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What Credit Score Do You Start With If You’ve Never Had Credit Before?

You don’t start with a credit score at all. That’s right — if you’ve never had a credit account reported to the major credit bureaus, you don’t have a score yet. Credit scores aren’t automatic, ...

Here's What Happens When Your Credit Score Reaches a Perfect 850

Getting an 850 credit score might sound cool -- but is it necessary? Learn why getting a perfect score isn't as important as ...

9 surprising factors that can damage your credit score (and how to fix them)

From canceling old cards to cosigning loans, these surprising missteps can quietly hurt your score. Learn what affects your ...

Credit scores just plunged at fastest pace since Great Recession — how does your FICO compare to the new average?

Bankcard delinquency rates, for example, hit 11.7% this year, only 2% shy of the Great Recession peak. Meanwhile, credit card ...
NPR

'Buy now, pay later' purchases can now affect your credit score. Here's what that means

The credit scoring company FICO recently announced it will add something new to some of its credit scores: data from buy now, pay later loans. Those are the loans that allow shoppers, usually online, ...
SFGate

What Happens to Your Credit Score—and Your Future—After a Mortgage Delinquency

Of course, mortgage delinquencies can have serious consequences, including the most obvious one, foreclosure. But many homeowners also don’t realize just how damaging a single delinquency can be to ...
THE WEEK

Does buy now, pay later affect your credit score?

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans — the payment plans that allow you to break up a purchase into smaller installments — typically have no bearing on credit score. But that is about to change. In ...
The New York Times

Mortgage Lenders Can Use a Second Credit Score. Is That Good for Borrowers?

A top housing finance regulator announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would allow lenders to use the traditional FICO score or one from a rival, VantageScore. By Ann Carrns Your credit score helps ...
The Motley Fool

Here's What Happens When Your Credit Score Reaches 850

Having a perfect credit score unlocks the best credit cards and mortgage rates. Any credit score above 800 is considered "excellent." Always strive to maintain the highest credit score you can. If you ...