Credit History and Financial Planning

[DontBurnMyFlag]

Hey everyone,

I am taking my civil service test soon and I am handing in Class II SLEO applications soon as well. I was just wondering, how important and how often does the financial background info come up in the interviews? I dont have a credit card, but I do have a stable checking account with money of course. I also have a steady source of income, a job in lamens :D

Im a 21 year old college student. My loans are out and everything is handled, I dont owe money to the school and Im not in debt of any kind. Most kids my age have a credit card, but horrible credit. Some of my friends are in debt up to their eyes. I am stable, but have no credit history whatsoever. Will this work in my favor, or count against me?

Thanks everyone.

[phantasm]

Bad credit history hurts you. A lack of credit history, while it won't really hurt you much, it won't help you either. Try to get a CC, even if you use it for gas, and pay it off monthly. Actually paying it off monthly is the best thing to do.

[Uprock]

What would you say is bad credit history? I mean I have CC and all, but I do pay them. I rarely, if at all, miss a payment in a years time frame.

[phantasm]

Late payments & bankruptcy are really bad, and high debt load is somewhat bad. But even if you may have a late payment, if you only get late fees, and the company doesn't report it to the credit agencies, then it doesn't hurt your credit score/rating, only your interest rates from the lender.

[Uprock]

Thanks. I should start getting my CC debt down. I did at one point pay off my high interest cards, but then like a dimwit I got them back up with a balance. I've had my share of late payments in the past, but I've never had collections sent out on me because of not paying at all.