A credit score is a number that helps lenders evaluate a person's credit report and estimate his or her credit risk. The most common credit score is the FICO score, named after software developer Fair Isaac and Corporation. A person's FICO scores are provided to lenders by the three major credit reporting agencies — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — to help lenders evaluate the risks of extending credit or loaning money to people.

credit-score-should-you-have-investopedia: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance