What is a good credit score in Ireland?
A credit score is a thing written on your credit report. By viewing your credit score, a lender decides whether to accept your credit application or not. Credit score is an important aspect whether you live in Ireland or any place in the world. Because if you want a loan for a house, car, or education purposes. The approval of your loan with great benefits can only be possible if you have a good credit score.
What does a good credit score mean? And what is a good credit score in Ireland? How do you know about your credit score? And calculations behind it along with factors that make credit score good. Fasten your seatbelt and dive into the ocean of good credit scores in Ireland.
What is the credit score in Ireland?
A credit score refers to the digital calculation of your credit repayment power. It appears on your credit report when a lender requests to check your credit report. So he can get an idea of your financial state and how responsible you are regarding your credit loan.
In Ireland, ICB Irish Credit Bureau was the main credit agency. The vast majority of lending institutions in the state (including many credit unions) was members of the ICB. However, the Central Credit Register took over it and removed ICB from any operations in 2021.
The Central Credit Register is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. You can check your credit report for free from the Central Credit Register website. Because it is your basic right to do so. All the data regarding credit cards and loans are stored in the Central Credit Register. Like this:
- Credit report for individuals: Individuals have the right to request their credit report for free at any time, subject to fair use. This means that consumers can access their credit information without incurring costs.
- Credit report for non-individual borrowers: Entities, such as companies, have the right to request their credit report once a year for free. After this initial free request, any additional request within the same year will be subject to a fee of €6.35.
Lenders transmit personal and credit information about existing loans of €500 or more. These details are utilized to generate individual credit reports about borrowers, which both lenders and, under certain circumstances, borrowers themselves may access.
The Central Credit Register (CCR) processes this data to create and maintain accurate and up-to-date credit reports for each borrower. Both borrowers and potential lenders have access to a credit report. A “footprint” is recorded each time a credit report is issued to a lender or borrower.
The CCR does not provide a credit score as a value – they simply disclose the information they have about you. Your credit report presents a comprehensive view of your credit history, both positive and negative. A poor credit report may result in loan rejection, even if you have the income to repay it.
A creditor can only access your credit report when:
- Request a new loan
- Apply to restructure an existing loan
- Have outstanding debt on an existing loan
- Violates the terms of a credit card or overdraft.
No other person can access your credit report without your consent. Know more in: Background and Borrower FAQs.
How does an organization know about your credit score?
Your credit report has every detail about purchases, loans, unclear debts, credit cards, and credit history. So if you ever missed a payment, or didn’t clear your debts. Your credit history shows your capability and responsibility level. So when you request another loan, an organization clicks a hard inquiry on your credit report. Through which they can view your credit history and credit score.
Factors that build credit score
A credit score is a digital information of your ability to repay a loan. Many factors combine to make a good credit score.
- Payment history: if you pay your bills and debts on time without any delay or don’t ever miss any due payments. Then you will have a better credit score.
- Amount owed: Everyone has a credit limit, if you apply for a loan frequently and have a greater amount of loan than your limit. Then this is considered bad for your credit score.
- Length of credit history: how long did you take to pay along? It also includes the credit accounts and what is the age of your newest and oldest credit account?
- New credit: multiple loan applications at a time can badly affect your credit score. So get a loan, repay it, and then again apply for another loan.
- Credit mix: different types of credit accounts and installment accounts like credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, and mortgage loans are credit mix.
How to calculate a credit score?
When you apply for a loan, the lender tends to do hard inquiries on your credit report. So they can have an idea about your credit history. They also look at your application form and your existing data(if any). All of this information is then used to calculate the credit score of a person.
Some factors are considered for calculating credit scores. How much money do you have? How often do you apply for credit? Do you repay your payments on time etc? But keep in mind that every lender calculates the credit score in their way according to their lending criteria.
Just you have to pay your bills and debts on time every month and follow healthy financial rules. So your credit score stays in good range. Because higher the credit score is, the higher the chances of credit application acceptance, and the better will be the credit offers.
Ways to improve credit score in Ireland
Want to improve your credit score, but not getting the way to make the credit score better? No worries, just follow some balanced financial habits and have patience. Because it takes time to turn a bad credit score into a good credit score.
- Make a strong credit history, by paying bills and debts on time. If you have little credit history, it will result in a bad credit score.
- Use less credit so that your credit Utilization Ratio remains low. Make the CUR to 30%, to make your credit score positive.
- Don’t make multiple credit applications in a short period. Because there will be a hard inquiry on every credit request. That will reduce your credit score.
Final words
Viewing and checking credit scores is a big thing. This gives an idea to lenders and creditors about whether the person is eligible to get the credit or not. Central Credit Register is the only agency in Ireland that tells you details about credit reports.
