The information used to calculate credit score can be broken down into five major parts. Your payment history with banks and other lenders will account for 35% of the score, the amount of money you owe for 30%, and the length of your credit history for 15%. New credit and a statistical assessment of how healthy your credit mix is will both account for 10%.

Credit score is not based in any way on the following information:

- references to debt management or credit counseling programs.

- person's marital status.

- current employment status, including how long with the same employer.

- credit report inquiries made by you, employers, insurance companies, or banks if made without your knowledge.

- what interest rates are charged on your credit cards, etc.

- public assistance received.

- person's age.

- child or family support received.

You can increase your score by:

- always paying bills on time.

- paying off or reducing credit card and other debt.

- keeping old, unused credit cards, departments store cards and other ?revolving? credit accounts open, even if you don't use them.

- not applying for credit very often.

- correcting mistakes on your credit reports.

Banks decisions are made according to their own standards.

While the majority of lenders use credit score as a key factor in approving credit, other facts play their parts as well, among them: your income, employment status and length of time at present address, to name a few. Each bank has its own standards. What score is acceptable for a particular loan or credit product depends solely on a lender. The person's credit score might not be high enough to get credit with one bank, and perfectly acceptable with another.