Rapid Rescore: What Is It & How Does it Work?
EG
Summary:
A rapid rescore can immediately improve your credit report and boost your credit score, but it’s not something you can do yourself.
Normally it can take a month or more for any new activity to be reported to the credit bureaus and added to your credit reports. And it can take even longer for these changes to have a real impact on your credit score.
But with a process called rapid rescore, these changes can be expedited, so your credit report is updated right away. This process is often used during the mortgage process and is facilitated by lenders and creditors.
Having a process to improve your credit immediately sounds like a dream come true, especially to consumers who have spent months — or even years — working to boost their scores. But it’s only used in certain processes, and it’s not something you can do yourself.
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What is rapid rescoring and how does it work?
A rapid rescore is a process some creditors — especially mortgage lenders — use to speed up the process of having new activity reflected on your credit reports.
When you make a payment on a debt account or pay off something in collections, it takes a while to show up on your credit score. Most creditors only report information to the major credit reporting agencies once per month, meaning it isn’t likely to be updated until the next billing cycle.
But in some cases, updates are needed more quickly, such as when you apply for a mortgage loan. During this process, your lender may require that you pay off certain past-due debts or collections accounts before it can give you a mortgage.
Mortgage applications can be time-sensitive, meaning you may not be able to wait until the information shows up on your credit report on the normal schedule. In that case, your mortgage lender can pay a fee to the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to update your credit report quickly. During a rapid rescoring, your lender submits proof of the changes to the credit reporting agencies to expedite the process, as Raul Hernandez, a mortgage loan officer at Competitive Home Lending, explains.
There are several benefits to rapid rescoring. For instance, improving your credit scores and reports quickly can improve your chances of being approved for a loan, reduce the interest rate you’re eligible for, and give you more favorable loan terms.
How long does rapid rescoring take?
According to the credit bureau Equifax, rapid rescoring typically takes between three and five business days to complete. However, the timeline can vary depending on your situation.
Rapid rescoring relies on three parties: the mortgage lender that’s facilitating the rapid rescore, the creditor for the account that needs to be updated, and the credit bureaus. If any one of those parties takes longer to complete their part of the process, your rapid rescoring could end up taking a bit longer.
A rapid rescore could also take longer if you’ve made changes to multiple credit accounts since there’s more information to coordinate.
How to get a rapid rescore
A rapid rescore sounds like a great deal. After all, who doesn’t want to improve their credit score quickly? Unfortunately, you can’t initiate your own rapid rescoring. Instead, you must work with a lender or creditor to have it done.
In most cases, it’s mortgage lenders who facilitate these rapid resources. However, other creditors can provide this service as well.
If you’ve recently made changes to your debt accounts that haven’t been reflected in your credit report, you can ask your mortgage lender to initiate a rapid rescore. There’s no guarantee they’ll agree, but it’s worth making the request.
Pro Tip
Unless you’re applying for a time-sensitive loan, a rapid rescore probably isn’t necessary. As long as you’ve made payments that will improve your credit, you can wait the normal amount of time for them to appear on your credit report.
Rapid rescore example
Let’s say you’re in the process of applying for a mortgage and are working with a loan officer to go over your credit reports. The loan officer points out that you’re just below the required good credit score to qualify for the best interest rate.
The loan officer also notices you have a bit of credit card debt that’s causing you to have a high credit utilization. They point out that if you paid off those credit card balances, the improvement of your credit utilization ratio would likely raise your credit score enough to give you the best interest rate.
Unfortunately, you’ve already started the application process, and the time it would take for the credit card payment to be reflected in your new credit score is too long to wait. Instead, the mortgage lender suggests a rapid rescore so your credit report and score can be updated immediately with the change.
Limitations of a rapid rescore
While rapid rescoring can be a great tool, keep in mind that this process can’t fix all of your credit problems. Rapid rescore itself doesn’t improve your credit, and it isn’t a form of credit repair. Asking a mortgage lender to initiate a rapid rescore on your credit won’t boost your credit score all on its own.
