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There was no particular group I was inquiring about. Was curious if when you are told you have an "excellent" score just what it really meant. Are the lenders just telling you that as part of their selling or are you just above good or just what. The interest rates have always been acceptable so you answered part of my question. Well, really all of it unless I want to get my own personal score. I think if you sign up for Transunion(?) you can get an up-to-date score. Another question. I have always heard the more charge/revolving accounts open - the worse your credit record will appear. Department stores are always offering percentage off of your purchase if you will open an account right then. Sometimes it is tempting if you stand to save a good bit of money but I have abstained based on what I have heard about that. Is this true?

And thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge. The things you learn on FR, eh?

There was no particular group I was inquiring about. Was curious if when you are told you have an "excellent" score just what it really meant. Are the lenders just telling you that as part of their selling or are you just above good or just what.

If you're told you have an "excellent score" then it most likely means you pay your bills on time without any adverse information in your file. THAT is good!!

The interest rates have always been acceptable so you answered part of my question. Well, really all of it unless I want to get my own personal score. I think if you sign up for Transunion(?) you can get an up-to-date score. Another question. I have always heard the more charge/revolving accounts open - the worse your credit record will appear. Department stores are always offering percentage off of your purchase if you will open an account right then. Sometimes it is tempting if you stand to save a good bit of money but I have abstained based on what I have heard about that. Is this true?

As far as having "too many" credit accounts goes, that would depend entirely on a person's ability to repay, i.e., income to debt ratio. Obviously a person who makes $300K a year can afford much more than a person only making $75K a year. This is where individual company policy on credit kicks in. Where a bank might not lend to someone because of the income to debt ratio, a finance company with a higher interest rate might take a chance on a person.

And thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge. The things you learn on FR, eh?

You're very welcome. I just wanted to share some of what I know. I'm glad it helped clarify matters for you. :o) FReepers are an amazing bunch. I've learned a lot from them. Here is Trans Union's on line site. I would recommend going through the repositories rather than using an on line addy to someone unknown to you. That way you know you're getting the right company. They are less likely to try to pull a fast one over you too.

When it comes to revolving credit, utilization is key. If you use only a little of your credit line each month, your scores can be anywhere from 70-100 points higher than if you are maxed out.

If you really want to learn about credit, go HERE. It's an excellent resource.