If you’re wanting to boost your credit score, don’t expect it to happen overnight.

Credit scores take into account years of past behavior, not just your present actions. There are steps you can take now to start on the path to better credit.

• Pay your bills on time. Your payment history is the biggest factor in determining your credit score. Lenders don’t want to give money to someone who has a history of missed payments. If you find this to be a challenge, consider signing up for automatic payments.
• Pay more than just the minimum payment on your credit cards. Work on paying down your debt before you acquire any new debt.
• Leave old accounts open. Credit age is a measure of how long you’ve maintained your credit accounts. Lenders prefer consumers who have a history of managing credit responsibly. With regards to credit scores and accounts, the older, the better. Additionally, leaving accounts open helps with credit utilization as they increase your available limit.
• Manage the debt you have. Keeping your balances low will help boost your credit score. Aim to keep your debt utilization — the amount of available credit you actually use — as low as possible.
• If your debt has become unmanageable, consider debt consolidation. Talk with one of our Lending Specialists about an affordable rate debt consolidation loan.