What is a Thin Credit File?

Picture this:

You pay your bills on time, you don’t have any credit card debt, and overall, you consider yourself fairly responsible when it comes to spending. You’re ready to apply for a credit card or loan to help you get your future business off the ground, and all of a sudden, you hit a road block. Your request is denied and, upon further research, you find that you have a “thin credit file.”

A thin file simply means the credit reporting agencies do not have enough information about your credit history to determine your credit score.

Now what?

First of all, don’t assume that you did something wrong. This isn’t a reflection of poor decisions, accumulating debt, or missed payments. Secondly, though it may take some time, it’s something you can easily address if you take the right steps.

Your credit profile is built on the information transmitted from lenders or financial institutions to the major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). This often includes:

  • Mortgage accounts
  • Student loans
  • Auto loans
  • Credit cards

If you rent (instead of own), paid for your car outright, don’t have student debt, or have not actively used a credit card, there is little information being sent to the credit reporting agencies.

Another reason you may have a thin credit file is if a significant amount of time has passed since you had an active account of any kind. In this case, the reported information may be too old or has since dropped off your credit history completely.

 

Some information on this page is adapted from content that originally appeared on Nav.com, a Venturize supporter.

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