Relationship Woes? Your Credit Score Is Likely Lousy, Too

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Do you struggle to enter or maintain relationships? It may be small comfort, but your credit score likely could have predicted that.

A recent working paper from the U.S. Federal Reserve — “Credit Scores and Committed Relationships” — indicates success in one area could predict how the other will fare, Bloomberg Business reports.

The economists who wrote the paper used data from both the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Consumer Credit Panel and the credit reporting bureau Equifax in their breakdown of how credit scores reflect several aspects of relationships.

The 57-page paper found that:

  • Single people with above-average credit scores are more likely to form a relationship in the next year compared with similar single people.
  • People with above-average credit scores are less likely to separate.
  • Couples whose credit scores differ by greater amounts at the start of their relationship are more likely to separate.

The researchers’ key finding was that credit scores are indicative of trustworthiness in general. In addition, married individuals were associated with greater trustworthiness scores than single and divorced individuals.

The paper states:

These results are suggestive of a link between relationship outcomes and trustworthiness, which corroborates our interpretation that trustworthiness is one of the mechanisms through which the match quality in credit scores influences relationship outcomes.

If you don’t know your credit score, check out “Hallelujah! 5 Ways to Get Your FICO Score for Free.”

If you find that your credit score could use some love, check out “7 Fast Ways to Raise Your Credit Score” and visit the Money Talks News Solutions Center for assistance with credit card debt and credit restoration, among other issues.

How do you feel about the connection between credit scores and relationships? Share your thoughts with us below or on our Facebook page.

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