer them lower interest rates and more loan choices. Scores of 620 or lower usually place a borrower in the "subprime" category, and they can expect to be quoted significantly higher interest rates and may be offered fewer varieties of loans. A FICO score of 620 is generally the minimum that will quarlify for a mortgage.
Fair Isaac's consumer Web siteoffers a chart that is updated regularly and shows how your FICO score can affect your interest rate.
For example, here's what a borrower could have expected to be charged in interest for a $300,000 30-year fixed rate mortgage, based on his credit score, according to March 2009 interest rates:
How FICO score affects mortgage rates
| 760 to 850 tier |
5.780% |
620-659 tier |
7.096% |
| 700-759 tier |
6.002% |
580-619 tier |
8.583% |
| 660-699 tier |
6.286% |
500-579 tier |
9.494% |
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