Credit Education
Understand the system before you navigate it
Consumer credit is a data system with rules, cycles, and protections. Once you understand how it operates, the decisions in front of you become far clearer.
Core Topics
The fundamentals, explained plainly
Glossary
Language of consumer credit
- Consumer Reporting Agency
- An organization that collects and reports consumer credit information to authorized parties.
- Furnisher
- A creditor, lender, or servicer that supplies account information to consumer reporting agencies.
- Utilization
- The relationship between revolving balances reported and the credit limits on those accounts.
- Hard Inquiry
- A record created when a lender reviews your report in connection with a credit application.
- Tradeline
- An individual account entry appearing on a consumer credit report.
- Adverse Action
- A creditor decision that is unfavorable to the consumer, which generally requires notice.
Go deeper with a structured course
Our beginner, intermediate, and advanced tracks expand every topic on this page into guided lessons and worksheets.