Whether you're hoping to score a mortgage, a home equity loan or an auto loan, getting the thumbs-up from a lender has gotten a lot harder in recent months.
Thanks to the ongoing subprime lending mess, lenders have tightened credit standards. Meanwhile, however, interest rates remain relatively low, making this a good time to borrow if you qualify to do so. As of Jan. 3, the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 6.07%, according to Freddie Mac(FRE Quote). In the first of this two-part series, we'll look at some ways to boost your credit score, a key factor in landing a loan. The second part reviews the new tighter requirements for various types of loans.



