The importance of credit history is often overlooked. Borrowing money from any financial institution on certain terms and conditions for a given time period is called credit. The financial organization who gives the credit is called ‘the lender’ and the person accepting the credit is called ‘the borrower’. A credit is a liability for the borrower. But, at times, it becomes an essential evil, a necessity! The credit history increases amount of money the banks will lend to someone, enabling him/her to fulfill the immediate requirement that they weren’t able to due to the scarcity of money. Since this credit is a liability, it becomes the borrower’s responsibility to use the credit in a proper way and repay the lender within the given time.
This behavioral aspect of the customer/borrower is recorded by certain institutions called the ‘Credit Bureaus’ and a score is given to the individual based on the repayment history and defaults (if any). Based on these reports and the scores, it is decided whether the customer is eligible for any further credit or not.
Credit is very important to you especially for events such as higher education, purchasing a car or opening a new business. It becomes very important for you when you are about to buy a home. These important events require pushing in a huge amount of money at one go. This is not always possible with a limited income. It is then when the ‘credit’ gives you a shoulder to lean on. But before granting credit to you, the financial organizations will evaluate your credit worthiness on the basis of the credit history and the credit score that has been given to you by the credit bureaus.
If you have a negative profile, i.e. your credit rating is bad due to past history of defaults on monthly payments of previous loans or credit cards or utility bills, there are high chances that your application for a credit will be denied. If not, the prospective lenders may impose a very high interest rate and other processing fee and charges to offset the risk of default.
It therefore becomes very essential to build up a strong credit history and increase your credit worthiness in the eyes of the lenders. There are ways in which you can get a good credit rating! Keep paying your utility bills and religiously pay your credit card bills and any loan repayments on time. Building up a flawless credit history is not a very difficult task. All that you need is a little bit of financial planning. It is by now very clear that your credit has a lot of importance and requires your planning and care to accomplish your commitments and fulfill your needs.
If you are convinced of the importance of your credit history and want to check your current status, check out “How do I check my credit rating?”. There should be a listing of the credit bureau in your country.
Credit rating is very important especially if you are securing a credit card. If you want one, you must be a good payer and spender.