By Greg Fisher
August 11, 2015

1. USA Today: "This is why it's better to get your finances lined up before you even start looking at homes. That includes checking your credit reports and credit scores ahead of time, just to see where you stand (you can get your free credit scores on Credit.com)." - Scott Sheldon, expert

   Free credit scores from Credit.com, Inc. are not the Real, BIG Credit Score (which is used in mortgage lending). #TheRealBIGCreditScore

2. St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "It also helps to keep open your oldest accounts and maintain a mix of accounts (like a credit card and an auto loan, for example), because those play a role in your credit scores, too. - Christine DiGangi, expert

   What credit score factors are affected by the oldest account? #HelloIllinois!







Veracity check of Lee Enterprises (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
"Netanyahu and the White House have a frosty relationship - over negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, among other matters - and President Barack Obama has refused to meet with the Israeli leader while he is here next week to speak at the invitation of House Majority Leader[SIC] John Boehner." - Chuck Raasch, Washington correspondent, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Representative Boehner is not Majority Leader. He is Speaker. Rep. Kevin McCarthy is Majority Leader. #ushistory #1508L

3. "7 Small Mistakes That Will Hurt Your Credit Score" states, unfortunately, "Each hard credit card inquiry will cost your score between three and five points and stays on your report for two years, though they only negatively impact your score for about half the time they appear." - Jeanine Skowronski, MainStreet (TheStreet)

   That is Credit Score Myth 1, the notion that every hard inquiry lowers a credit score. According to the FICO score company, "For many people, one additional credit inquiry (voluntary and initiated by an application for credit) may not affect their FICO score at all."

   Say, for instance, a person makes application for 200 credit cards on one day. That would mean that the score would end up as low as possible (scale: 300-850, thus the range: 550; 200k inquiries X 3 points = 600 points off an 850 leaving a score of 300 (the lowest possible)).

   @MainStr @JeanineSko @YahooFinance Where did that "between three and five points" inquiries jazz come from? @JB_Shopper #creditscore

   — Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) March 14, 2014

   But before her MainStreet/Yahoo article is corrected (or, at least, substantiated), Bankrate's bloggity-blogger skitters on yesterday furthering some silly nonsense (published by some guy, somewhere on some website #1508Q) "Can social media hurt your credit score?" #ThePeopleNearTheSeas

   And, of course, "If you're worried that you may have already overshared," you can "check your credit report at myBankrate." #ScoreTactics