Your credit score or FICO is very important as you are defined by this ever changing number attached to your name. It can affect your ability to get a loan, your chance of getting a job and even increase the interest rate you pay.

Home ownership is a part of achieving the American dream. For many, the only thing standing between them and owning a home is a low credit score. Lenders rely heavily on FICO Scores when determining whether to fund a mortgage — low credit scores equate to high risk. Still, it isn’t impossible to get a mortgage with a low credit score.

A credit bureau gathers information about how consumers use credit. In other words, they collect information from as many consumer financial transactions or inquiries as they can. They then sell access to that combined information to anyone who has a legally-recognized reason (permissible purpose).

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.

Wells Fargo bank announced Wednesday it will be offering free credit scores and credit reports to all of its customers through November 16, 2014 — you can get these scores by obtaining a personal access code from a Wells Fargo branch. The bank also has provided some credit management tips on its website as part of the promotion. Wells Fargo also offered free credit reports and credit scores in 2013 and 2012.