Credit Information

Check Your Credit Before Shopping For That Home Loan


Review Your Credit Score.

Nearly every bank, credit union, and mortgage lender relies on a three digit score provided by one of the three major credit bureaus to help them make lending decisions. A credit score can range from the perfect 850 all the way down to the abysmal 300. Scores under 720 may not qualify for the best interest rates, so you should check your credit scores with all three bureaus before shopping for a loan. You may discover you have some cleaning up to do before you can take advantage of a great loan deal.

Scan Your Report for Mistakes.

Though some consumers struggle with debt, many more would-be borrowers suffer needlessly because of mistakes they made in the past or mistakes that credit bureau systems made when compiling their reports. To avoid embarrassment and wasted time during the loan origination process, you should review your report carefully before you start shopping for loans. Dispute any inaccuracies both with the credit bureau and with the creditor using certified mail. If you find any long-lost bills you left unpaid, pay them. A bill as insignificant as $100 can actually stall or derail the closing process, costing you the chance to buy your dream home.

Avoid Credit Applications.

In the weeks leading up to your home purchase, you may consider switching banks or responding to attractive credit card offers. Resist the urge to earn those frequent flyer miles, because a flurry of applications can show up on your credit report simultaneously. Therefore, lenders may grow concerned about potential identity theft. Even worse, lenders might assume you've lost control of your spending, making you an unsuitable candidate for a home loan.

Do All Your Shopping on the Same Day.

For the same reasons, you should choose one day to make inquiries from your favorite mortgage lenders. A few weeks after your inquiries, your applications will show up on your report and drag down your score by a few points. Because the bureau assumes that every application may result in an approval, the amount of your potential debt load increases significantly. In addition, the market changes so frequently that quotes made on different days cannot be compared directly. Be prepared to make your phone calls, run the numbers, and accept a locked pre-approval all on the same day.

Kevin Adelsberg is a writer for FDLoans.com. For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about loans, please visit us at http://www.FDLoans.com


MORE RESOURCES:

US consumer credit worsens in December: Fitch
Reuters - 2 hours ago
NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - US consumer credit deteriorated in December as credit card defaults rose and cardholder payment rates suffered the largest one ...
Credit card defaults rise again in December Forbes
Credit-Card Charge Offs Jump Wall Street Journal Blogs
Fitch: US Credit Card Defaults Rise, Payments Slow as Consumers ... Earthtimes (press release)
all 16 news articles


Lear Trying To Amend Credit Pact On Poor Industry Conditions
CNNMoney.com - 22 hours ago
(LEA) is seeking an amendment and waiver under its primary credit facility, citing current and longer-term industry conditions, after fully borrowing ...
Lear Corp. seeks to amend credit agreement Forbes
Lear seeks to amend credit facility Reuters
Lear seeks credit facility waiver urethanes-technology-international (subscription)
PR Newswire (press release) - Automotive World (subscription)
all 35 news articles


Carbon Credit for Reprocessed Coal Ash?
New York Times, United States - 2 hours ago
Dominion wants its reprocessing of coal-ash to generate credits for carbon-emissions reduction, which it hopes to use in the Northeast’s carbon-reduction ...


Free Credit Repair Guide Offers Hope for Homeowners
MSNBC - 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES, CA - With the current state of the economy it's becoming increasingly difficult to qualify for a loan -- even if you have perfect credit. ...


Fair Isaac inks deal with Romanian credit bureau
Bizjournals.com, NC - 4 hours ago
Fair Isaac Corp. has reached a deal that will take its FICO credit score into the Romanian market. The Minneapolis-based analytics company said Wednesday it ...
Biroul de Credit Brings FICO Credit Score to Romania WELT ONLINE
Fair Isaac joins 'green' IT organization MinnPost.com
Fair Isaac Joins The Green Grid WELT ONLINE
all 37 news articles


Financial Post

Canada Budget Will Seek to Ease Credit, Flaherty Says
Bloomberg - Jan 6, 2009
6 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he may use his budget later this month to help ease tight credit markets and reverse a slowdown ...
Canada budget to address credit access: minister Reuters Canada
Canada to work with banks to provide credit Reuters
Credit availability key economic issue: Flaherty CTV.ca
Toronto Star - Globe and Mail
all 487 news articles


Credit Scores: What You Need to Know
New York Times, United States - 23 hours ago
By JENNIFER BARRETT You may not have checked your credit score lately, but there’sa good chance someone else has. If you have applied for a mortgage or a ...
Local credit scores sliding Cincinnati.com
Local credit scores dropping Cincinnati.com
all 3 news articles


Toll Brothers' January 14 Presentation At The Credit Suisse ...
MSNBC - 5 hours ago
Click on the "Conferences" box and follow the link for the webcast under "Credit Suisse Homebuilder Conference". Participants are encouraged to log on at ...
DR Horton, Inc. Presentation at the 2009 Credit Suisse Homebuilder ... WELT ONLINE
Hovnanian Enterprises Presentation at the 2009 Credit Suisse ... PR Newswire (press release)
all 23 news articles


CNBC

IRS offers new credits to troubled taxpayers
Bizjournals.com, NC - 2 hours ago
The Internal Revenue Service implemented several new tax credits to help financially distressed taxpayers this tax season. This year, taxpayers can maximize ...
Tax credits, tips for filing season Detroit Free Press
IRS explains First Time Homebuyer credit Port Clinton News Herald
IRS offers help to stressed-out taxpayers MSNBC
Newsday - Hawaii Reporter
all 257 news articles


Mortgage applications down, home-equity credit delinquencies up
Los Angeles Times, CA - 4 hours ago
Surveys released today showed that fewer Americans applied for mortgages last week and more were missing payments on their home equity lines of credit. ...

Credit - Google News

Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating
© 2006