Keeping a clean credit history makes life a whole lot easier. Whether you’re trying to get a car, apartment, job or loan sooner or later someone will use your credit history to judge you. But let’s focus on how your credit score can affect your ability to get a loan. Getting a loan such as a mortgage or installment loan are the most popular reasons for improving and maintaining good credit.

With poor credit your chances of getting approved are slim and if you do manage to get approved, you will have to pay back astronomical interest rates. Other drawbacks of trying to get a loan with shaky credit include:

• Needing a cosigner
• Putting up collateral

Having to jump through these extra hoops can be stressful and even embarrassing (especially if you need a cosigner). You may also have do a little more to get the loan, such as find a cosigner or put up collateral. Your best bet is to start now working on cleaning up your credit.