More and more consumers are realizing that their credit impacts their insurance premiums on auto, home, life, and renter’s insurance. However, most consumers do not know how insurance companies utilize credit for their analysis. This is where you can save some money if you do some follow up.

Millions of consumers have been surprised to pull up their credit report and find a collection from a doctor showing up on their credit report. In a historic change, many of these past due bills will no longer show up on a credit report.

We put together a series of questions for students at a couple of universities. 56% of students said they have what they would consider having an above average knowledge about their credit scores. However, after completing this short questionnaire, the percentage of those that answered correctly was 28%. That is not above average. Want to try the questionnaire, here it is -https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CreditScoreSurvey

There is one way lenders make more interest on you and it can cost you lots of money - even if you make extra principal payments.

It takes a lot longer now to get FICO scores to show up after opening the first new account. A change in recent times from FICO requires a longer wait before a person can generate FICO Scores in their credit report.

When reviewing a credit situation or teaching a class on credit scores, it is always interesting to get feedback. People always state that they know a lot and are an “A” student in understanding their credit score. After a review is complete however, they quickly discover that many important points have been completely overlooked, and their credit score understanding is more like a “D”. As one professor put it, “The vast majority of individuals do not even have any fathom idea of all the factors impacting their credit scores.”

Quite often, I get an email or text from someone asking me to validate some information that has come out from a news story or on the internet. It is quite rare to find a story or article on the internet that is accurate.

Many realtors and brokers tell their clients to get their “Free” credit scores at Credit Karma to know their credit qualifications. The problem is, what is provided to them from the Credit Karma Credit Scores is never reliable.

Knowing the difference between a credit suggestion and a credit solution can save you a lot of money. It can mean the difference between a credit score increase say 3 or 4 points, while a credit score solution can increase your scores at least 30 to 40 points in most situations.

The housing market in many parts of the country is really hot. Home values have increased at levels never before seen. Interest rates have also increased, raising the borrowing costs for those looking to purchase a new home. The principal and interest payments have increased an alarming 14% in the last 12 months.