The US credit system isn't devised to be something where those with little debt are to be trusted most. It's 100% the contrary. Banks like to see how you handle

The US credit system isn't devised to be something where those with little debt are to be trusted most. It's 100% the contrary. Banks like to see how you handle debt. Every line of credit they monitor your payments and what you do with it. Also having large amounts of available credit but not using it shows you don't see debt/revolving credit as "free money" but something you have to pay back. So many Americans associate debt as being a bad thing. Debt is just an asset offset by liability. People of all walks of life in all income brackets can successfully manage debt in a proper way that can give you a good credits score. People who don't know how to handle debt fall into two camps: those who are up to their eyeballs in loans, and those who pay it off right away because they're afraid of interest. Credit cards and HELOC's are a bit different simply because they are devised to be continuously open and revolving. Credit cards being paid in full is a good thing purely because 30% apy is usury, flat out. Your income means nothing to a bank when you lose your job but had no debt. Your debt means everything if you lost your job but still could make payments on time and in full. Banks like to see that. It means you're a trustworthy borrower and can make payments on time in any situation. That's exactly WHY they give these people better rates. Also because of federal laws and equal opportunity for mortgage applications, they need to have a system that is unbiased for all. So while you think you got screwed, again, blame the 2008 USA government. They attributed somehow the mortgage crisis to racism and not enough minorities owning property and less so on the real problem: private mortgage brokers. These people are human filth that lie through their way in the process of lending, break federal laws CONSTANTLY, and maximize loan sizes without a care in the world so long as it gets approved. They make payday loans look like childs play. Yet the federal government hasn't touched these guys...