credit monitoring

We all know that making late payments or having credit card accounts in collections can hurt your credit scores. But you might be shocked to learn that a lot of other seemingly innocent actions can also negatively impact your credit rating. Here's a list of five surprising things that can lower...

With identity theft on the rise, more consumers are actively seeking ways to protect themselves. New companies have sprung up to address their fears, but how well do they really work?

Naomi Allen, a state government employee in Ohio, thought she was doing the "right thing" when her marriage dissolved in 2007. As the more financially savvy of the couple (she'd helped her then-husband raise his credit score several years back after discovering it was too low to qualify for a...

In a real "Oh no they didn't!" move, Experian has (so far, at least) managed to dodge the FTC's requirements that it tell consumers in plain English that they're really signing up for a pricey credit-monitoring service when they sign up to receive a free credit report. How? Hold onto your seats: By...

The New York Times reports on a topic that's long been a pet peeve of many financial-minded people: those pesky FreeCreditReport.com ads that are a classic bait and switch marketing technique designed to coax consumers into signing up for expensive monthly credit monitoring services. The FTC is...

Heavily marketed credit monitoring services were dealt a serious blow by a federal judge who stopped one of the biggest of the firms from placing "fraud alerts" on behalf of their customers.The credit reporting agency Experian sued the monitoring firm Lifelock, alleging its automated system of...

If you have had a loan, credit card or any other type of credit line in the past 21 years, TransUnion is offering up to 9 months of credit monitoring services as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. You can opt for the basic service which includes 6 months of credit monitoring as well as...