When it comes to credit scores many assumptions can be made about those with high or low scores. The average American credit score is in the 700 range and about 18 percent of Americans had a score over 800 in 2011.
Who exactly are these folks whose FICO credit scores are near perfect range and what habits are keeping their scores there? MyFICO delved into the habits of consumers with a FICO score of 785 or higher so we could find out how to get a high credit score.
Some of the more important similarities amongst those with high credit scores is that they kept their debt to available credit ratios balanced, didn’t max out their credit cards, and consistently made payments on time.
Don’t think that everyone with a high credit score doesn’t have a lot of debt, many had multiply credit cards, and they had an average of seven credit cards including open and closed accounts. They also averaged four credit cards and loans with balances. One third of them had a balance of $8,500 or more on non-mortgage accounts.
The biggest similarity between people who have built good credit is that they all made their payments on time and didn’t miss any. A whopping 96 percent show no missed payments on their credit report, those who do have late payments listed incurred them four years ago. Only 1 percent of FICO high achievers have an account past due.
These high achievers also stuck to their older credit cards with their oldest credit card on average being 25 years old. They also rarely opened new accounts, some of the “newer” accounts on average were over two years old.
The Takeaway
A credit score is important for many reasons and having a bad or low score doesn’t have to mean you’re at a dead end. Start building good credit by making payments consistently and on time, not maxing out your cards, and keeping your debt-to-credit ratio in good standing. If you’re in need of credit repair AmONE can help you find a solution. Get connected with credit repair or credit counseling services to get your credit back on the right track. Contact AmONE and start building good credit today.
