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Your Burning Credit Score Questions: Getting an 850, Women vs. Men, Why is it...
Is it really possible to get a FICO score of 850? I must admit that I have personally never seen a credit report with a FICO score of 850, which by default means my own credit score is less than this...
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Credit Card Q&A: I Paid Off My Balance, Still Got Charged Interest
Credit card question: I paid off my credit card balance before the due date but I still got charged for interest expense. How can the issuer charge this if I pay within the grace period? Answer: This...
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Credit Card Q&A: Got Turned Down for a Credit Card After Being Pre-approved
Credit Card Question: I applied for a credit card after I received a letter that said I was pre-approved. I got turned down for the card. How can that happen if I’m already approved for it? —Jamie...
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Credit Score Q&A: Paying Credit Card Balances in Full vs. Minimum Payments
A reader in New York City wants to understand if a sudden decision to pay off a high balance credit card in full versus paying the minimum balance owed each due date would appear “suspicious” to the...
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Credit Q&A: Can a Credit Card or Car Loan Rebuild My Credit?
Question: I have bad credit and am considering opening a credit card or car loan to rebuild my credit. Would it be better for me if I got a credit card—even though I don’t want one, or should I get a...
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Credit Score Q&A: How Many Credit Cards for Highest Score?
A reader in Dallas wants to know the number of credit cards one should have in order to achieve the most credit score points. Is there a “magic number?” In short, there is no single “magic” number. It...
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Your Top Credit Questions: Cosigner/Ex Ruined My Credit
We get a lot of credit questions here at Credit.com. In this series of posts, I am answering some of the most frequently asked questions we receive. Q: Our divorce decree says that my ex-wife is...
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Credit Score Q&A: Credit Offers with No Interest, No Payments for 12 Months?
Reader Question: If you purchase furniture or any other large retail item and take advantage of the store’s deferred interest program for 12 months, no interest –same as cash offer, and the retailer...
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Reader Question: Short Sale, Mortgage Insurance, and Credit Reports
Q: I am in the process of closing on a short sale on my primary residence. I owed the bank 135k and the bank has agreed to let me sell the house for 42k. The bank says it will not pursue the deficiency...
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Credit Score Q&A: Impact of Requesting Credit Card Limit Increase?
Question: Brian from Dallas was surprised to see an inquiry surface on his credit report via the credit monitoring service he uses and found that when he recently called his credit card company to...
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What to Do When You Get a Data Breach Letter
A day doesn’t go by when we don’t read news of a data breach at a major company, healthcare facility or financial institution. The breaches at Epsilon, Sony and now brokerage Morgan Stanley Smith...
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Credit Score Q&A: Does Getting Denied Credit Hurt Your Credit Score?
Question: Cathy from Phoenix wants to know if she applies for credit and is denied for any reason, will it hurt her credit score? Answer: The answer is no. When you apply for credit, the lender will...
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Reader Q&A: Settling A Closed Credit Card Account
We recently received this question from a reader who is having trouble keeping up with payments on a credit card that was closed by her card issuer. Question: I had an ever expanding line of credit at...
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Credit Card Q&A: Are Secured Credit Cards Protected by the Credit CARD Act of...
Credit Card Question: Secured credit cards sure have a lot of fees. Are these cards protected by the Credit CARD Act of 2009? Fred Answer: Hi Fred, Yes, indeed, secured credit cards are protected by...
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Reader Q&A: How to Dispute an Account on a Chexsystems Report
A reader asked the following question about a debt reported to Chexsystems: Q: I just pulled my Chexsystems report and found an item on if for $50.00 to ARJAYDATA. I don’t recognize that as a place...
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Credit Card Q&A: How Do Spending Tiers and Spending Caps Work on Rewards Cards?
Credit Card Question: What does it mean when a rewards credit card has a spending tier or a spending cap? -Kelsey Answer: Hi Kelsey, rewards program details can be confusing, can’t they? I think the...
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Credit Score Q&A: Satisfied Judgments and Credit Scores
Matt from Annapolis had a challenging year back in 2007 that severely impacted his credit. At that time he was late on several of his credit cards, almost had his car repossessed and had a judgment...
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Credit Card Q&A: Which Credit Union has the Best Secured Credit Card?
Credit Card Question: Which credit union has the best secured credit card? Answer: I’m getting a lot of questions about secured credit cards and credit unions these days. I think it’s partly because...
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The Credit Line Q&A: Do Small Credit Card Purchases Affect Your Credit Score?
On The Credit Line, a radio show hosted by Credit.com’s chairman and co-founder Adam Levin, Gloria from Woodland Hills, Calif., asked if only making inexpensive purchases on her credit card would...
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Q&A: Student Loan Defaults and Garnished Wages
The amount of federal and private student loan debt held by Americans, which is expected to top $1 trillion this year, has now surpassed credit card debt. And given the persistently high unemployment...
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