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What is a Bad Credit Score?

Written by Banks Editorial Team

Updated April 22, 2021​

2 min. read​

A bad credit score is a nightmare for your financial dreams. Maintaining a minimum score of 630, below which you are deemed risky, is very important to enjoy the social structure’s benefits and lead a smooth life. Several benefits, ranging from credit card to home insurance, require you to make sound financial decisions to refrain from falling into the bad credit score zone. In case of a bad score, you can improve it through hard work and determination.

Why a Bad Credit Score Matters

A credit score is a crucial metric in your financial life. It determines if you are a worthy candidate to lend money. It is a constantly changing number, and it can increase or decrease based on your everyday financial decisions. A bad credit score typically describes your past failures in keeping up with the payments and impairs the approval of the lending companies for your new credits. Although variations exist, generally, a bad credit score falls below 630, based on FICO and VantageScore – the two most widely used measures. Below the 630 level, there are three categories – Low (580 to 629), Poor (500 to 579), and Bad (300 to 499).

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The negative implications of a bad credit score are numerous. If your score is below 600, it means the lending agencies will not take any extra effort to attract you as a customer. They will reject your application outright. Even if you manage somehow to get the loan approved, in most cases, you won’t be receiving a single digit interest rate on that mortgage or an interest-free credit card.

The Cost of a Bad Credit Score

In addition to that, financing a car or a house will cost you more because of the subprime rates on those finance. Besides finance, insurance cost for the car and the house will be higher as well. Some specific expense like utility deposits, which are usually skipped by people with one greater than 700, must be paid when your credit score is bad.

The main factors affecting it are your payment history, debt utilization ratio, credit history length, credit mix and frequency of new credits. Your payment history contributes to 35% of it, the debt utilization ratio – 30%, the length of your credit history – 15% and credit mix and new credit – 10% each. A person with bad credit score must have under performed in some or all of the above factors.

If you’re unsure of calculating your credit score, you can use an online tool to know how bad or good your present credit score is.

Popular Credit Score Companies
Learn about AI-enabled credit repair solutions offered by The Credit Pros and how schedule a free consultation to improve your scores.

The Credit Pros will help improve your credit score by removing inaccurate credit information from your consumer credit reports.

Experian Logo
Learn how to access your credit report and understand, check and improve your credit scores with Experian credit reporting agency.

Check your credit report and FICO credit score, understand, manage, and improve your credit and protect your personal information.

Grain Card Logo
Learn how you can get a digital credit card in the Grain mobile app, regardless of your credit history or your credit score.

You’re more than just your credit score. With Grain, it’s possible to access a revolving line of credit based solely on your cash flow.

The Average Credit Scores Across the Country

The average score of the Americans has been on the rise for the past few years. This proves that the economy of the United States is swinging up. In 2018, the average score of the age group 33 to 52 years is 655. A study by WalletHub shows that the average age for a bad credit score is 52 years. This figure, however, is contrary to the general thought of younger people defaulting more than the experienced.

Geographically, Mississippi has the lowest average with 642 points.

Improving Your Credit Score

It doesn’t have to follow you throughout your life. Most delinquent marks in your credit history will cease to appear after about seven years, although some might take longer. But the new markings will have to be positive to boost your score. Through hard work, determination, and following some improvement measures like paying off debt on time, utilizing debt to the minimum, and maintaining a longer history, you can come out of the vicious circle and have a good one. Monitoring your credit regularly is a great way to ensure the health of your credit.

To wrap up, when it falls below 630 points, it is considered risky, and the lending agencies will reject your applications outright. Other negative implications include disapproval of interest-free credit cards, additional charges on insurances, and some specific deposits. However, you can improve the bad credit score to a good or even excellent status through determination and prudent financial decisions.

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