Even with the financial slow down and reduced amount of credit card offers in the mail, most retail stores are still offering their own credit card at the check-out register.  There are usually enticing discounts advertised on signs and by the clerks: “Save 10% on today’s purchase.”  “Apply for a ‘Our Store Name’ account today [...]

One of the items that is included in your credit report is the section called “Inquiries”.  This section is included in the “New Credit” part of your score, which accounts for 10% of the FICO scores.   
There are two types of Inquiries.
When you check your own credit reports, whether your annual, no-cost ones, or your FICO [...]

We get this question quite a bit:
Does checking your own credit hurt your scores?
NO
When you check your own credit reports, whether your annual, no-cost ones, or your FICO reports with your actual FICO scores, or some reports you get with a monitoring service you're enrolled in, FICO says it NEVER counts against the consumer to obtain [...]

When you apply for a loan of any type and the company checks your credit to determine approval for that loan, you will get an Inquiry on your credit report.   When the consumer initiates the application it is considered a Hard Inquiry and will be counted in the New Credit part your score. 
A Soft Inquiry will [...]

Until January 31, 2009 you can save 20% when you check your credit scores because FICO scores are on sale!   That means your three credit reports AND your actual FICO scores will cost less than $40.   And checking your own reports and scores will not count against your credit rating.
WHY CHECK YOUR SCORES?
With the growing importance of [...]

  Happy New Year!  As we start 2009, many people are making resolutions, wanting to do things better and differently than they did in the past.  Surely with the current economic climate, personal finance will make its way into some of these decisions.  And better credit scores are playing a significant role in consumers’ finances.
Credit [...]