Credit is sometimes a controversial subject that few people really understand. For those familiar with the financial service industry, credit is a simple matter, but not everyone is familiar. For most, credit means nothing more than credit score, a seemingly arbitrary rating of a person’s financial value. Credit is somewhat more complex than that, however, especially when it comes to the insurance industry and a company’s willingness to take on financial risks.
A credit score is a gauge of a person’s overall financial risk. A low credit score means that a person is a significant risk, while a high score means that they are less of a risk. Most people fall somewhere in the middle, where they are both a risky and reliable investment at the same time. Credit is little more than a gauge of liability, not so much of value. A wealthy person can have a very poor credit score, while those of modest means can have a good score.
For the insurance industry, credit score is important. The industry itself is heavily reliant on understanding the risks of all the markets it serves. In the property insurance sector, understanding the risks associated with natural disasters allows insurers to price their products appropriately, balancing profit with loss. Insurers typically use credit to determine whether or not a particular policyholder is likely to result in a significant loss or gain. As such, those with poor credit usually pay more for insurance coverage than those with good credit.
Credit may be a deceptively simple subject. There are many things that affect this financial risk rating, and some of these things can be very complicated. Credit is, for better or worse, a fundamental part of the financial world, however, and forming an understanding of how credit works and how it affects nearly every is important. One of the most important things to understand about credit is that it can be changed. Those with a poor score can, over time, improve their credit rating, becoming less of a financial risk and reaping the benefits that go along with having a positive credit score.