{"id":1989,"date":"2020-11-20T13:08:59","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T18:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cli-mu.qarea.org\/brokers\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2023-05-17T16:29:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T20:29:00","slug":"how-to-read-and-interpret-a-credit-bureau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.canadianlending.ca\/brokers\/how-to-read-and-interpret-a-credit-bureau\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read and Interpret a Credit Bureau"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When it comes to evaluating the financial health of your clients, few documents matter more than the credit report. Although credit reports appear straightforward at first glance, there\u2019s a lot more that goes into the rating system than meets the eye.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
A credit bureau is a company that collects information regarding an individual\u2019s credit history and uses that information to tabulate whether they are a high-risk, moderate-risk, or low-risk borrower. The credit bureau\u2019s main task is to keep tabs on an individual\u2019s credit rating and to help lenders assess their clients\u2019 creditworthiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n In Canada, there are two main gatekeepers of the credit-rating business: Equifax and TransUnion. These two credit bureaus pervade every major financial institution in the country. Whether an individual is applying for a credit card, car loan, or mortgage, lenders usually tap either Equifax or TransUnion to run the credit report.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to point out that lenders are not obliged to report account information to either of the credit bureaus. They do so voluntarily, which suggests they rely on the credit rating system to evaluate their clients. Ultimately, it is the lender who decides whether to lend money based on their own guidelines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n What\u2019s Included in a Credit Report?\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n A credit report is not merely the collection of an individual\u2019s credit history; rather, it provides detailed information that allows lenders to form a judgement about a borrower\u2019s creditworthiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n A credit report includes the following information about a borrower:<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n Equifax and TransUnion also integrate FICO scores, also known as Beacon scores, from U.S. analytics company Fair Isaac Corporation. According to Fair Isaac Corporation, 90% of Canadian lenders use their score to evaluate customers. Lenders, however, are contractually obligated not to share their Beacon scores with the customer. A Beacon score can only be accessed with a \u201chard\u201d credit check. Because \u201chard\u201d checks are considered inquiries, they can have a negative impact on an individual\u2019s credit score. <\/b><\/b><\/p>\n All this information is leveraged by lenders to determine how much credit an individual qualifies for based on their ability to pay. <\/span>In other words, it\u2019s a credit risk assessment that allows financial institutions to assign appropriate interest rates and fees on their loans. <\/b>The credit report is also used by banks and insurance companies to identify consumers who are more likely to buy their products and services.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Although most credit reports provide accurate information, they often contain faulty or incomplete data. This information should be cleared up with the credit bureau as soon as possible to ensure that it doesn\u2019t negatively impact an individual\u2019s ability to obtain credit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n How Are Credit Scores Tabulated?\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n One of the ways credit bureaus have become indispensable to traditional lenders is through the credit scoring system. A credit score is a three-digit number that provides a static snapshot of an individual\u2019s creditworthiness. The higher the score, the more favourable the borrower appears to lenders. It is up to the lender to determine what minimum score is needed to borrow from them.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n In Canada, credit scores typically range from 300 to 900<\/span>.<\/b> While the credit bureaus do not disclose their scoring methodology, the score is based on a weighting of various criteria, including payment history (35%), amount owed versus available credit (30%), length of history (15%), public records (10%), and inquiries (10%). <\/span>This means payment history has the largest impact in how a credit score is tabulated (changes in this category have three times the impact on a credit score than an individual inquiry, for example).\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n In practice, an individual\u2019s credit score is impacted by whether they pay their bills on time, how many new credit accounts they opened, how much is currently owed on revolving accounts like credit cards, the length of the accounts, and whether judgements, collections, bankruptcies, or consumer proposals have been initiated.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n The payment history category, which has the biggest impact on credit scores, is reported every month. Lenders assign borrowers a score of 0 to 9 <\/span>based on the type of credit being used:<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n The ratings are used to indicate the nature in which a borrower repays their debt.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n The following chart highlights the \u201cR\u201d rating system and how it\u2019s interpreted by lenders.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n\n
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