Banks, credit card companies, auto dealers, retail stores and lenders decide if you get your loan. Most businesses that issue credit or loans use credit scores to quickly summarize a consumer's credit history, saving the need to manually review an applicant's credit report and providing a better, faster risk decision. Although many additional factors are used in determining risk - such as an applicant's income versus the size of the loan - a credit score is a leading indicator of one's basic creditworthiness.
Banks, credit card companies, auto dealers, retail stores and lenders decide if you get your loan. Most businesses that issue credit or loans use credit scores to quickly summarize a consumer's credit history, saving the need to manually review an applicant's credit report and providing a better, faster risk decision. Although many additional factors are used in determining risk - such as an applicant's income versus the size of the loan - a credit score is a leading indicator of one's basic creditworthiness.