home buying
Credit Score Requirements for a Mortgage: What You Need in 2026
Minimum credit scores for FHA, conventional, VA, and USDA loans. How your score affects your mortgage rate and what to do if your score is too low.
March 11, 2026•7 min read
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credit
12 articles tagged “credit”
credit
How to Freeze Your Credit: The Best Free Identity Theft Protection (2026)
Step-by-step guide to freezing your credit at all three bureaus. Free, instant, and the single most effective protection against identity theft and fraud.
March 9, 2026•5 min read
credit
Best Free Credit Monitoring Services 2026: Track Your Score for Free
Compare the best free credit monitoring services — Credit Karma, Experian, Credit Sesame, and bank-provided monitoring — to protect and track your credit.
March 7, 2026•5 min read
credit
FICO Score vs. VantageScore: Key Differences Explained (2026)
FICO vs VantageScore explained — key differences, which lenders use each, why your score varies between apps, and what actually matters for major loans.
March 5, 2026•5 min read
credit
Hard vs. Soft Credit Inquiries: What Actually Hurts Your Score (2026)
Understand the difference between hard and soft credit inquiries, how much each affects your score, and how to minimize inquiry damage when rate shopping.
March 3, 2026•6 min read
credit
How Long Do Negative Items Stay on Your Credit Report? (2026)
Late payments, collections, bankruptcies — exactly how long every negative item stays on your credit report, when they fall off, and how to minimize their impact.
March 1, 2026•6 min read
credit
Best First Credit Cards for Beginners (2026): Build Credit the Right Way
The best first credit cards for building credit in 2026 — secured cards, student cards, and starter cards with low fees and proven credit-building features.
February 28, 2026•7 min read
credit
Authorized User Strategy: Boost Your Credit Score Fast (2026)
How the authorized user strategy works, who it helps most, how to ask someone to add you, and the best accounts to piggyback on for maximum credit score impact.
February 26, 2026•6 min read
credit
How to Dispute Credit Report Errors: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Find and fix errors on your credit report. A step-by-step guide to disputing inaccuracies with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to protect and boost your score.
February 24, 2026•7 min read
credit
How to Build Credit From Scratch: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Build credit with no credit history — secured cards, credit builder loans, authorized users, and the exact timeline to reach a good credit score.
February 22, 2026•9 min read
credit
How Credit Scores Work: The Complete FICO Guide (2026)
Understand exactly how credit scores are calculated — the 5 FICO factors, score ranges, what helps and hurts, and how to use this knowledge to your advantage.
February 20, 2026•8 min read
credit
Complete Guide to Building Credit: From Zero to Excellent (2026)
Build credit from scratch, repair damaged credit, and achieve an excellent score. Covers FICO scores, credit reports, authorized users, and proven strategies.
January 25, 2026•11 min read