The reason a rapid rescore improves your credit history is that you’ve actually made changes to your accounts. Any negative marks and collections accounts that were on your credit report will still be there after the rapid rescore unless you’ve paid them off.
Another thing to remember is a rapid rescore won’t necessarily raise your credit score by dozens of points. Depending on what changes are made to your accounts, it could only go up a few points (or not go up at all).
Pro Tip
A rapid rescore also doesn’t automatically remove incorrect information from your credit report. If you have errors on your credit report, you must dispute those errors directly with the major credit bureaus. The credit bureaus, or the single credit reporting agency if you only have errors on one report, then have 30 days to investigate your claim.
However, you don’t have to do this all by yourself. Instead, you could hire a credit repair company, like those below. These companies review your credit reports and history for errors and then speak to the agencies (or agency) on your behalf.
How much does a rapid rescore cost?
A rapid rescore can cost up to $120. Each bureau will charge a separate fee for this service, meaning you pay a small fee — up to $40 — for each credit bureau. If you’re rescoring multiple accounts, you may have to pay for each account that’s being updated.
According to Hernandez, the average rapid rescore cost is about $35 per credit tradeline per reporting agency.
Technically it’s the lender that pays this fee. In fact, the Fair Credit Reporting Act actually prohibits lenders from charging consumers to correct information on their credit reports.
That doesn’t mean, however, that a lender won’t pass those costs along to the borrower in another way. Most mortgage lenders charge closing costs on mortgages, and it’s likely the cost would be wrapped up in those costs.
Alternatives to rapid rescoring
As we mentioned, rapid rescoring isn’t a magic solution that will fix your credit. However, there are alternatives you can use — or things you can do alongside a rapid rescore — that can improve your credit history.
- Check your credit report for errors. As we mentioned, a rapid rescore won’t remove errors from your credit report. However, you could have errors on there that are harming your credit score. Before applying for a mortgage, run your full free credit report to ensure all the information is accurate. If there’s inaccurate information on there, dispute it with the credit bureaus.
- Use Experian Boost.Experian Boost is a service that can boost credit scores by giving people credit for bills that don’t normally appear on their credit reports. You can add accounts like your phone bill, utilities, and more to your credit report to get credit for those on-time payments. Keep in mind that this service only affects your Experian credit report, so it may not help with all mortgage lenders.
- Postpone your mortgage application. Improving your credit history can take time, and there’s no simple solution that allows you to boost your score immediately. If your current credit score is holding you back from qualifying for a mortgage or getting a good rate, consider postponing your home purchase. It won’t be fun to delay owning your own home, but the savings down the road will be worth it.
- Shop around with multiple lenders. If your current lender isn’t able to offer you a good rate without changes to your credit report, shop around for a mortgage. Different lenders may be able to offer you a better deal with your credit report as it is now.
For a better idea of what mortgage rates you qualify for, take a look at some of the home loans below.
FAQs
Can I do a rapid rescore myself?
Unfortunately, you can’t do a rapid rescore yourself. You must work with a lender that is able to facilitate this process.
Is there a way to instantly increase your credit score?
A rapid rescore can speed up the process of increasing your credit score, but only if you’ve actually made payments on your accounts that will improve your credit history. Otherwise, you must work to improve your credit over time by paying your bills on time and working to pay down debt.
Key Takeaways
- A rapid rescore is a way for lenders to expedite the process of updating your credit report after you’ve made payments on or changes to a credit account.
- Rapid rescoring is often used in the mortgage loan approval process and can only be initiated by lenders.
- Rapid rescoring will only speed up the process of changes appearing on your credit report after you’ve made payments on your accounts. The rapid rescore process won’t improve your credit if you haven’t made any changes.
- A rapid rescore can cost up to $120 per account that needs to be updated, but the lender usually pays the fee.
- There are alternatives to rapid rescoring, including disputing errors on your credit report, using a service like Experian Boost, shopping around for a mortgage, or postponing your mortgage application.
EG
Erin Gobler is a Wisconsin-based personal finance writer with experience writing about mortgages, investing, taxes, personal loans, and insurance. Her work has been published in major outlets, such as SuperMoney, Fox Business, and Time.com.
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