Taylor Medine

Credit score: You may need to meet minimum credit score requirements. Applicants with FICO scores below 670 (generally the benchmark for good credit ) may not qualify, although some lenders cater to borrowers with fair to bad credit .&nbsp;
Credit report: Lenders often check your credit reports to review your payment history, outstanding debts, and other records. Derogatory marks or high credit utilization rates can result in denials.&nbsp;
Income: Lenders will check your income amounts, sources, and payment frequency.
Employment status: Many lenders require you to be actively employed and will ask about your employment history.&nbsp;
Valid government ID: You must have a valid identification document from the U.S. government.&nbsp;
Active bank account: You must have an open and active bank account where the funds can be deposited.

8+ years in personal finance.
Certified financial education instructor.
Work has appeared on MSN, Bankrate, Experian, The Balance, Business Insider, Credit Karma, Finance Buzz, Fox Business, Tom's Guide, Yahoo News, Yahoo Money, Nasdaq, USA TODAY, Reviewed, MarketWatch Guides, Forbes Advisor, and NewsBreak.

Bio and experience

Taylor Medine is a finance writer with more than eight years of experience. She specializes in financial topics like, repaying debt, building credit, credit cards, personal loans, and student loan refinancing.

Taylor has worked as a financial contributor for Ownerly, LendingTree, USA TODAY, Finance Buzz, Credit Karma, and Experian, and a senior personal finance writer and editor at Nudge. She currently works at Forbes Advisor as a senior loans writer.

In addition, Taylor is a certified financial education instructor and self-published author of "The 60-Minute Money Plan," a budgeting guide for people who hate budgeting.