FICO calls them 'damage points,' and, boy, can they pull down your credit score.
More than 1 in 3 mortgage applications don't result in loans. Here's how to make sure yours does.
Walking away from your agreements when you have the capacity to fulfill them is morally wrong, akin to lying.
About 50 million American adults don't have enough credit data to generate a regular credit score.
How do you balance the fact that both partners are adults but also recognize that sometimes people need help?
The company behind FreeCreditReport.com has devised a clever way to avoid having to steer customers to the one site where free credit reports have no strings attached.
If you believe that carrying a balance is good for your credit score or that bankruptcy will eliminate student loans, keep reading.
Closing the account probably won't do much damage, but the devil is in the details.
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All hail the bull market, which ended the week with a big rally. But it also is starting to look a little like 1987, which suffered an epic blow-out.
MARKET DISPATCHES
The Market Dispatches column has been discontinued. Here's where to find the latest stock and business news on MSN Money, and the latest from market writer Charley Blaine.
FRUGAL COOL
Starting Monday, this site is joining forces with MSN Money Smart Spending. Here's why.
MONEY & POLITICS
Breaking up big banks is an untested solution to the too big to fail problem that attempts to isolate and dismantle large, troubled institutions while protecting the rest of the economy.
SMART SPENDING
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SMART TAXES
The IRS is struggling to combat identify thieves who file fraudulent tax returns in the names of older residents who don't need to file.

