Credit is a lot tougher to get today then it was a year ago. A high FICO score seems to be a must to get the best loan terms available. Last year a 680+ FICO score could pretty much get you almost any mortgage, now lenders are looking for scores above 700, some lenders want to see even higher scores as high as 740.  FICO scores range from 300 at the low end to a max of 850, the national average for a FICO score is 680, although many people are watching their score drop due to late payments, credit card balances increasing, and credit lines being lowered. Only forty percent of Americans have credit scores of 750 or higher, and 33 percent have scores between 650 and 749, according to FICO.

Improving your credit is becoming more and more important, and having less then stellar credit will end up getting you a higher rate, and if you are attempting to qualify for a mortgage, the lower the score, the higher the down payment that will be required. If you are looking to get a credit card with bad credit, then you are in luck, we can help you find a card available for those looking to improve their credit, as well as this card has no minimum FICO score requirement.

If you are looking to get a car, you might be required to come up with a down payment and leasing might not be available. Rates for those with average credit could be around 10%, and bad credit auto loans, could be as high as 25%.

"Right now, it is so important to make sure you have a high FICO score, it will literally cost you thousands of dollars per year, or worse, it could cost you the ability to qualify for a loan in he first place" states Hayden Gerson, President of HPM Financial LLC, a Credit Consulting firm based in San Diego, California. He advises that anyone looking to improve their FICO score to call them for a free evaluation.