According to a new report and consumer survey from the Federal Trade Commission, many Americans don’t know what they’re entitled to if someone steals their identity. FTC data shows that, for more than a decade, the top category of complaints it handles is identity theft. So it’s disturbing that many of us don’t know what kinds of consumer protections are in place to help victims.
If you’re a credit card customer with an account in good standing, this is a good time to ask for a credit limit increase. We don’t want to encourage anyone to load up on more debt, but a higher credit limit can actually boost your credit score. Read on to find out what to say — and what not to say — to get more credit.
There are a whole host of things that can wreak havoc on your credit score, from maxing out a credit card to having a home foreclosed on or declaring bankruptcy. But people often worry about situations or events that actually have no bearing on their FICO score, says Barry Paperno, consumer affairs manager for MyFICO.com. [...]
Were you sitting and drumming your fingers while waiting for this page to load? Do you think instant coffee takes too long? If you’re impatient, more than just your blood pressure will suffer: You’re also liable to have poor credit, according to a new study.
Municipalities are increasingly turning to a new way to boost revenue, but watch out: they’re hiring collection agencies to pursue unpaid traffic and parking tickets.
The information in your credit report has long been used to predict how likely you are to pay credit card bills on time or remain current on your mortgage. But now credit information companies say they can figure out everything from how much discretionary income you have to how likely you’ll be to take medication [...]
Maybe you think you know all there is to know about your credit score. But credit scoring is a complicated process.
Hint: It’s in a state with a lot of cheese. It has a low unemployment rate. It has about 40,000 people. Ok, you probably haven’t heard of it.
In theory, your credit score should be simple: three digits that correspond to how big of a risk lenders take when they extend credit to you. But in practice, it’s anything but.
The past few years have been rough on real-estate values and employment figures, which translates to a third category that’s been trampled in the aftermath of the Great Recession: consumer credit scores. According to research from Credit Karma, the average credit score nationwide dropped to 665 this year compared with 2009, when the average was [...]
Twenty-nine percent of Americans had trouble paying or were unable to pay their medical bills last year, up from 23 percent in 2005. And that can seriously harm your credit score.
