Understanding And Appreciating Credit Reports And The Possible Need For Them
The phenomenon of credit reports and why they're around always comes to the front of a person's attention whenever he or she needs to apply for credit for just about anything these days. What is a fact is that a credit report has much more of an impact on almost every aspect of a person's life than in the past, even when much of their life has nothing to do with actual credit.
For example, having what is known as "poor credit" may cause a person to pay much more for not only the things that are financed but also things that are purchased or rented or leased on even an occasional basis. As an example, realize that there are a number of states that allow automobile insurance companies to pull credit as a means of determining how much to charge for a policy.
Why this is so is because insurance companies believe that credit worthiness can be a good indicator of whether or not a person is a good risk in terms of claims, accidents and other driving behaviors. Many experts say that that is nonsense but the fact is some companies do it, although the states have begun to catch on and have started outlawing the practice.
Credit reports are also being increasingly used by prospective employers in assessing a prospective employee before making a hiring decision, for example. They may pull a credit report from any one of the three major reporting bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian, Equifax -- and give it a look over. They must, however, obtain permission from the prospective employee to do so.
What all this means is that credit and the need to have it and also the need to assess just who is a good credit risk and who isn't is a a fact of life in our society these days. Mailboxes can be stuffed full of credit offers from organizations that have accessed what the credit bureaus call a quick look report and sent out an offer for "possible" credit because of that quick look, for example.
A report of credit worthiness as issued by a credit bureau is also used in traditional ways such as determining whether or not a person should be given credit and how much the interest rate will be. These reports usually span 7 to 10 years in a person's credit life and somebody who has a credit score below 600 or even 650 can end up paying much higher interest rates for most anything, including mortgages.
All of the above highlights why it's important for a consumer to pull his or her credit reports on an annual basis. By law, each of the reporting bureaus must provide a free credit report to a consumer who asks for it. There won't be a credit score on the report (that costs money) but the report itself can be a good way to see just what each bureau might have on a consumer, which is a good thing to know.
For example, having what is known as "poor credit" may cause a person to pay much more for not only the things that are financed but also things that are purchased or rented or leased on even an occasional basis. As an example, realize that there are a number of states that allow automobile insurance companies to pull credit as a means of determining how much to charge for a policy.
Why this is so is because insurance companies believe that credit worthiness can be a good indicator of whether or not a person is a good risk in terms of claims, accidents and other driving behaviors. Many experts say that that is nonsense but the fact is some companies do it, although the states have begun to catch on and have started outlawing the practice.
Credit reports are also being increasingly used by prospective employers in assessing a prospective employee before making a hiring decision, for example. They may pull a credit report from any one of the three major reporting bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian, Equifax -- and give it a look over. They must, however, obtain permission from the prospective employee to do so.
What all this means is that credit and the need to have it and also the need to assess just who is a good credit risk and who isn't is a a fact of life in our society these days. Mailboxes can be stuffed full of credit offers from organizations that have accessed what the credit bureaus call a quick look report and sent out an offer for "possible" credit because of that quick look, for example.
A report of credit worthiness as issued by a credit bureau is also used in traditional ways such as determining whether or not a person should be given credit and how much the interest rate will be. These reports usually span 7 to 10 years in a person's credit life and somebody who has a credit score below 600 or even 650 can end up paying much higher interest rates for most anything, including mortgages.
All of the above highlights why it's important for a consumer to pull his or her credit reports on an annual basis. By law, each of the reporting bureaus must provide a free credit report to a consumer who asks for it. There won't be a credit score on the report (that costs money) but the report itself can be a good way to see just what each bureau might have on a consumer, which is a good thing to know.
About the Author:
Understanding and appreciating credit scores and why they exist becomes clear anytime an individual is going to apply for credit and they want to make totally sure they'll be successful in the application for it. Bad credit thus calls for credit repair.