So maybe you've never filed for bankruptcy, foreclosed on a house or defaulted on a loan. You have, however, paid a few bills late, which lowered your credit score. If your credit score dropped below 620, you may have made yourself a subprime lending customer.

Subprime loans are a mixed bag for those with blemished credit histories. They can help renters own homes and cash-strapped folks pay off debts. They also cost more and come with significant risks. Make sure you belong in the subprime category and understand all its pitfalls before you proceed with a subprime loan.

Think about it
Experts caution people to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of taking out a subprime loan. Having one and handling it well can help repair a damaged credit history, but a subprime loan can cost thousands more in interest than standard mortgages.

Subprime lending, by its very nature, places lenders at risk. When all is said and done, that means banks and other players charge higher rates for subprime loans to compensate for potential losses from customers who may run into trouble or default. Subprime loans also cost more because they are considered "nonconforming," or not up to the standards of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Those two quasi-governmental agencies buy traditional, "conforming" mortgages from lenders, repackage them and sell them to Wall Street investment firms as securities.

Track record counts
Borrowers can fall into the subprime category for any number of reasons and assessing how risky a customer is can be a difficult thing for lenders. The process relies less on the computerized credit scoring methods widely favored by traditional lenders and more on a borrower's debt payment track record, according to subprime experts. In the end, customers get stamped with a school-like ranking: A, for those with the best credit, to B, C or D for those with progressively worse histories. An E can show up as well, but is extremely rare.

One question, two answers
Where someone falls on the scale depends on a number of things. And two lenders may look at the same borrower and arrive at two different credit grades because the categories aren't set in stone.