There are five parts to the FICO score.  The second largest part, accounting for 30% of it, is the Amounts Owed, also called the Utilization Ratio.  This is the difference between the loan amount or credit limit on an account compared to the balance that is currently owed on it.    An important part of growing better credit [...]

It’s here – the busiest shopping time of the year.  Even if you aren’t waiting in lines before daylight for special bargains, you may be doing some in store or online shopping, too.  The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse offers 10 Holiday Tips to protect your finances and identity.  We offer these additional credit building tips.
1) Always [...]

When you shop online, you usually have to give credit card information to complete the purchase.  Most companies do a great job with securing their websites and their check-out pages because they know if they don’t, people are less likely to come back and shop with them. 
TIP: Look at the URL, the address line, on [...]

We hear from a lot of people in January or February when they find out that they have a late payment on their credit report.  They often say that they were out of town and didn’t get the mail in time, or perhaps they just missed that bill among all the other mail they had to go through when [...]

Right now many people are looking at purchasing a home, especially with the extension and expansion of the home buyer’s tax credit.    Sometimes they are unable to qualify for the home loan because of credit scores that are too low.  Christy Miller, a mortgage advisor with American Home Mortgage, said that a minimum score of [...]

We’re into what has traditionally been the busiest shopping time of the year and identity thieves know it and want to take advantage of it.  ID theft prevention is important year round and as the holiday season approaches we want to give you a few precautionary reminders.
Beware of ‘Skimming’
Skimming occurs when your card that is [...]