New Brochure Explains Credit Scores

Nearly half of American consumers do not understand key facts about credit scores, according to a new survey by the Consumer Federation of America and Fair Isaac Corp., and they have prepared a free brochure to help remedy the situation.The survey found that 49% of respondents did not understand that credit scores measure credit risk and 45% incorrectly thought that increasing one's income would improve one's credit score, according to the CFA and Fair Isaac, developer of the FICO credit score. The new brochure "contains the most important information about the score most businesses use -- the FICO credit score -- including what factors influence its rise and fall, and how consumers can get their own scores," said Cheri St. John, vice president of global scoring and consumer solutions for Fair Isaac. The brochure, titled "Your Credit Scores," can be obtained from the Federal Citizen Information Center at 1-800-878-3256. It is also available online at three websites: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov, http://www.myfico.com, and http://www.consumerfed.org.