The biggest secret you need to know, is that credit is not, and has never been, for the good of the people. Credit was devised by those who discovered they could make big money by renting money. Contrary to all the advertisements credit was not created in order to enable people to have everything that they want in life. Credit is marketed as “Buy Now and Pay Later” in such a way as to convince all people that “buying time” is a necessity in the process of getting all they desire. It is not true, credit is not such a necessity, it is an illusion because if we saved and paid cash we would pay far less in shorter time. Think about it; with interest charges by the time we are finished paying we have paid enough to own three homes just like the one we live in. Credit was created to harness each and every Soul into servitude so that a percentage of value of everything you do in life goes directly to the bureaucracy of the money industry.

This is why credit institutions so easily give credit cards to young people who yet have little or no means of payment. They know from statistical analysis that the majority of people, if you can get them started early, get them hooked on credit before they understand it, once they are buried in debt and carrying the payments they have little or no chance to ever get out from under their credit harness for the rest of their lives. For the Rest of their natural lives they will be paying a percentage of everything they make for nothing but some borrowed time that they lost years before.

Unfortunately, the money changers have succeeded in convincing us all that credit is a necessity. They have attached it to our very identity so you can’t move, you can not even rent a car or book a hotel room without credit identification. Like a street pusher selling drugs, they have made us need credit just to survive the policies and procedures they have promoted to govern our lives.

It used to be, that you grew relationships that meant something so your bank knew you and your integrity when it came time to be approved for a loan or mortgage. Now, with ATM’s and inter-branch services no one has time to be human and get to know customers nor do they care. In recent years, most of the major banks have completely removed loan approval authority from branches. In Canadian banks there is absolutely no discretionary lending authority or any ability to authorize credit of any sort in the branch level. As result, your entire financial life and every potential opportunity lays at the cold hard facts; Do you conform to handle yourself and your credit in exactly the way as the contract fine print demands it. And the only knowledge of your integrity to determine your worthiness in life is based on numbers crunched in credit scoring formulas. How well will you do, when the computer is done manipulating your facts?

The only possible answer for the average person is to learn all the rules to this game and play it as smart as you can to stay off of the credit crippled list. If you do not know how they handle your credit file, you are at risk of abuse. You must understand their rules! Stop the way you have been playing their game, get with the program, and handle your credit the way they demand it be handled or get knocked down, again and again.

Credit Scoring History

The credit scoring system became prominent during the 1960’s as a way for lenders to quickly evaluate a potential borrower’s creditworthiness. The system is set with tricky algorithms and number crunching to primarily predict potential financial risk to protect lenders. Thousands of different credit scoring formulas exist today for various evaluation purposes. Now credit scoring is used by lenders, insurers, landlords, employers, and utility companies to evaluate your credit behaviour. From this information they, the employees of such firms may take actions that can have a grave impact on your life.

The Basic Formula

With the basic Beacon or FICO formulas they use, they see in the majority of the population, a direct correlation between certain money habits or credit behaviours and the rate of delinquent debts registered.

The basic credit scoring formula takes into account several factors from your credit profile. The impact of each element fluctuates based your own credit profile:

• Payment history – Being regular about paying credit accounts or utility bills every other month or even being late as result of a damn good reason, will cost you your credit score. A good record of “on-time” payments for all accounts will help boost your credit score.
• Outstanding debt – Just because they give you a credit limit does not mean they expect you to use it. It may sound stupid but if you run your credit up over 50 percent of the credit limit they let you have, your credit score will nose dive as a bad risk. Aim for balances on all accounts under 30 percent of the credit limit.
• Credit account history – An established credit history makes you a less risky borrower. The older the credit account you have is the oldest standing record of your credit worthiness that you have visible. Think twice before closing old accounts especially before you make any loan application.
• Recent inquiries – Every time a lender or business checks into your credit file they must have your authorization to do so, because it causes a hard inquiry to your credit file that spends your credit score like it was your money. Every inquiry costs you score, so if you go shopping around for the best car loan deal or the best mortgage rate and allow each vendor to check your credit your score, it will nose dive to unacceptable levels before you ever get approved for a purchase. Apply for new credit in moderation. When mortgage shopping it pays to use a mortgage broker, because a broker will access your credit profile only once, and then use that report to shop around all the banks and other lenders with only one costly hit on your credit score.
• Types of credit – A healthy credit profile has a balanced mix of “revolving” credit accounts and loans. Remember multiple accounts all kept under 30% of usage is better than a couple of accounts at 75% of credit limit. Notice that a Canadian mortgage in good standing doesn’t help with establishing a positive credit history but a secured line of credit on the house does. The reason is no Canadian mortgage providers report mortgages to the credit bureaus. Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC), however, are usually reported. So long as they are paid as agreed, they are a positive influence on credit history. By the way, HELOC’s are becoming the more popular way to finance home purchases these days because of their tremendous flexibility. That said, the fact that they are revolving credit accounts make them unsuitable for many borrowers who will never be able to make a dent in lowering the amount owing because they will constantly draw the account down with each payment made.

Handling Your Credit Score

When you are preparing for a major purchase make sure you check your credit profile and credit score from the two Canadian Credit Bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. Looking at your profile and score a few months before placing your new loan or mortgage application will help you get a complete picture of your credit health and an opportunity to do something to repair it before you need credit. Worried if your credit score makes the grade? If your credit score is above 650 you will probably qualify for a standard loan. Under 650, you may have trouble receiving any new credit. If that is the case its time to take remedial action or get help to repair your credit in preparation for mortgage renewal or new financing needs.

If your credit score is a little low, pay your bills on time, reduce your debt, remove any inaccuracies and avoid new inquiries for a few months to give it a boost. A DebtMasterS Credit Builder Program will help you rebuild your credit score with the ability to add 90 points in 90 days. Plus, don’t forget that your credit score is not the only factor a lender may look at when they are evaluating your financial standing.