Your Credit Report Score: Sometimes a Number is Worth a Thousand Words (cont.)
Contributed by Alix Mcmurray
Your Credit Report Score -- Piece by Piece or All at Once
While you can by website or phone contact each of these agencies separately to request their report on you, there are many, many credit consumer agencies which will sell you "3-in-1" report packages containing data from all three in one tidy package. It depends on how much your time is worth to you. You may find some price benefit in approaching each singly, as many states have maximum limits on fees charged for credit reports. And if you've recently been turned down for a line of credit or loan, you are entitled to at least one free report.
What to Watch Out for in the Near Future of Your Credit Report Score
Now that your FICO is on your radar, there are some clear and present hazards to your score which you can take steps to avoid. Always pay your bills on time. Your score will likely drop a couple of points if you entirely skip a billing period for a given credit account. How many months you fall behind in payments is ultimately more important than the amount owing. Your total debt burden, all your accounts combined, has significance, as does how close you are to your credit limit on each of them.
So, as you await the "verdict", you can begin to take action now to avoid any short-term damage to your existing score.
