Codependent Collegian

Pendergrast reviewing the TRW reports of her beaus

(Austin, TX) University of Texas junior Caitlyn Pendergrast, torn between the affections of two "really sweet guys," came upon a novel solution for her dilemma.

The accounting major decided to use the credit scores of the young men as the final arbiter in her decision.

"Ultimately I want a guy with some stability, someone who knows the value of having a good credit record," Pendergrast said, showing Codependent Collegian reporters a series of spreadsheets she developed. "Depending on your credit score, lenders will determine what risk you pose to them. I can't see myself spending the next five or six decades being weighed down by someone with lousy credit."

Between suitors Paul Killarney and Kevin McDougall, Pendergrast found that Killarney's credit rating of 745 "totally gave him the edge" over the mere 560 posted by McDougall.

"It looks like Kevin was late on his car payment three times in 2005, and he bounced a check in 2003," she said, shaking her head. "These are the kinds of red flags that should scare the hell out of any woman giving serious thought to dating Kevin."

McDougall: "Crestfallen, but understanding" of Pendergrast's decision

Contacted by the Codependent Collegian, McDougall said that he is "totally cool with" Pendergrast's mate selection methodology.

"I knew that I was dancing with the Devil on those late payments, but with a younger sister needing a kidney transplant, what could I do?" he said of the three months he was out of work for the donation surgery. "I just want Caitlyn to know that I'll always be there for her, and my credit score is really just a snapshot of my credit risk at a particular point in time. Someday, somehow, I'll prove to her what kind of man I really am. Until then, my shadow's the only one that walks beside me on the boulevard of broken credit."

Labels: credit scores, TRW, University of Texas