Your Credit Score: What it means

Before deciding on what terms they will offer you a mortgage loan (which they base on their risk), lenders need to find out two things about you: your ability to repay the loan, and if you will pay it back. To figure out your ability to pay back the loan, they look at your debt-to-income ratio. To assess your willingness to repay, they use your credit score.

Fair Isaac and Company calculated the first FICO score to assess creditworthines. For details on FICO, read more here.

Your credit score is a direct result of your history of repayment. They don't consider income or personal characteristics. Fair Isaac invented FICO specifically to exclude demographic factors. Credit scoring was developed as a way to consider only that which was relevant to a borrower's likelihood to pay back a loan.

Your current debt level, past late payments, length of your credit history, and a few other factors are considered. Your score is based on the good and the bad of your credit history. Late payments count against your score, but a consistent record of paying on time will raise it.

For the agencies to calculate a credit score, borrowers must have an active credit account with a payment history of six months. This history ensures that there is enough information in your credit to generate a score. Should you not meet the criteria for getting a credit score, you might need to establish a credit history before you apply for a mortgage.

At Executive Lending Group, we answer questions about Credit reports every day. Call us: 4056158543.