What financial indicator shows a borrower’s reliability in making payments over time?

The credit score serves as a financial indicator of a borrower’s reliability in making payments over time. It is a numerical representation of a borrower's creditworthiness, based on their credit history and financial behavior. Lenders use credit scores to assess the likelihood that a borrower will make timely payments on their debt. A higher credit score typically reflects a history of responsible credit use, such as paying bills on time and managing credit accounts effectively.

In contrast, the debt-to-income ratio is useful for evaluating how much of a borrower’s income is going towards debt repayment, but it does not provide a comprehensive view of past payment behavior. Current interest rates influence the cost of borrowing but do not reflect a borrower's repayment reliability. The loan amount indicates how much money is being borrowed but lacks qualitative aspects regarding the borrower's financial behavior. Thus, when evaluating a borrower’s payment reliability, the credit score is the most relevant indicator.