Equifax Credit Report Application
2010
Do all bills affect your credit rating or just credit-related bills (such as creditcards, loans, mortgages..)?
I understand that credit card accounts, mortgages, and things like car loans will affect your credit score majorly depending on when you pay, your balance, etc…
But how much, if any and when, do other bills (insurance, internet, phone, medical..) affect it?
And if they do, will paying them off fix this?
I recently was denied an application for a regular checking account at Bank of America. I thought it could be these reasons:
My current bank account is -70.71 and I have put a hold on it until i close it.
My insurance through Progressive had one monthly payment left on the policy and it was never paid.
My internet through Sprint was a 2yr service agreement and I failed to pay the bill 3 months and was therefore terminated.
My credit card is pretty much maxed although I pay the bill on time.
I have a few outstanding medical bills (under $500).
HOWEVER, I ordered a credit report through Equifax and ONLY my credit card account info is shown! What about everything else?
Ok, now for the REAL answer. Conventional trade lines such as credit cards, mortgages, car loans, student loans, etc, report on your credit whether you pay or not. Utilities, cellular, medical, bank overdrafts, loans through private lenders, and even insurance premiums can and in most cases are reported when they’re charged off or sent to collections.
As a credit analyst and underwriter I see these types of accounts on the reports I either approve or deny on a regular basis, and these accounts I just mentioned aren’t always reported with all 3 agencies. It’s likely that Bank of America used Transunion to pull the inquiry(that’s what they used when I applied for my checking account).
Based on the bills that you’ve mentioned it’s very likely that the medical bills, Sprint Internet, and the premium from Progressive may be reported on Transunion as well. Although you may pay your credit card on time(which is a good thing by the way), it doesn’t help much when it’s maxed out.
Also, what may have played a part in getting denied is the bank overdraft. Banks use a seperate reporting agency called Chexsystems that report bounced checks and overdrawn accounts. A lot of banks can forgive what’s on your credit, but it’s much harder to forgive something that’s on Chexsystems.
My suggestion would be to at least clear up the overdraft, even if you’re not using the account, with it being overdrawn and more than likely reporting on Chexsystems, it will be hard(not impossible) to get another checking account. Also, it would help to pay down the credit card. And lastly, I posted links that may help to you to negotiate those other debts(especially medical) to help your rating
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/debt/settle_debts.shtml
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/debt/neg_rating_after_settle.shtml
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/debt/CanCreditorSue4SettlementDifferences.shtml
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/debt/ActualDebtSuccesses.shtml
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/debt/debt-negotiation.php
Hopefully, this will help you out…
Good luck!
Comment