If you’re ready to buy a new home, you know that a good FICO score is
critical to the process. Your FICO affects not just your ability to buy a new
home, but the interest rate and fees you’ll pay for the new loan. Often,
buyers are shocked to realize their credit score is not as high as they
thought. Even borrowers who always pay their bills on time can be
surprised by a lower FICO score when they apply for a loan. Fortunately,
your lender can help with a rapid rescore process.
A rapid rescore is initiated by your lender and can be completed in days. Most
lenders offer this service and will start by reviewing your credit report with
you. Lenders use what’s known as the “middle score,” in determining risk.
There are three credit bureaus – Transunion, Equifax, and Experian – and
they each calculate your score a little differently. The middle score is used
for most home loans as your FICO.
Your lender has a program that can estimate you’re rescore based on
removing false reporting or if you’ve recently lowered the balance on a credit card. Even
paying off one card can raise your score by 20+ points, enough to make a
huge difference in your mortgage interest rate. Once the steps are
determined and taken, they then request the credit bureaus to verify the
report. This takes a few days. Then the new score will be available to the
lender to use for your loan.
If you are considering a new home loan, it’s important to know your credit
score ahead of time, when you can still correct mistakes. But, if you are
already in the process, your lender may be able to use the rapid rescore
process to quickly increase your score and offer you a better loan.
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