My Credit Score Is Zero...

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SlugSlinger

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I actually canceled a couple of my cards and it didn’t hurt my score. I was always told it would until I asked the loan officer at Tinker and she said it doesn’t effect it.

What will effect your score is the available credit vs. how much is borrowed. If you reduce your available credit, it will impact your score. However, it may only change a couple points or an immaterial change to the score.
I canceled a card with a very high limit in December and my score dropped 5 points, then went up 4 in February.

What impacted my credit the most were the hard credit checks (inquiries) when I bought my truck in August as you can see on the graph below. The dealer ran 2 reports and each of the 2 credit unions ran 2 reports. I also applied for a 2% cash back credit card around this same time and that was another hard credit check.

This score is from the Discover website.

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What effects my score the most on a daily basis is the amount we spend on our credit card during the month. However, we pay off the card each month so it really is a moving target with the score.

Below is from here: https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/free-credit-score-guide/

It is possible, however, to know pretty much exactly what goes into your credit score. The factors listed below comprise the total number of your FICO score, which generally ranges from 300 to 850 (the higher, the better) — and the percentages represent how much each factor influences it.

35%: Your payment history

30%: Amounts owed (how much of your total available credit you’re using at any one time)

15%: The length of your credit history

10%: New credit

10%: Mix of credit

As you can see, your payment history and how much debt you owe are the strongest influences on your score. It’s vital to base a credit-building strategy on these two factors.



What causes your score to drop?

Based on the main factors that affect your credit score, here are a few common things that cause it to drop — things you want to be aware of and avoid if you can (and these numbers are estimates, but they’ll give you an idea of how important it is to avoid these things):


Late and missed payments: If you’re late on all of your bills in one month – your score could drop by 75 – 125 points.

Maxed out credit cards: Reached the limit? That will take somewhere between 20 and 70 points off your credit score.

When you apply for a new credit card, your credit score will temporarily drop around 10 to 12 points.

Having no or very little credit history: If you’ve never had any type of credit in your name, or you’ve only had a couple of bills or maybe one credit card — you will likely have a low credit score.
 
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Fredkrueger100

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What will effect your score is the available credit vs. how much is borrowed. If you reduce your available credit, it will impact your score. However, it may only change a couple points or an immaterial change to the score.
I canceled a card with a very high limit in December and my score dropped 5 points, then went up 4 in February.

What impacted my credit the most were the hard credit checks (inquiries) when I bought my truck in August as you can see on the graph below. The dealer ran 2 reports and each of the 2 credit unions ran 2 reports. I also applied for a 2% cash back credit card around this same time and that was another hard credit check.

This score is from the Discover website.

View attachment 119941

What effects my score the most on a daily basis is the amount we spend on our credit card during the month. However, we pay off the card each month so it really is a moving target with the score.

Below is from here: https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/free-credit-score-guide/

It is possible, however, to know pretty much exactly what goes into your credit score. The factors listed below comprise the total number of your FICO score, which generally ranges from 300 to 850 (the higher, the better) — and the percentages represent how much each factor influences it.

35%: Your payment history

30%: Amounts owed (how much of your total available credit you’re using at any one time)

15%: The length of your credit history

10%: New credit

10%: Mix of credit

As you can see, your payment history and how much debt you owe are the strongest influences on your score. It’s vital to base a credit-building strategy on these two factors.



What causes your score to drop?

Based on the main factors that affect your credit score, here are a few common things that cause it to drop — things you want to be aware of and avoid if you can (and these numbers are estimates, but they’ll give you an idea of how important it is to avoid these things):


Late and missed payments: If you’re late on all of your bills in one month – your score could drop by 75 – 125 points.

Maxed out credit cards: Reached the limit? That will take somewhere between 20 and 70 points off your credit score.

When you apply for a new credit card, your credit score will temporarily drop around 10 to 12 points.

Having no or very little credit history: If you’ve never had any type of credit in your name, or you’ve only had a couple of bills or maybe one credit card — you will likely have a low credit score.
Well said. I thought that graph looked familiar. I have a discover card and so does my wife. I swear to you the credit companies just do what they want. I think they do whatever they can to try and lower our scores. Maybe they are incahoots with banks and stuff. My score is a 741 and my wife’s is a 780. Just a few months ago hers was about 35 points under mine. Crazy.
 

