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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: credit score

credit score stories: 10 news summaries
JACKSON ROUNDUP

 MJ's Credit Score: 
 Pretty Crappy 

Plus: DNA tests and sperm samples and paternity questions, oh my!

Aug 28, 09 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - If Michael Jackson hadn’t been the King of Pop, he probably would have had trouble getting a loan. His average credit score was a “very low” 563.67, TMZ reports—the average Californian’s is 672. Collections and delinquent accounts contributed to the score, and Barneys even shut... More »

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entertainment • sperm • DNA • celebrity • Michael Jackson • paternity test • credit score • Prince Michael Jackson • Paris Michael Jackson • celebrity death • Arnold Klein

(Newser) - Ben Stein is miffed about his summary expulsion from the New York Times’ Sunday business section, and he explains why in a lengthy piece for the American Spectator. Booted over a TV commercial he did for an online credit reporting service—not his first commercial, and not a subject... More »

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New York Times • columnists • Ben Stein • editorial pages • conflict of interest • credit score • fired • FreeScore

(Newser) - Ben Stein has been booted from his job as a New York Times columnist for shilling for an online credit report service, Gawker reports. Stein touts the value of FreeScore.com in television commercials, but the Times’ ethics policy states “it is an inherent conflict for... More »

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Internet • New York Times • economist • columnists • Ben Stein • newspaper editorials • journalistic ethics • credit score

(Newser) - For many unemployed Americans, a new trend is keeping the prospect of a new job out of reach: detailed credit checks of prospective employees. Once used mostly for government positions, cheap credit checks are now routine at private employers seeking to cull huge applicant pools. Businesses say they're just... More »

MORE ABOUT:
recession • unemployment • credit • job market • credit score • jobless

Credit Scores Plunge as Consumers Twist in Wind

Average drops 6 points, likely to fall further

May 27, 09 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Consumers are caught in the credit crunch, and their scores are starting to show it, USA Today reports. The average TransUnion credit score fell 6 points between the third quarter of 2008 and the first of 2009, and the group’s financial services director expects it to fall even... More »

MORE ABOUT:
credit card • credit score • consumers • FICO

States Seek to Restrict
Employer Credit Checks

Lawmakers want employers to prove credit reports are necessary

Feb 13, 09 12:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Several states and Obama administration officials are seeking restrictions on employers that unfairly screen out job applicants using credit checks, USA Today reports. Spiking unemployment and mortgage foreclosures brought on by the financial crisis have hurt many, and lawmakers say trustworthy people are being shut out of good jobs.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
foreclosure • unemployment • mortgage debt • Equal Opportunity • credit score • credit rating • financial crisis

Experian Cuts Access to
Credit Scores

Consumers are about to know 33% less about their credit rating

Feb 13, 09 7:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Knowing their credit rating will become one-third harder for consumers as of tomorrow, USA Today reports. Experian, one of the three major companies that calculates credit scores, has canceled its deal with the company that provides the info to consumers, meaning millions will lose access to Experian's version of the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
credit • credit score • credit rating • FICO • Experian

 New Credit Scores 
 in Play Today 

Fair Isaac Corp. hopes new scores will better predict consumer defaults

Jan 29, 09 7:42 AM CST
(Newser) - New credit scores intended to make identifying bad risks easier make their debut today, with TransUnion taking the lead in offering “FICO 08” metrics, reports the Wall Street Journal. The new formula is more forgiving of one-time lapses than its predecessors, but popularizing it may take years, according... More »

MORE ABOUT:
credit score • consumer credit • FICO • Equifax • TransUnion LLC • Experian

Lawsuit Gives Consumers
Free Look at Credit Scores

At $10B, may be largest settlement in history

May 30, 08 1:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - More than 160 million consumers will be treated to a free look at their credit score, thanks to a class-action settlement against TransUnion Corp., the LA Times reports. Everyone who had any kind of loan account between 1987 and yesterday is entitled to 6 months of free credit reporting;... More »

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lawsuit • credit score • credit rating • TransUnion Corp.

 7 Ways to
 Raise Your
 Credit Score 

Simple tips to boost that murky rating

Apr 15, 08 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Credit scores are key if you're getting a new cell phone, new home, new car—even a new job. The Today Show offers 7 simple steps to give your score a boost:
  1. Fix errors on your reports: A mistake on one report can sink a score.
  2. Be timely:
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
personal finance • list • credit card • credit • credit card loans • credit score

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