Fico Introduces New Scoring System FICO® Score 9 and Offers Hope for Lower Interest Rates and Easier Credit

Fico recently introduced big changes to the way the credit agency calculates scores. Consumer advocates had been petitioning the agency for some time to implement rule changes, specifically pertaining to medical bills. Medical costs are mostly out of a consumer’s control and consumers reported being unaware that the account even existed or believed it was paid by their insurance. What’s worse is that experts don’t believe that lack of payment on medical bills is any indication of a consumer’s likelihood to pay, which is supposed to be the score's intent. According to the Consumer Finance Production Bureau’s report “

Medical Debt and Credit Scores” released in May 2014, concluded that consumers with medical accounts in collection that had more paid than non-paid medical accounts were just as likely to pay a regular account as well as a consumer with a score that was 20 points higher.

What is a Sub-Prime Borrower?

According to Experian's State of the Automotive Finance Market Report for the first quarter of 2014, scores are divided into five categories of ranges. 740 and up puts your score in the "Super Prime" category. 730-680 is "Prime" and 679-620 is "Non-Prime".  That leaves all other consumers in the "Sub-Prime" category with 550 and under being described as "Deep Sub-Prime". According to their Open Loans by Risk report, over 21 percent of all open loans are below prime, with deep sub-prime lending being the highest growing category of open loans. The average credit score of an auto financing customer dropped 10 points from the first quarter of 2013 from 731 to 721. In summary, more lenders are willing to take chances with sub-prime borrowers as more and more consumers are falling into that category. According to Credit-Report-101, the national average FICO credit score as of 2014 in the US is 639, which would place the average national consumer in the "Non-Prime" category. 

Rebuilding Your Credit With An Auto Loan

You may have been a victim of financial hardship. Bankruptcy, divorce, job loss and medical bills can take a toll on people’s credit rating. People who find themselves in need of credit repair often find that repairing their credit can be difficult when you are unable to get approved for loans or financing.  At our dealership we find that consumers are not only looking for a car loan.. they are looking for a second chance. Many consumers are unaware of the positive impact an installment loan, like a car loan can have on their credit rating.

How Can An Auto Loan Help My Credit?

Monthly Reporting

Lenders, like ours report to credit bureaus. Paying installment loans on time is one of the

Will Shopping Around For A Car Loan Damage My Credit?

         We hear from customers buying a used car all the time that are worried about making credit inquiries at multiple dealerships while car shopping.  It’s especially worrisome for those with challenged credit because they are worried about damaging their credit any further, but are forced to shop around to find a company that will give them a loan. Like in most other financial situations, people with bad credit are left with few options. 

         First, it’s important to note that all credit checks are not the same. Checking your own credit does not affect your credit score at all. This common myth has been debunked countless times by credit experts. Any consumer that would like to keep track of their credit can and should pull their Equifax, Experian and Trans Union credit reports for free once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com.  While it is true that your credit score could possibly be affected by running multiple credit inquiries in a short period of time, the affect is minimal and temporary. FICO has released

What's In A Credit Score?