Bad credit can increase the difficulty that a homeowner encounters when seeking a home equity line of credit. Bad credit can be the reason for a poor credit score. What is a credit score?
The credit score varies between the values of 300 and 850. The credit score is the creation of the Fair Isaac Corporation. Lenders who arrange for a home equity line of credit use the credit score in order to set the interest rate that will be charged the homeowner. Homeowners with a low credit score will need to pay higher interest payments. A score above 700 is assurance of good interest rates. The credit score also serves as an indicator of whether or not a lender should accept a homeowners application for credit. Decisions on credit limits for the homeowner are likewise based on the homeowners credit score. The credit score is a function of the homeowners past line of credit. In the U.S., three different agencies keep a record of each consumers line of credit. Those agencies are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. If a homeowner with a low credit score wants to raise that score, then the homeowner must contact each of those three agencies. The effort to overcome a record of bad...