Recognizing Critical Credit Ratios

The credit scoring system measures your reported credit limits, on lines of credit such as credit cards and merchant accounts, to the balances that you currently have. Except Capital One – or CapOne, or Capone as they are known in the industry.

Capital One reports your high balance as your credit limit!!! That means if you have a credit balance of $500 on a $10,000 limit card, but they are reporting that you only have a credit balance of $500 – it appears as though you are maxed out on your card. Be very cautious of this!

The system also looks at how much you have paid down on your loan balances in relationship to the initial loan amount. Lowering the ratios is critical to raising your credit scores. If possible, pay extra to lower your balances on credit cards and your installment loans each month.