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Even numbers, 10 to 98
Even numbers, 02 to 08
Odd numbers, 11 to 99 
Group codes of "00" aren't assigned 
In each region, all possible area numbers are assigned with 
each group number before using the next group number. This 
means the group numbers can be used to find a chronological 
ordering of SSNs within a region. When new group numbers are 
assigned to a state, the old numbers are usually used up 
first.  
SSA publishes a list every month of the highest group 
assigned for each SSN Area. For example, if the highest 
group assigned for area 999 is 72, then we know that the 
number 999-04-1234 is an invalid number because even Groups 
under 9 have not yet been assigned.  
Serial Numbers
Serial numbers are assigned in chronological order within 
each area and group number as the applications are 
processed. Serial number "0000" is never used. Before 1965, 
when number assignment was transferred from field offices to 
the central office, serial numbers may have been assigned in 
a strange order. (Some sources claim that 2000 and 7000 
series numbers were assigned out of order. That no longer 
seems to be the case.) Currently, the serial numbers are 
assigned in strictly increasing order with each area and 
group combination.  
Invalid SSNs
Any SSN conforming to one of the following criteria is an 
invalid number:  
Any field all zeroes (no field of zeroes is ever assigned). 
 
First three digits above 740 
A pamphlet entitled "The Social Security Number" (Pub. No. 
05-10633) provides an explanation of the SSN's structure and 
the method of assigning and validating Social Security 
numbers.  
This description of the structure of the Social Security 
Number is based on messages written by Jerry Crow and 
Barbara Bennett. The information has been verified by its 
correspondence to the SSA's Program Operations Manual System 
(POMS) Part 01, Chapter 001, subchapter 01, which can be 
found at Federal Depository Libraries. (SSA Pub. No. 
68-0100201.)  


Scoring for Credit 
FTC, October 1993
How does a creditor decide whether to lend you money for 
such things as a new car or a home mortgage? Many creditors 
use a system called "credit scoring" to determine whether 
you are a good credit risk. Based on how well you score, a 
creditor may decide to extend credit to you or turn you 
down. The following questions and answers may help you 
understand who gets credit, and why. 
What is Credit Scoring?
Credit scoring is a system used by some creditors to 
determine whether to give you a loan or credit card. The 
creditor may examine your past credit history to evaluate 
how promptly you pay your bills and look at other factors as 
well, such as the amount of your income, whether you own a 
home, and how many years you have worked at your job. A 
credit scoring system awards points for each factor that the 
creditor considers important. Creditors generally offer 
credit to those consumers awarded the most points because 
those points help predict who is most likely to pay back the 
debt. 
Why is Credit Scoring Used?
In smaller communities, shopkeepers, bankers, and others who 
extend credit often knew by word of mouth who paid their 
debts and who did not. As some creditors became larger and 
as the number of their consumer credit applications grew, 
these creditors needed to establish more systematic and 
efficient methods for evaluating which consumers were good 
credit risks. Credit scoring is one such technique. 
Although smaller creditors still may rely on informal credit 
evaluations, many large companies now use formal credit 
scoring systems. Although no system is perfect, credit 
scoring systems can be at least as accurate as informal 
methods for granting credit -- and often are more so -- 
because they treat all applicants objectively. 
How is a Credit Scoring System Developed?
Most credit scoring systems are unique because they are 
based on a creditor's individual experiences with customers. 
To develop a system, a creditor will select a random sample 
of its customers and analyze it statistically to identify 
which characteristics of those customers could be used to 
demonstrate creditworthiness. Then, again using statistical 
methods, a creditor will weigh each of these factors based 
on how well each predicts who would be a good credit risk. 
How is a Consumer's Application Scored?
To illustrate how credit scoring works, consider the 
following example that uses only three factors to determine 
whether someone is creditworthy. (Most systems have 6 to 15 
factors.) 
Example
Monthly income     Points Awarded
Less than $400 	0 
$400 to $650 	3 
$651 to $800 	7 
$801 to $1,200 	12 
$1,200 + 		15 

Age
21-28 		11 
28-35 		5 
36-48 		2 
48-61 		12 
61 			+ 15 

Telephone in home
Yes 		12 
No 		0 

Some credit scoring systems award fewer points to people in 
their thirties and forties, because these individuals often 
have a relatively high amount of debt at that stage of their 
lives. The law permits creditors using properly-designed 
scoring systems to award points based on age, but people who 
are 62 or older must receive the maximum number of points 
for this factor. 
If, for example, you needed a score of 25 to get credit, you 
would need to make sure you had enough income at a certain 
age (and, perhaps a telephone) to qualify for credit. 
Remember, this example shows very generally how a credit 
scoring system works. Most credit scoring systems consider 
more factors than this example -- sometimes as many as 15 or 
20. Usually these factors are obviously related to your 
credit worthiness. Sometimes, however, additional factors 
are included that may seem unusual. For example, some 
systems score the age of your car. While this may seem 
unrelated to creditworthiness, it is legal to use factors 
like these as long as they do not illegally discriminate on 
race, sex, martial status, national origin, religion, or 
age. 
How Valid is the Credit Scoring System?
With credit scoring systems, creditors are able to evaluate 
millions of applicants consistently and impartially on many 
different characteristics. But credit scoring systems must 
be based on large enough numbers of recent accounts to make 
them statistically valid. 
Although you may think that such a system is arbitrary or