As the U.S. economy reels from record-high unemployment and continued COVID-19 shutdowns, the Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), a global analytics company and producer of the FICO credit score, released a new credit index recently it hopes will keep mortgage lending and other loans flowing during these unprecedented times. After reviewing over 70 million consumer credit files from the Great Recession, FICO found that the majority of consumers - including those with lower credit scores - kept up with their financial obligations even during that time of double-digit unemployment and devastating h...
July 15th, 2020 | Credit, New FICO “Resilience” Credit Score Could Help Borrowers
For Americans living and working in the nation’s most expensive real estate markets, homeownership can seem like the impossible dream. Prices are high and options can be limited. It may feel like home values rise faster than your ability to save up for a down payment. Although the process may look different than in other parts of the country, becoming a first-time homebuyer in a pricey area is possible. Here are some suggestions for making that dream a reality: Determine Your Budget First, you need to figure out how much home you can afford. That number needs to be determined by yo...
July 1st, 2020 | Purchasing a Home, Buying a First Home in an Expensive Area