is a credit score of 520 really bad?

Question

my score is 520 and i want to bring it higher, and want to know how bad that is.

Answer 1

Well, 520 is below the average.

Answer 2

A 520 score really equates to probably a 75% chance of default, meaning 3 out of 4 people with that score will end up 90 days behind or worse within the first 12 months of a loan.

So yes, it is really, really bad.

Go to myfico.com and learn about how scores work, what you can do to improve them, etc... Get a copy of your report and dispute anything negative that is inaccurate.

Answer 3

Hey dont fret it. I had that score about's and now I have one over 750 so it can change in the twinkling of an eye.

People put too much value on credit anyways. I mean it has value but it's not good to use credit anyways. Cash is better as to not have payments.

I have very good credit and I just bought a mercedes but I paid cash and its used and I have no payments.

Thats freedom :-)

What is going to happen to you, mark my word, is you'll make more money as time goes on and your credit score will rise along with it but its funny how life is now you won't need credit lol.

It's like Jimmy Walker from good times TV show said "When you need credit nobody will give it to you because you don't have credit. When you have credit you don't need it."

Such is life.

Also I like Joan Rivers quote she said "Money isn't the key to happiness but if I had enough money I'd just get a key made!" This kinda makes my point above.

The site below helped my credit rating a tad

Answer 4

Thats pretty bad. If you are approved for credit you will either have high interest rates, or will need a large down payment. I suggest getting a credit monitoring service and they will tell you what you can do to improve your score. Also all 3 credit reporting services- Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian- may have different scores. I usually show a higher score on Equifax than on the others. It has to do with which credit reporting service your creditors report to.

Answer 5

Yes, but try this to improve it:

First know that the bureau must verify any debt you dispute. If they can not verify it, it must be deleted. They have 30 days to do this.

With 7 years in the credit business, I recommend disputing them all at the same time, as you will likely need to go through several rounds of letters to get what you want done. If something is blatently wrong with your credit report, call the bureau after they write back and refuse to remove it. Go up the food chain until a manager agrees to remove or amend the incorrect info on the spot. Don't buy into their speach about re-disputing it - but make sure you have provided the information necessary by mail already to correct the error. It will not help you to insist on something being removed if you have not provided verificaiton on why.

When you mail in the dispute letter, mail in as much information as possible with it. If your verification is a bankruptcy, send in all the pages to your petition and tab the important pages for them to review.

Also mail in a copy of an electric bill and a copy of your ID to avoid any delays. See the FTC web's site for your specific rights with collectors and debt reporting:

http://www.ftc.gov/

If your problem is directly with the creditors, write to them ONE time. If they do not remove incorrect information, write to your state's attorney general's office and the FTC. This will get you the results you seek if you are in the right.

If this is a collection agency problem, write to the same people plus the ACA at www.acainternational.org. Collection agencies are generally slime, so know your rights before you call them. See your rights here:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/index.html

If you have legit items that are bad, dispute them also. If they can not be verified, they must be deleted. It is not your responsibility to prove they are inaccurate, it is the credit bureaus who must demonstrate they are.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

520 is below average, but at 580 you can get a 100% mortgage, so you're not that far away. 650 is the next step, that average. Anything above 720 is good.

Answer 7

Yes, 520 is a bad score.

I wrote a couple of articles you should read on determing how bad your score is and what to do it bring it up.

Hope these help.

Answer 8

It's quite bad. And it's important at a young age (if that's what you are) to start building your credit score up. It will come into play later in your life.

Answer 9

As a mortgage Broker, I can tell you that it is not the greatest but certainly not the worst either. If you lived in Florida for example I could get you 100% financing on a home with that score. I suggest you look at your report for errors that could be dragging it down, feel free to write back for suggestions on how to raise it

Answer 10

Anything below 600 is very poor. 720 is good above that is considered excellent.

try going to goole to see how your score measures up. I think the average is 650 or something like that.