​For most people, your personal credit score and how a credit score is calculated are complete mysteries. How can you be expected to play and be successful if you aren’t even told the rules of the game? There are things borrowers can do to improve their score so they can access better mortgage products and save thousands of dollars or qualify for their wonderful home when they otherwise might have trouble. Let’s stick handle through just some of the key things you should know about managing your credit score.

Amount owed and utilization accounts for 30% of your score. There are a lot of people that end up with high balances on their credits cards and struggle to meet the payments each month. If they manage to pay off their credit cards without seeing a mortgage broker to consolidate their debts, often the immediate response is to close the accounts. A better response is to cut up the cards and delete the numbers from your computer and devices and keep the accounts open. You want any remaining outstanding balances to be less than 75% of your total combined credit available, and if they are less than 35%, even better, because this keeps your utilization of available credit low and increases your credit score. Types of credit and the number of different credit products accounts for 10% of the score, so this is another reason you want to keep those accounts open. Cell phone providers are now reporting to the agencies that publish credit scores as well.

In some parts of the world where credit products are not well established, a borrower’s credit is evaluated based solely on how they have managed payments on their cell phone bills. It’s important to pay your cell phone bills on time; we’re all busy, so setup automatic payments to ensure a payment is not missed. My last word of advice for today is to monitor your credit score by purchasing your own credit report at equafax each year for about $25 so you know your score and to ensure the report is accurate. This will help you stay within the boundaries of the game.

There is a lot more to managing a credit score than we can get into in this short blog. If you would like to know more, contact your mortgage broker at www.peimortgageservices.com or Call (902 940 5927).

We can provide advice to help you manage your credit score and put you in a better position to qualify for a mortgage with better rates. Know the rules of the game, plan ahead for your home financing, and play SMART.

To get your credit score: Download our INVIS APP at Mopolo.ca

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​www.peimortgageservices.com or Call (902 940 5927)

What to do if there is an error on your credit report?

If there are inaccuracies with your score you can contact Trans Union or Equifax using the forms below.

Correcting Errors

1. Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. ...
2. Tell the information provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a credit reporting company), in writing, that you dispute an item in your credit report.

Domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence leave

Effective November 1, 2019

Amendments to the Employment Standards Act will take effect to provide an employee up to three days (3) with pay - and up to an additional seven days (7) without pay for an employee to deal with the consequences of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, or sexual violence.

Application: An employee who has been employed for a continuous period of three months, or more, may access this type of leave. The employee may choose to take this leave intermittently or in one continuous period.
Regulations have been drafted which detail the purposes for which the leave may be taken. The regulations also provide details on the roles and responsibilities of employers and employees in using this leave. Regulations were published in the Royal Gazette, April 6, 2019 (page 74).

Sick Leave / Compassionate Care Leave / Parental - Adoption Leave

Effective December 29, 2018

1. The qualification period for unpaid sick leave is reduced from six (6) months to three (3) months;
2. Compassionate care leave for employees who have a family member with a serious medical condition has increased from eight (8) weeks to twenty-eight (28) weeks;
3. Parental / adoption leave has increased from up to thirty-five (35) weeks to up to sixty-two (62) weeks. The combined aggregate for maternity and parental / adoption leave is increased from fifty-two (52) weeks to seventy-eight (78) weeks.

Download Employment Standards Act - 11 30 2019