| Tuesday, February 19, 2008 |
|
Maintaining A Credit Card Balance May Affect Your Ability To Borrow
Carrying a month-to-month credit card balance, even as little as $1,000 to $1,500 balance may not be the best idea. Why? Come time to apply for a new mortgage, or refinance an existing loan, lenders may see the credit card balance as an indication of poor financial planning on your part. Some folks, with adequate income could very easily pay the card in full at any time. Lenders may see this as a lack of willingness to pay-down debt obligations.
Also, carrying a credit-card balance can hurt your credit history and credit score, depending on who issued the card you’re using. Some credit-card companies report your balance as if you had maxed out your credit limit. It may not happen to you, but you’d be wise to pull a copy of your credit history from each of the three credit-reporting bureaus (you’re entitled to do this once a year for free from www.annualcreditreport.com) and then pay for a copy of your credit score ($5 to $7 at the same Web site depending on which credit score you choose).   | Permalink
|
|
|
|
