Scoring your Credit - How's your FICO?

Cities We Serve 

Your VanDyk Mortgage is here to help you when you decide to Purchase a Home or Refinance a Mortgage. Whether in person or online, we close loans in 46 states all over the U.S. seamlessly and easily. We have a wide selection of REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE HOME LOAN PROGRAMS. You can trust us to find the REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE HOME LOAN PROGRAM that's best for you. We have been assisting people like you all over the US focusing primarily on North Carolina and South Carolina for years. We have assisted people in the following cities and states to reach their dreams: Winston Salem, NC--Forsyth County, Kernersville, NC--Forsyth County, Mocksville, NC--Davie County, Greensboro, NC--Guilford County, Germanton, NC—Stokes/Forsyth County, Rural Hall, NC—Forsyth County, King, NC--Stokes/Forsyth County, Mt Airy, NC--Surry County, Raleigh, NC--Wake County, Burlington, NC--Alamance County, Statesville, NC--Iredell County, Wilkesboro, NC--Wilkes County, North Wilkesboro, NC--Wilkes County, Elkin, NC--Surry/Yadkin County, Advance, NC--Davie County, Clemmons, NC--Forsyth County, Lexington, NC--Davidson County, Cary, N.C.--Wake/Chatham County, Chapel Hill N.C.--Orange County, Huntersville, NC-- Mecklenburg County, Monroe, NC--Union County, Mooresville, NC--Iredell County, Charlotte, NC--Mecklenburg County, Matthews, NC--Mecklenburg County, Waxhaw, NC--Union County, Myrtle Beach, SC, Columbia, SC, Charleston, SC several cities in California and Florida to name a few. VanDyk Mortgage, Inc. has branches is most all states in the US, this allows us to lend almost anywhere in the U.S.

In today's increasingly automated society, it should come as no surprise that when you apply for a mortgage, your ability to pay can be reduced to a single number. All the years you've been paying your mortgage, car payments, and credit card bills can be analyzed, sliced, diced, spindled and mutilated into a single indicator of whether you're likely to meet your future obligations.

All three of the major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) use a slightly different system to arrive at a score. The best known is called the FICO score, based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company (hence the name) and used by Experian. Equifax's model is called BEACON, while TransUnion uses EMPIRICA. While each of the models considers a range of data available in your credit report, the primary factors are:

Each of these, and other items, are assigned a value and a weight. The results are added up and distilled into a single number. FICO scores range from 300 to 800, with higher being better. Typical home buyers likely find their scores falling between 600 and 800.

FICO scores are used for more than just determining whether or not you qualify for a mortgage. Higher scores indicate you are a better credit risk, and thus may qualify for a better mortgage rate.

What can you do about your FICO score? Unfortunately, not much. Since the score is based on a lifetime of credit history, it is difficult to make a significant change in the number with quick fixes. The most important thing is to know your FICO score and to ensure that your credit history is correct. Conveniently, Fair Isaac has created a web site (www.myFICO.com) that let's you do just that. For a reasonable fee, you can quickly get your FICO score from all three reporting agencies, along with your credit report. Also available is some helpful information and tools that help you analyze what actions might have the greatest impact on your FICO score. Each of the credit services offers similar services on their web sites: www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, and www.transunion.com.

Armed with this information, you will be a more informed consumer and better positioned to obtain the most favorable mortgage available to you.