Wanna' Date? Show Me Your Credit Score First

When it comes to finding love, these singles view bad credit as a deal breaker.

Steer clear of messy wallets

Courtesy Jerry Koller Name: Jerry Koller
Hometown: Irvine, Calif.
Age: 50

When you're dating someone, you want to make sure they're financially responsible, because if it leads to a marriage you could be tied to someone who destroys you financially.

It's usually easy to pick up on whether a girl has bad credit. I see girls who open their wallet and you see dozens of credit cards and receipts stuffed everywhere and think, 'maybe they're not paying attention to their financials.'

You can sometimes tell by where they live -- in their own home or a rental -- or whether they buy or lease a car. When they lease a car, they may want to present a higher-level car than what they can afford. It probably takes about five to six dates to tell.

There are four times I can think of where I stopped dating someone because of this. I tell them it's just that we have different lifestyles.

'I'm not the girl to make you happy'

Courtesy Vina Goberdhan Name: Vina Goberdhan
Hometown: Stamford, Conn.
Age: 33

I was raised that you don't spend what you don't have and live within your means. So in a relationship I want to be with someone who has that same mentality and values.

Being with someone with bad credit could create conflict or tension because I would be the one trying to get a loan approved or buying a car or getting a mortgage. It would create a power struggle, and a relationship has to be equal.

One guy I dated, every few months he had a new car and wasn't making payments. Then his business went down the drain and he had to file for bankruptcy. I don't want to be with someone like that again.

If a relationship got to the point where it was serious, I would sit them down and say 'we need to think about our future. This is where I am financially, this is where you are.'

If they have horrible credit, I would probably say 'I'm not the girl to make you happy.'

What's the 'nitty-gritty' on your credit?

Courtesy Debra Rimbaud Name: Debra Rimbaud
Hometown: Exeter, NH
Age: 59

My husband died in 2010. We had both been conservative about finances and, after he passed, it was even more important to me -- particularly when you get out into the dating world. I know I have to protect the assets he and I worked for all these years.

You have to use a lot of intuition. I've never run a background check on anybody. If I was interested in having a future with someone, I would have to get down to the nitty-gritty and ask them about it. And I wouldn't be offended if someone who was financially stable was interested in my credit history.

If the reason they have a low score was really out of their control -- like a sickness and mounting medical bills -- I would be able to somehow find a balance with that. But if I met someone who had a good job but was reckless with money and credit ... I would find myself having to discontinue the relationship.

Financial mess means dating mess

Courtesy David Burrows Name: David Burrows
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Age: 33

If someone is a financial mess, chances are the other aspects of their lives are a mess, too -- and that's not something I want to get involved in.

When a woman pays in cash for a lot of stuff, that's the number one indication they have bad credit. Typically they're not going to have a great vehicle. If you're around someone enough you can tell. I don't bring it up, though.

I think it's more important when you're going to get married, because then it can play a big role. I know some people who have gotten married without knowing each others' financial histories and that has ruined everything.

Bad credit is a 'total deal breaker'

Courtesy Nancy Freedman Name: Nancy Freedman
Hometown: New York City
Age: 51

A bad credit score is a total deal breaker with me.

People have enough baggage as it is. Debt is huge baggage -- debt to me is like a steamer trunk, overweight and overloaded. How are you gonna' move forward with bad credit? If you're dating and in a serious thing and want to buy something or make an investment or buy a second home, you're not going to be able to do it.

There are a million ways to find out if someone has bad credit. I think if I got to the point where I really like someone, I'm going to come out and ask. Whether I would stay with them would depend on how bad the credit is, how old his problems are and can it be cleaned up.

Assuming all of it is old and maybe we could clean it up, that might be okay. But if not, that would be a deal breaker. Because in the long run, no one cares how much cash you have -- you have to have good credit to get anything.

'A sign of financial immaturity'

Courtesy Daniel Rourke Name: Daniel Rourke
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Age: 35

Bad credit is a sign of financial immaturity, something you need to pay attention to. I don't make people fill out an application before I start dating them, but it can be a sign when someone can't take care of their own bills, doesn't have emergency funds, can't get a credit card or is behind on bills.

There were some girls I dated in the past where bad credit had an influence on the relationship and was probably part of the reason it didn't end up working.

My credit score is something I take very seriously and something I've been working on for years. So it's not something I just want to throw away.

If a girl I like has bad credit, I would like to see them at least make an effort to fix it. If you're working toward trying to get it better, that says something. But if you have bad credit and continue to get more in debt and aren't paying it off, that means you're not doing anything to improve your financial life and that's a problem.