Surprisingly, even minor debts like unpaid parking tickets or library fines can appear on your credit report if reported by local governments. These seemingly insignificant debts can lower your credit ...

Most people mix up credit scores and credit reports, but knowing the difference could save you money and boost your chances of loan approval.

Fact checked by Vikki Velasquez Getting married does not impact your individual credit score or merge your credit history with your spouse's. However, joint credit cards or loans opened during ...

A charge-off is a severe, damaging entry on a person's credit report that can hinder future borrowing and remains on the ...

It’s a little bit odd that a number on a paper or screen can make us feel something so deep inside the pit of our stomachs, isn’t it? But that’s […] ...

A person's credit report tells a story about their childhood. New research, released last month by Harvard's Opportunity Insights, shows that a strong predictor of an adult's bill-paying habits—the ...

Robin has worked as a credit cards, editor and spokesperson for over a decade. Prior to Forbes Advisor, she also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including ...

Credit is a financial tool that allows people to borrow money or access goods and services before paying. In today’s world, credit is used for just about everything. From large-scale purchases such as ...

You may not think much about your credit report on a daily basis, unless you are curious about your standing ahead of applying for a loan — or if something goes wrong, like a data breach or case of ...

The average credit score in February 2025 was 715, according to FICO, the data analytics firm whose scoring models are used in 90% of lending decisions. That's compared to 716 in January 2025 and 717 ...