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Interpreting Your FICO Score

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Interpreting Your FICO Score

In response to several questions on the question of what constitutes a "good" or "bad" credit score, I present to you my soon to be patented TheNewWorldMan Credit Scoring Rubric:

Superb (820 and up) (midnight blue) (rank: god/goddess)
You are the king (or queen) of credit. You have a very long history of polishing your financial brass to a blinding gleam, with nary a misstep or a jot out of place, and it shows. You have managed to avoid even the tiniest of misfortunes. There's a plaque next to third base at Wrigley Field commemorating your birth there. Traffic signals turn green at your approach. Lenders will fall all over themselves to give you the lowest possible rates, and may even ask you for your autograph. Who is your publicist?

Excellent (775 to 819) (deep blue)(rank: emperor/empress)
While a little short of perfection, your credit is sterling, obviously the product of many years of good financial management (or extraordinary luck). You'll have no trouble at all getting a great deal on a house, car, or aluminum siding, and you can count on plenty of willing lenders. In fact, if you go to any buyer's fair for homes, or to a car lot, you had better carry a Taser at full charge to fend off the foaming-at-the-mouth salesmen. Yours is the charmed life.

Very Good (740 to 774) (azure) (rank: king/queen)
Congratulations. Your credit is quite up to the task of securing any loan, and at excellent rates. You could get your FICO higher, but what's the point? You're decidedly above average, a cut above the rest, so why work harder than you have to? The only value of credit surpassing yours is snob appeal, and who needs that?

Good (710 to 739) (turquoise) (rank: governor)
You have good credit. Not outstanding, not perfect, not as handsome as Adonis himself, but quite respectable. You're responsible, but you have better things to do in life than obsessing over your FICO score or those few extra pounds on your waistline. You should get that car loan or mortgage you want, at rates just a few hairs above the bottom.

Decent (675 to 709) (green) (rank: mayor)
Your credit is right around average. Average isn't bad. Maybe not good, but not bad either. You'll be eligible for almost any loan, but not at the best rates. Keep rowing harder, and you can get ahead!

Fair (625 to 674) (spring green) (rank: principal)
Your FICO score is in a gray area. You're below average, but you aren't low enough for anyone to make any snide remarks. You're just sucking along a couple strokes above par. Mediocrity is the American way, so don't be ashamed. If you want to bother, you can raise your FICO and significantly improve your interest rates. And did we mention your ScoreWatch subscription will also give you whiter teeth?

Shaky (600 to 624) (yellow) (rank: store clerk)
At this level, a few people may raise their eyebrows. You're far enough below average to definitely not be in the In crowd. Mortgage brokers and car loan bankers will approve you, but grudgingly, and for rather high rates. At least they won't spray the chair you sat in with Lysol after you leave, so be grateful for small favors.

Poor (550 to 599) (orange) (rank: busboy)
Your FICO is in definite need of help. If you golfed as well as you managed your credit, you'd have a hole in ten. Suffice it to say you won't be on the guest list of any parties in the better parts of town. Not only will your loan applications probably be rejected, but they WILL Lysol the chair after you leave their office. Sucks to be you. Stick to the secured cards and avoid needless humiliation.

Bad (480 to 549) (red) (rank: bum)
You're just one short step above untouchable. Your loan and credit applications will be fished out of the incoming mail cart with tongs by clerks dressed in full environment suits, and fed into the incinerator unread. Take heart though, because your class of FICO underachievers has driven a whole new area of innovation: the max fee credit card. Your statements arrive with postage due. In addition to the $1000 deposit for your $200 line of credit, you also have a membership fee, an account maintenance fee, an annual fee, a stamp-licking fee, a balance change fee, and a payment processing fee. Oh, and every time you read your paper statement or load the Web page with your electronic statement, that'll be a $2.99 statement reading fee.

Terrible (below 479) (maroon) (rank: leper)
Your FICO sucks. You must have worked hard to get such lousy credit. Have you ever paid anything on time? Your luck is beyond bad. If you entered into a bet involving a coin toss, and were guaranteed five times your original stake for heads or tails, the coin would land on edge and stay there. If you bet there was going to be hot weather this summer, the Earth would fall off its axis and we'd slide into an Ice Age. No one will ever offer you credit. If you could put up the Saudi oilfields and the Taj Mahal as collateral, you couldn't even borrow enough money for lunch at McDonald's. You can't even get a punch card at the local deli. The library will ask you for your card back. And even if you could get into the loan department of a bank before the Dobermans were released, you would see a picture of yourself on the bank wall, the caption reading "Do NOT give this person credit for ANY reason WHATSOVER!!!!"
Message 1 of 109
108 REPLIES 108
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

LOLSmiley Very Happy
Message 2 of 109
MidnightVoice
Super Contributor

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score



TheNewWorldMan wrote:
Superb  (midnight voice) (rank: god/goddess)

Thank you kind sir   Smiley Very Happy
The slide from grace is really more like gliding
And I've found the trick is not to stop the sliding
But to find a graceful way of staying slid
Message 3 of 109
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score



@MidnightVoice wrote:


@Anonymous wrote:
Superb (midnight voice) (rank: god/goddess)

Thank you kind sir Smiley Very Happy





lol

I figured this is a far more creative interpretation than "good" and "not good."
Message 4 of 109
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

Cute!
Message 5 of 109
RobertEG
Legendary Contributor

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

I am still rolling on the floor in pain, laughter, and recognition from the truth in what NewWorld has posted!  I vote that his rating explanations be adopted by myFico, and sent with every CR they send out!
But alas, as I am only a green rank major, I still must dig in my heels, and reduce my waistline (not to mention my wasteliine)!  At least I no longer have to sterilze the seat upon I once shat!
This post by NW hits it right on the head!  .... still laughing at the reality....
Message 6 of 109
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

Dont want super. At descent. Want Excellent. Yes, 2 steps up. {Im working on it im working on it!} Smiley Happy
Message 7 of 109
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

I always wanted to be a mayor.  I'm like 10 points away.  Feifdom, here I come!
Message 8 of 109
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score


@Anonymous wrote:

Decent (675 to 709) (green) (rank: mayor)
Your credit is right around average. Average isn't bad. Maybe not good, but not bad either. You'll be eligible for almost any loan, but not at the best rates. Keep rowing harder, and you can get ahead!

It's not that easy bein' green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or
yellow or gold-
or something much more colorful like that

---or, I guess, azure or blue in this case... (thanks to Kermit the Frog)
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 9 of 109
mborgens
Valued Member

Re: Interpreting Your FICO Score

god approves
Message 10 of 109
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