U.S. Government’s FICO Score
The website Loans and Credit (All About Finance, Without the Fluff!) calculated the U.S. government’s theoretical credit score. Click on the link for a more readable image. They’ve published some other interesting graphics as well as articles worth perusing.
Ambiance 
Donna B. said,
September 30, 2009 at 5:55 am
Oh my… that’s horrible!
Jason (the commenter) said,
September 30, 2009 at 7:58 am
I love this, it expresses the problem so well!
Maxwell said,
September 30, 2009 at 10:48 am
LOL! Maybe they can do California next…
Soumyaranjan Dash said,
September 30, 2009 at 11:09 am
True…really, a horrible message bearer!
PatHMV said,
September 30, 2009 at 2:42 pm
It would be interesting to apply that retroactively, do a chart of how it’s changed over the past 2 or 3 decades.
Donna B. said,
September 30, 2009 at 10:03 pm
With a fair, or verging on fair credit rating I would not be able to borrow much money, and the money I could borrow would be at exorbitant interest rates, require me to put a cash deposit equaling the amt of credit, or charge me a fee for the credit equaling such a fee.
How do I know this? Having worked for credit counseling entities so that clients could qualify for a home loan. (2002 through 2004)
My own credit rating is middling good, much better than the feds, but not really that great. I doubt I could qualify for the home loan I got 16 years ago with my current credit rating… which has not changed!
Fortunately, through the VA, we got a 15 year loan and our house is now PAID FOR! Crappy as it may be, it is ours.
Jason (the commenter) said,
October 1, 2009 at 9:21 am
Perhaps the people who lend us money (the foreign ones anyway) are happy with our low credit rating. A nation with poor credit isn’t going to be pushing its weight around.
wj said,
October 1, 2009 at 10:30 am
Or, when it does try to push its weight around, you can just mention quietly that they better back off . . . or you will stop buying their bonds. Which would trash their economy big-time.
You can even be gracious: tell them that they can say what is necessary for domestic consumption, just as long as they don’t do things that irritate you. And if there is enough split in the domestic views of what should be done in the world, it could be real hard to determine what the motivation is for any particular action or non-action.
Man, this could be just the perfect fix for the conspiracy theorists out there!