Here's a lesson to take from the wholesale shift in mortgage lending: Your credit gets you access to low rate mortgages and, therefore, your credit score is worth protecting.

Some keys to good credit lie in the basics:

• Pay your bills on time every month
• Don't surpass your credit limits
• Don't co-sign on a loan and expect that it's being paid on time

Some are not so obvious:

• Don't close a credit card just because you don't use it any longer
• A credit limit should be always be THREE TIMES its current balance (at least)
• Capital One credit cards could be bad for your credit score

One of the most overlooked, common sense tips, though, relates to having a credit history.  To help earn a good credit score, you need to show that you have successfully managed credit in the past.

Let's use a good metaphor to hammer home the point.

A credit history is like a dating history.  On the first date with somebody, you're probably going to wonder one or both of the following:

• How many boyfriends/girlfriends has this person had?
• What's the longest relationship he/she has been in?

If your date has never been in a relationship, you're going to think twice about making a commitment,  After all, he/she has no track record and no history.

On the other hand, if your beau/belle has been in a series of long-term relationships, you feel just a little bit safer knowing that he/she understands responsibility and commitment.

Let's tie it all in.

Credit bureaus take your "dating history" into account -- the longer your history, the better.  This is why leaving credit cards open (even if the balance is $0) is a good thing and why applying for cards (even if you don't really need them) helps buoy your credit score. 

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late!), improving your credit scores is about more than just the basics -- it's also about being commitment-capable.

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Dan Green is an active loan officer. Email or call 513-443-2020. Dan is on Twitter at @mortgagereports.