The creator of one of the most widely used and influential credit scores, FICO, said on Thursday that the latest version of its score would no longer weigh medical debts — which account for about half of all unpaid collections on consumers’ credit reports — as heavily as it did in previous iterations. The newer […]
Credit Scores vs. Credit Reports
Both are readily available for purchase online, but figuring out which is most accurate can be daunting. The advice from most mortgage professionals to first-time home buyers is to begin sprucing up their credit at least six months before applying for a loan. Credit scores and credit reports are readily available for purchase online, but […]
Protecting Your Children’s Credit
If you want to make sure your personal information isn’t at risk from identity thieves, you can ask to have a security freeze placed on your credit file at the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. That prevents lenders or credit card companies (that you aren’t already doing business with) from gaining […]
Julie Miller, Oregon Woman, Awarded $18.6 Million Over Equifax Credit Report Errors
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal jury in Oregon awarded $18.6 million to a woman who spent two years unsuccessfully trying to get Equifax Information Services to fix major mistakes on her credit report. Julie Miller of Marion County was awarded $18.4 million in punitive damages and $180,000 in compensatory damages, though Friday’s award against […]
The Long Shadow of Bad Credit in a Job Search
By GARY RIVLIN Published: May 11, 2013 THE first couple of times Alfred J. Carpenter was turned down for a job, he didn’t know what to think. He been laid off early in the recession and then had the bad fortune of tearing tendons in his knee just when he didn’t have health insurance. […]
Six Secret Credit Scores And How You Can Alter Them
When you sign up for a credit card, you’re making the credit-card company a life partner. It knows where you shop, when, what you buy, whether you pay your debts on time and if you’re a sucker for a balance-transfer offer that leads to high interest rates. It knows a lot more than the credit […]
