Tag Archives: Credit

What is a Credit Score and Why is it So Important

What is a Credit Score and Why is it So Important?

We have all heard we need to have a good credit score, but many people do not know what a credit score is – this is ok, we are here to help! Having a good credit score is a lifeline for your future, so it is very important to know what a credit score is, how it can be positively and negatively impacted, and why it is so important to everyone. Take a few minutes to brush up on your knowledge of credit and how you can have a good credit score. 

What is a Credit Score? 

Credit scores have the ability to affect a lot in your life, so it is crucial to know what a credit score means and what yours is. Credit scores are a financial tool that determines each individual’s creditworthiness. A credit score is a number between 300 – 850 that is determined by your credit history. A high credit score means you are a responsible person who will repay your debts. 

Your credit score moves as you use and repay debts you have incurred. A bad credit score could result in a higher payment due to a higher interest rate or missing out on a purchase you’d like – such as leasing an apartment, obtaining a loan or credit card, purchasing insurance or a vehicle, etc. You may be asking – What if I do not have a credit score? Not having a credit score means you have not tied anything to your credit profile. This can often be a bad thing as you have no history of good credit or debt payment to a lender. 

What Does Your Credit Score Impact? 

Your credit score essentially affects your financial life. There are many good and bad ways to affect your credit. Your credit score plays a huge part in a lender’s choice to offer you any sort of credit. A credit score may also impact the amount of the deposit you have to pay for utilities, phone services, rental properties, and more. Your credit score impacts your interest rate or credit limit. 

What Impacts Your Credit Score?

Your credit score is impacted by five main factors that are evaluated when you take out credit. Your credit score is reported and updated by credit reporting agencies in the United States. The five factors that affect your credit score are: payment history, the total amount owed, the length of credit history, the types of credit, and new credit you use. 

How to Improve Your Credit Score

There are many ways to improve your credit, so if your score is on the low end, do not worry! Here are 4 ways to increase and improve your credit score:

1. Pay your bills on time – on-time payments for six months will positively affect your score. 

2. Use a credit card – contact Peoples Bank & Trust to open a credit card today!

3. Don’t close your credit card account – stop using the card rather than closing it as this could negatively impact your score. 

4. Take out a line of credit and make consistent payments on time. 

Why is Your Credit Score Important?

As you can see, your credit score is very important to be able to do the things you wish financially. Having a good score can affect you in many ways, so if it is low, it is important to work on growing the number. An excellent score ranges from 800 to 850 while a poor score is between 300 and 579. The middle range can be considered very good to fair and can affect the terms of the credit you are offered quite a bit, even if you are a few numbers off from the next range. 

As we have you thinking about your credit score, please reach out to Peoples Bank & Trust to discuss where you are at and how our services can positively impact you.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

How to Get Smart with Your Credit

Today, practicing the simple credit concept of “living within your means” can be extremely difficult due to medical and housing costs growing more rapidly than income in many American households. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t manage your credit and debt responsibly.  Here are a few tips to help you get your credit on track, even when times are tough.

  1. Understand what credit is.  According to Finance Solutions Credit 101, credit is your “promise to pay in the future for purchases made today.”  You may be aware that when applying for credit with a lender, your credit report will be pulled to determine your payment history, amounts owed, credit history, new credit and types of credit, which is all taken into consideration when determining your credit limit.  Understanding the terms and fees associated with your credit will help you make more educated decisions in terms of lenders, especially if you were to become overextended.

 

  1. Maintain healthy debt.  Maintaining healthy debt is all about making good choices when it comes to debt.  This means developing a happy medium in terms of credit history, exercising timely bill payments and managing a variety of credit accounts.

A good example of this is the attractive additional 25% off at your favorite store in exchange for signing up for their store credit card at the moment of purchase.  Doing this once or twice is harmless enough, but if you are maintaining credit cards for a variety of stores, this can negatively affect your credit score by repeated hard inquiries and hidden terms not discussed in the rushed sign up process.  Overall, the potential damage to your credit may not be worth the immediate savings.

 

  1. Stay out of the credit danger zone.  Similar to points made in the previous two tips, you need to make good choices when it comes to purchasing on credit.  Watch your accounts carefully to avoid overextending yourself, keep your balances low and always pay your bills on time.

If you are in a position where you can’t pay your bill on time, communicate with your lender to make them aware of the situation and determine an alternate rate of payment.  And we get it, emergency expenses come up, but the best way to handle these is to do your best to prepare for them.  If you don’t have an emergency savings fund built up, start one today and prepare yourself for the unexpected to avoid unplanned credit charges.

Managing your credit responsibly can be extremely difficult, and due to unforeseen circumstances you may already be in over your head.  Reach out to us to discuss your financial management needs today.  We are here to help you get on track!