TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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Th e M Rep o RT | 9 609 620 621 625 630 Laredo, Texas One other Texas city ranks low on the list of worst consumer credit scores and debt levels. Laredo, Texas, ranked fifth on the worst list with average consumers in the city carrying a credit score of 630. The average debt level hovered at $26,631 in the most recent survey. HarLingen, Texas The residents of Harlingen, in the south- ernmost part of Texas, Harlingen, battle low credit scores, with the average being 625. The average debt level is $27,694. aLbany, georgia Residents of Albany, Georgia, have an average VantageScore of 621 and an average debt level of $28,595, landing this Southern city on the list of areas struggling with lower consumer credit scores. riverside, CaLifornia Riverside came in as the second worst city in Experian's study of VantageScores, with the average consumer in this California city maintaining a credit score of 620 and personal debt levels of $27,789. greenwood, Mississippi In Greenwood, Mississippi, consumers on average maintain a credit score of 609, which is well below the national average VantageScore of 666. The average potential mortgage customer in this market is carrying a debt level of $27,303. Five Markets with the worst consuMer credit scores On the flip side, markets exist where local consumers have a reputation for being a bit more credit worthy challenged. The lowest average credit scores are found in the following cities: Source: "State of Credit 2014—Experian's Fifth Annual Credit Study" T argeting consumers who qualify as safe credit bets in today's highly regulated mortgage market is half art and half science. The only way to navigate new regulations, including the ability-to-repay rule executed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and inspired by the Dodd-Frank Act, is to understand buyers on the other end of the bargaining table as well as technology and analytics permit. Experian continues to master the science part of risky lending by extensively documenting the U.S. cities housing a large number of creditworthy consumers— and those where potential home purchasers are languishing in debt and lower FICO scores. When assessing consumer risk by marketplace, here are a few cities to keep in mind that break away from the national average. The study found the average consumer VantageScore credit score rose to 666 in 2014, up from 664 a year earlier. Average debt per consumer also rose 2.3 percent in the U.S., reaching $28,496 in the most recent Experian report. National average: 666 the cities with the highest and Lowest credit scores