When it comes to maintaining a good credit score, you are your own best resource. Here are some valuable tips to help make you get the best credit possible:

Pay bills on time. Always make consistent and timely payments, nothing is more important.

Have a few credit cards - and manage them responsibly. Credit cards and installment loans that you pay on time will raise your score. The longer and account is open and paid on time, the higher your score will be.

Maintain low credit card balances realtive to the maximum credit limit on that particular card. Some experts advise not to use more than 50% of your limit on any one card.

Rotate and use all of your credit cards. Contrary to popular belief, a dormant account does not help your credit score.

Never use credit cards to pay other credit cards. It’s better to pay down those you have. Always start paying down the card(s) with the highest interest rate, and then move to the cards with the highest balance.

Don’t open multiple accounts at the same time. Too many credit report inquiries lower your score and increase your credit risk.

Don’t have too many credit card accounts that you don’t need. A lot of available credit lowers your score and increases your credit risk.

Work with your creditors. A telephone call to explain why your payment will be late may prevent a delinquency from being reported.

Know your FICO score. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. Scores of 720 and above are considered top tier. These scores enjoy the best credit options. Conversely, scores of 620 and lower fall into a higher risk category.

Check your credit report for accuracy. You can inquire about your own credit through one or all of the credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) without it affecting your score.

There are no tricks or quick fixes to getting a good credit score, but you can raise your score over time by demonstrating a consistent history of responsible credit use. With a higher credit score you’ll be able to qualify for better interest rates, higher credit limits, and more types of credit than you would with a low score, so it’s always in your best interest to manage your credit responsibly

An unsecured business loan is a loan that is granted by a lending institution that requires no collateral from the borrower. Most unsecured business loans fall below the range of $50,000. With an unsecured loan, a business owner receives the loan after they have convinced the lending institution that their business is a wise investment; one that shows considerable promise in the future. The borrower agrees to pay back the principle of the loan and any interest accrued overtime. Unsecured business loans are often used by business owners to make improvements to the business or to pay off business related debts.

The first thing that a business owner must have in order to apply for an unsecured business loan is a stellar credit rating. It is imperative that the business owner check into their own credit rating and that they request their credit report. Why should a business owner check their credit report? Quite frankly, the credit report may contain errors that will affect the business owner’s ability to get an unsecured business loan approved. A business owner can request their credit report from the three top credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, and if there is an error, can dispute it and have it repaired before applying for an unsecured loan. Besides, in this day and age, when identity theft is prominent, it is a good idea to check one’s credit report at least once every year: if the individual finds unusual transactions being reported on their credit report, it will give the individual a clue that something is amiss.

For more information, call the experts at Nationwide Unsecured, toll-free 1-877-777-9933.