Sunday, May 6, 2012

Does Opening a Checking Account Hurt Your Credit?

Does Opening a Checking Account Hurt Your Credit?

Opening new credit card accounts or other lines of credit can hurt your credit score, but checking accounts do not affect your score---negatively or positively---unless you misuse the account.

FICO Score

    According to Askmrcreditcard.com, your FICO score---the credit scoring model used by nearly all lenders---does not factor in how many bank accounts you own or their status.

Hard Pulls vs. Soft Pulls

    Depending on the particular institution you banking with, if you choose overdraft protection the bank may choose to pull a "hard" credit report on you, which hurts your score slightly. Hard pulls are used for lines of credit, while soft pulls are for reference only and do not affect your score.

Careless Actions

    Bouncing checks and going over your balance could lower your credit score if your financial institution reports it to a collections agency.

Showing Responsibilty

    Opening a bank account usually helps your credit score because it shows that you are responsible enough to manage your money, are able to pay using electronic means and most likely have money available to pay some existing debt, according to Bankrate.com.

Banking History

    Banks use ChexSystem, which tracks consumer banking habits, to look at your banking history. Opening and closing a lot bank accounts for incentives could hurt your application for credit or future bank accounts.

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