Theprime concern of any lender is to ensure that the amount loaned isreceived back with interest. When lenders give you the money on thebasis of your income and no other security is involved, your creditscore becomes an important consideration.

Your credit scoreis a key to your financial life, affecting the rates you get forloans, mortgages, credit cards, etc. If you have a less than perfectcredit record, improving it may save you thousands of pounds ininterest.

Nobody likes tobe declined a loan, credit card or any other form of credit. In caseof unsecured loans,your credit score assumes greater significance. So, if you want

,do take care that you have a perfect credit score. Have you ever beentold by a lender that the reason for refusing you a loan was yourcredit score? If yes, you should avoid the following top credit scorekillers:

• Absentfrom the Electoral Roll - You should be on the electoral roll, at theaddress mentioned in the application. Otherwise, there is a highprobability of your unsecured loansapplication being rejected.

• Pastcredit record - Past credit history counts for about one-third ofyour credit score. It includes CCJs, defaults, missed and latepayments. While your negative entries will stay on your credit filefor 6 years, the impact of missed and late payments diminishes withthe passage of time.

• NewBank account ? If you are with a bank for a number of years, itinvites maximum points from the lenders. Absence of bank account willbe even more detrimental to your credit score.

• Severalcredit applications ? Every application and its rejection isrecorded on your credit file. Try to avoid more than two applicationsin a month.

Avoiding the above credit killersincreases your chances of getting cheapunsecured loans.