In Maria's case, which aspect is most damaging to her credit score?

The aspect that is most damaging to Maria's credit score is her credit utilization ratio being too high. Credit utilization refers to the amount of credit a borrower is using relative to their total available credit. A high credit utilization ratio indicates that a person may be overly reliant on credit and may pose a higher risk to lenders, as it can suggest financial stress or difficulty managing debt.

Credit scoring models, such as FICO, often recommend keeping credit utilization below 30% of the total credit limit to maintain a healthier score. When this ratio exceeds that threshold, it can lead to a significant negative impact on the credit score. Lenders view high utilization as a red flag, which can lead to higher interest rates for future borrowing or even difficulty obtaining new credit.

By contrast, while late payments and frequent credit inquiries also affect a credit score, they typically do not carry the same weight as a high credit utilization ratio. Late payments can have a long-term impact, but they are not as frequently assessed as credit utilization is in most scoring models. Frequent credit inquiries can signal that a borrower is seeking credit aggressively, but they only have a temporary, minor impact when compared to utilization issues. Having multiple credit cards can actually be beneficial if managed well and does not inherently