By Jason Kaufman, District Manager – Milwaukee, Marine Credit Union
Confused by your credit report? Review the five areas below that affect your credit report/score and the tips to bring your score up.
| Component that Affects Your Credit Score | Percentage of Your Score |
How to Improve It |
|
Payment history |
35% |
This includes payment information, adverse public records, the severity of your delinquency, the number of past due items and the payment amount agreed upon. Bottom line? Pay your bills on time. |
|
Credit available on revolving debt |
30% |
Check your credit balances and the percentage of credit used on each type. Keep the ratio low. |
|
Length of credit history |
15% |
The longer you have been building credit and the less you use your credit, the better. Start now if you haven’t already. |
|
New credit |
10% |
Monitor your credit report for recent account opening and credit inquiries. The longer time period since your last new account or inquiry, the better. |
|
Types of credit used |
10% |
Watch out for how many credit accounts you have open. |
