A credit bureau is an information clearinghouse that compiles information on consumers. The credit grantors, or lenders, report consumer payment history to the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus then compile that information together with information on tax liens, bankruptcies, and court judgments that is available in public records. In return, when consumers apply for credit, lenders can check credit reports to determine the creditworthiness of consumers.

There are a lot of free credit score offerings out there, and many can be useful, but there are a few things consumers need to know when looking up their credit scores. Some scores are educational — meaning creditors do not use free credit score formulas for making lending decisions — but they can still inform you whether you have good or bad credit.

Your FICO Score is a very important indicator of how well you’re doing credit wise. FICO Scores can be retrieved at a small cost but there are some ways to obtain your credit report and sometimes your score for free.

Wells Fargo in 2015 should become one of the major credit card issuer to provide Free FICO Credit Scores to customers every month. Bank of America and Chase Bank have said that they’re considering doing the same — giving free credit scores to customers.

Get My Free Credit Report — Find your credit score instantly, by requesting your free credit report with no credit card needed from all 3 major credit bureaus. Strike back against identify-theft by obtaining your credit history and working to remove errors in your data. Take the first step towards repairing your credit history today!