Credit, explained

Credit reports

• Start here

  How to get your free credit reports, including weekly access

  How to order free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, what you'll need, and other times federal law gives you a free copy.

  4 min read

• How to read your credit report, section by section

  A plain-language tour of each section of a credit report, from personal details to inquiries, and the common errors to look for in each one.

  4 min read

• Credit report vs. credit score: what’s the difference?

  Your credit report is the record and your credit score is a number calculated from it. Here's how the two differ and why you have many scores.

  3 min read

• Specialty consumer reports and your rights to see them

  Tenant, employment, and check and bank account screening reports are consumer reports too. Here's what they cover and how to request yours.

  4 min read

• Denied credit? Your adverse action notice and free report

  If you're denied credit based on your credit report, you get an adverse action notice and a free report. Here's what the notice includes and what to do.

  4 min read

Disputes

• Start here

  How to dispute a credit report error with the credit bureaus

  A step-by-step guide to disputing an error with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion: what to include, how to send it and what the bureau has to do next.

  4 min read

• Disputing an error directly with the company that reported it

  How to dispute a credit report error with the lender or other business that supplied it, what to include, and what that company must do under the FCRA.

  4 min read

• What happens after you file a credit report dispute

  The timelines a credit bureau must follow after you dispute, the results you can expect, and what you can do next if you disagree with the outcome.

  4 min read

• Adding a statement of dispute to your credit report

  If a credit report dispute isn't resolved, the FCRA lets you add a brief statement to your file. Here's how it works and who sees it.

  3 min read

• How long negative information can stay on your credit report

  The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets time limits for reporting most negative information. Here are the general limits, when they start and the exceptions.

  3 min read

Credit scores

• Start here

  What affects your credit score

  The factors credit scoring models generally look at, according to the CFPB and FTC, and why you have more than one credit score.

  4 min read

• Credit utilization: what it is and why it matters

  What your credit utilization ratio is, how it's calculated, what the CFPB says about keeping balances low, and how closing a card can change it.

  3 min read

• Hard vs. soft credit inquiries: what’s the difference?

  What hard and soft credit inquiries are, which ones can affect your credit score, and what the CFPB says about shopping around for a loan.

  3 min read

• Building credit from scratch when you have no history

  Secured cards, credit-builder loans and store cards explained using CFPB and FTC guidance, plus products that generally don't build credit history.

  4 min read

• Being an authorized user: how it works and the risks

  What it means to be an authorized user on someone's credit card, who owes the debt, how it may show on credit reports, and the risks for both people.

  4 min read

Identity theft and fraud

• Start here

  What to do after identity theft: steps from IdentityTheft.gov

  Think someone used your identity? Here are the FTC's first steps: contact the companies, place a fraud alert, check your reports, and report it.

  4 min read

• Credit freezes and fraud alerts: how they compare

  Credit freezes and fraud alerts are both free. Learn how each one works, how long it lasts, and how to place one with the three credit bureaus.

  4 min read

Credit repair rules

• Start here

  Your rights under the Credit Repair Organizations Act

  The Credit Repair Organizations Act sets rules on payment, contracts, disclosures and cancellation. Here's what the federal law says about your rights.

  3 min read

• Credit repair scam warning signs, including CPNs

  Learn the warning signs of a credit repair scam that the FTC and CFPB describe, why new credit identity offers are illegal, and where to report.

  3 min read

• Credit counseling vs. credit repair, and how to choose a counselor

  Credit counseling and credit repair are different services. Learn what each does, how federal law treats them, and what to ask a credit counselor.

  4 min read