The creator of one of the most widely used and influential credit scores, FICO, said this week the latest version of its score would no longer weigh medical debts – which account for about half of all unpaid collections on consumers’ credit reports – as heavily as it did in previous iterations.
The newer FICO scores, available this fall, will also ignore any collections that have already been paid; previously, the scores factored paid and unpaid collections equally, though it ignored amounts under $100.
FICO credit scores, which have become consumers’ financial passport to just about everything from rental apartments to most loans, are based on the information in an individual’s credit reports, which are generated by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The scores are based on a 300- to 850-point scale.
Because of the new scoring model, individuals with a median score of 711 – and an otherwise clean credit history, except for unpaid medical debts – may see their FICO score rise by 25 points. As a result, many consumers may qualify for more attractive interest rates on various loans, potentially resulting in thousands of dollars in savings.
