A FICO Score is a brand of credit score — FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation and Fair Isaac is the company that developed the software program used by the credit bureaus to compile and calculate credit scores for U.S. consumers.

Having at least a 721 credit score will give you a chance to secure some of the best financing options on the market, get preferred interest rates on loans and credit cards, and have more negotiating power when you’re talking terms with a prospective lender.

Some credit cards come with absolutely no listed limit, which at first may seem like a good thing.

NSF checks (Non Sufficient Funds), also referred as a bounced check are considered bad and will end up on your credit report — lowering your FICO Score and preventing you from obtaining credit.

Let’s say you already have a past due on your report and you want to get the debt off your back, so you agree to pay for 75 percent of the debt.