Learn More About Understanding Your Credit Report and How to Read It
A credit report is a summary of your credit activity that includes information about your open and closed accounts. Understanding your credit report can help you gain valuable insight into your financial history, dispute any errors, and monitor the information that creditors use to make decisions about your creditworthiness. The following information appears on your credit report:
- Personal Details: Your credit report contains information about your credit accounts and your personal information, such as your name, Social Security Number, your current and previous addresses, and in some cases, your current employer. Make sure that every personal detail in your credit report is accurate, and report any errors you find to your credit bureau.
- Credit History: It’s worth noting that your credit history is the most important section of your credit report. A number of factors determine your credit score, but your payment history accounts for about 35% of it. You should carefully review each item in this section of your credit report because it contains crucial information about your credit score. If you find errors, such as incorrect dates or closed accounts reported as open, you must dispute those mistakes with your credit bureau.
- Credit Inquiries: A credit inquiry is a request from a financial institution, like a creditor or lender, who wants to verify your credit information. The two most common types of inquiries are soft and hard inquiries, with the latter typically affecting your score by a few points. Additionally, if you see an inquiry you don’t recognize on your report, you should report it immediately to your credit bureau. That inquiry could either be a mistake or an indicator of credit card fraud.
- Public Records: A public record on your credit report can contain details that financial institutions can examine about you. Some examples of public records can include marriage certificates, arrests, or court records like lawsuits. While three kinds of public record entries appeared in a credit report in the past, bankruptcies are now the only public record you will find in your statement.
Once you can fully understand each piece of information that goes into your credit statement, you can learn how to read your credit report. Understanding your credit report is important if you want to protect your financial well-being and keep your finances in control.
Understanding Your Credit Report: What Should You Do Next?
Understanding your credit report can be easier once you understand its components. However, you may be motivated to improve your credit score if you want to qualify for lower credit card interest rates and other goodies that come with having a positive score.
Thankfully, improving your credit could be as simple as understanding your credit report and making the necessary adjustments! For starters, you should make it a habit of monitoring your credit report and all of your credit accounts. You can take advantage of a free credit report from the three major credit bureaus and dispute any errors you find on your statement. Additionally, you should repay your debts on time and ensure your payments have been accurately recorded on your report.
Be aware that 10% of your credit score is determined by the number of credit accounts you’ve opened. So, if you limit the times you open an account, you could keep your credit score at a good spot! Also, maintain your credit balances low compared to your overall credit limit. If you keep your credit use below 30% of your credit limit, you could retain a good score with your credit.
Do I Need a Strong Credit History to Obtain a Loan?
The strength of your credit history can definitely impact your ability to get a loan, as lenders often use it to assess risk and determine interest rates. Use a loan calculator with your credit range to estimate before shopping around. Having a strong credit history can increase the likelihood of being approved for a loan with better terms and interest rates, but it is not always necessary. Although it is important to improve your credit score and regularly monitor your credit report, it is possible to qualify for a secured loan option even if you have poor credit.
