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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. These Materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of TEA, except under the following conditions: 1) Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for the districts’ and schools’ educational use without obtaining permission from TEA. 2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individual personal use only, without obtaining written permission of TEA. 3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in any way. 4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged. Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts, Texas Education Service Centers, or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non-educational, located outside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from TEA and will be required to enter into a license agreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty. For information contact: Office of Copyrights, Trademarks, License Agreements, and Royalties, Texas Education Agency, 1701 N. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701-1494; phone 512-463-7004; email: copyrights@tea.state.tx.us.

3 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

Credit Score A number assigned to a person that indicates to

lenders their capacity to repay a loan. The number is between 300 and 850

The higher your score, the lower the risk to lenders.

4 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

Searching for an apartment or house

Job opportunities

Better interest and insurance rates

More opportunity

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Paying bills late Too many delinquent accounts Requesting too many credit reports Too many credit cards Excessive debt amount Filing for bankruptcy

6 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

This scoring system formula, developed by FICO™, is used to help lenders evaluate the risk for potential lenders.

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Payment History 35%

Amount Owed 30%

Types of Credit 15%

New Accounts 10%

Credit History Length 10%

Excellent 850-750

Good 749-650

Fair 649-600

Poor 599-300

8 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

You are entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the following credit bureaus:

• Equifax • www.equifax.com

• Experian • www.experian.com

• Trans Union • www.tuc.com

9 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

Pay monthly bill on time Open a line of credit and use it responsibly Don’t “max out” your credit card Keep line of credit with one company Monitor credit Keep track of finances

10 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.

Debbie has four credit cards. Two of the four cards have reached the available credit limit and the other

two cards have used 50% of their available credit limit. Debbie has never missed a payment and

always makes the minimum payment on the cards. She is in the process of relocating and is looking for places to live. Four different property management

companies have run credit reports to check her financial history.

What factors could negatively effect Debbie’s credit

score?

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Images: Microsoft Office Clip Art: Used with permission from Microsoft Websites: Consumer’s Guide: Credit http://www.federalreserve.gov/creditcard Credit Union National Association http://anytime.cuna.org/15608/index.php Financial Literacy Now http://www.financiallitnow.org/index.shtml Practical Money Skills https://www.practicalmoneyskills.com

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