fico

We've heard the warnings before, but now that the holiday shopping season is upon us, it may be useful to hear it again: Back away from the wallet, put down that credit card, and think about what you're about to do. Even the tiniest action, when it comes to credit, can hurt your credit score. For...

Bank of America and Wells Fargo were among banks that tightened credit standards for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration in a move that may put a crimp in the U.S. housing recovery by effectively eliminating 6.3 million people from the potential home buying pool.

Obama's decision to tap Elizabeth Warren as advisor for a new financial watchdog group has raised the ire of consumer and business advocates, who argue that her appointment undercut the goals of clarity and transparency.

Approval rates for bank loans will likely fall as the number of applications increase over the next six months, according to a recent survey of banking professionals released today by Fair Isaac and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Thieves are targeting children's Social Security numbers before they even have a bank account, according to a report by the Associated Press. Hundreds of shady online businesses, many posted on Craigslist or under their own web sites, are conducting computer sweeps to find dormant Social Security...

Millions of Americans are seeing their credit scores plunge. According to FICO, 25.5% of consumers -- roughly 43.4 million people -- have a credit score below 600, making them a poor risk for lenders, and making it hard for those consumers to get credit cards, auto loans and mortgages.

Even though it's more important than ever to be familiar with your credit score and what affects that crucial number, experts say a lot of Americans don't know nearly as much as they should about what they do that can impact their score. WalletPop got on the phone with John Ulzheimer, president of...

Having super-high credit scores can make your financial life a breeze – helping you earn a VIP pass to the best interest rates and terms on credit cards, mortgages and loans of all kinds. A stellar credit rating can also help you land a job or a promotion, save money on insurance, and get...

The historic finance reform bill hammered out by a House and Senate panel is 2,000 pages long, but WalletPop had its yellow highlighter out to spare you one brutal summer read. (Actually, we had a lot of help from Reuters and The New York Times.) Here are some of the tidbits on how the bill will...

If your struggles with debt have taken a toll on your credit score, you may have been intrigued by ads from companies promising that they can fix your credit and increase your score. They don't tell you how they'll do it. They also don't tell you that what they're doing might not even be legal and,...