FICO Score is a term used to describe the number assigned to you in relation to your credit. It is simply a number used to represent your financial obligations in relation to your credit history. It is called FICO because this score is determined by software created by Fair Isaac and Company.

You’ve been laid off from your job. The ensuing drop in your income could hurt your FICO score.

FHA has a two-tier credit score system for insuring loans. First-tier loans require a minimum down payment of 3.5 percent, while second-tier loans require at least 10 percent. The first tier includes those with FICO scores of 580 or above, while the second tier includes those between 500 and 579. FHA does not insure loans with anything below a 500 credit score.

Credit Sesame is a Website that helps people manage their credit — its offering users free credit monitoring, a service that the big three credit bureaus offer for a fee. However, Credit Sesame monitors information from a single credit bureau — Experian.

There are a wide variety of myths floating around about what you should and shouldn’t do to improve your credit reports and credit scores.