SlugSlinger

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Your score affects a lot of things, some that aren’t really discussed much. It could change the rates you pay for insurance, whether you are considered for a job, or potentially anything else you rely on a company to provide.
I saw this article today and thought it was applicable to this conversation.

Your credit score could impact how much you pay for life insurance
Clark Howard Staff2018-06-18T20:37:26+00:00">June 18, 2018 4:37 pm" class="date" style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;">June 18, 2018 4:37 pm
As if we needed any additional barriers to people getting the life insurance coverage they need, your credit history has emerged as the latest factor that could skew your insurance premium higher.

RELATED: 702(j) plans: The “retirement plan” that needs to retire!

Insurance trade industry organization LIMRA conducted a 2017 survey of insurance companies that found anywhere from 8% to 28% of insurers use credit factors of one type or another to help set your life insurance premiums.

On the low-end of that range, LIMRA found 8% of insurers said they use one of TransUnion’s credit-based scores for applicants.

More widespread among respondents, however, was the use of an applicant’s overall credit record in helping to set premiums. Some 18% of insurers admitted to this practice, which we can understand to mean they they’re either looking at your credit report, your credit score or some combination of both.

But wait, it gets worse. The most common thing life insurers do when factoring credit into your application is consult industry data heavyweight LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Nearly a third of insurers (28%) said they use LexisNexis for credit information about potential clients.

Now you may or may not know this, but LexisNexis already maintains extensive records on you and the claims you’ve already made with your home and auto insurer — so it’s only natural that they’d offer a product to the life insurance industry as well.

On the home and auto insurance front, the LexisNexis C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report contains a seven-year snapshot of info about you, including a list of any claims you’ve made on either policy. Fortunately, you can see what they’ve got on you for free. We’ve got full details on how to get your free C.L.U.E. report here.

Meanwhile, there’s another similar organization that keeps a broad credit report-style dossier on you that’s widely used in the life insurance industry. It’s called the MIB Group.

Before you go off into conspiracy-theory land, no, MIB doesn’t stand for ‘Men in Black!’ It’s an acronym for the only slightly less ominous sounding Medical Information Bureau, which was the organization’s former name before it became MIB.

The MIB Group tracks anyone who has applied for individually underwritten life, health or disability income insurance during the past seven years. Just as with the C.L.U.E. report, you can see what’s in your MIB report for free. Simply call 866-692-6901 to get started or fill out this form and mail it to the organization.


What’s Clark’s take on all this?
Money expert Clark Howard is outraged by the use of credit factors in setting life insurance premiums.

“This is ‘Clarkrageous,'” the consumer champ says. “It leads to distortion in the life insurance marketplace.”

One thing that follows from this new emphasis on credit factors among some life insurers is that you need to be sure there are no unnecessary or incorrect blemishes on your credit report. You are entitled to get a free credit report from all three of the major credit bureaus once every year through this website, so be sure you check!

Meanwhile, there are a number of ways to get your free credit score.

Finally, don’t overlook the importance of shopping around when you’re getting life insurance quotes.

“This additional wrinkle says to me that it’s more important than ever to shop and compare life insurance rates from more than one insurer. Whether you are high or low on the credit spectrum, you may find differences in what you’re charged from one insurer to another based on your credit history.”

As a reminder, Clark recommends term life insurance — where you pay one fixed monthly amount that never goes up — for coverage over a set number of years. Term life insurance only pays out in the event of your death; there’s no wacky investment or savings component like there is with permanent policies like universal life, variable universal life (VUL) and whole life.
 

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My score is a 741 and my wife’s is a 780. Just a few months ago hers was about 35 points under mine. Crazy.
I can relate. Every time my wife and I go to the bank for a loan we have a bet as to which of us has the highest score. 10yrs ago her credit wasn't even high enough to meet or banks threshold to open an account by herself but she's passed me somehow. Any loans go in both of our names. Maybe she uses her credit card more. Idk
 

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