Joshua Heckathorn's blog

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Experian Ends Partnership with Fair Isaac

Unless Experian and Fair Isaac can figure out a way to reignite the fire in their marriage before Valentine's Day, we will no longer have the ability to access FICO scores based on Experian data. Creditnet.com received notice last week that Experian sent a termination letter to Fair Isaac in mid January that will apparently end the rocky relationship between the credit bureau and the developer of the 800-pound gorilla of credit scores. Equifax and TransUnion FICO scores will still be available at www.myfico.com; however, Experian FICO scores will no longer be accessible from myFICO or anywhere else for that matter.

Consumers Pay the Price of Loyalty

I confessed in an earlier post, "Use 'Em or Lose 'Em", my obsession with stockpiling reward points and airline miles. There's just something strangely comforting about hoarding hundreds of thousands of points and miles to redeem whenever the urge arises.

The problem is all these points seem to be losing value faster than my stock portfolio lately! And it looks like reward programs will continue to be a prime target for more aggressive cuts in 2009. So, if you've been hoarding points for years in preparation for that "big-ticket" purchase, it's time to rethink your strategy.

Hackers Outsmart Heartland

Heartland Payment Systems, one of the largest credit card processors, recently announced a security breach that may end up putting the TJX fiasco to shame.

Will Credit Card Reform Make it on Obama's Long To-Do List?

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Update: On May 22nd 2009, President Obama signed the Credit CARD Act of 2009 into law, which includes a Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights.

Cavalli's Cure for the Credit Crunch

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A name I don’t see too often in articles about credit and debt caught my eye today while skimming through RSS feeds. Roberto Cavalli, the world-renowned designer and master of animal prints, recently announced he has taken his mission to “create a planet” around the Cavalli brand to a whole new level.

2009 Brings a New FICO Score

Not only has the credit crunch made it more difficult to obtain practically all types of credit, but Fair Isaac, developer of the well-known FICO score, has also announced the biggest change to their credit scoring model since 1989. So, prepare yourself now, because it will be more important than ever in 2009 to understand how everyday financial decisions will affect your credit score.

Happy Holidays from Creditnet.com!

Wishing each of you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. We'll try not to think about credit for at least one day, and we suggest you try too. So, eat lots of good food, enjoy your family and friends, take a nap, and be thankful for all that you have. Happy Holidays!

Use 'Em or Lose 'Em

Most people don’t think of credit cards as a terribly exciting topic of conversation. When was the last time you were hanging out with a bunch of friends and felt an overwhelming urge to brag about how many “ThankYou” points you banked with your CitiCard this year? Probably not going to be the life of the party if that’s the best you can come up with. That is, unless you’re hanging out at my house.

Living Within Our Means

one-dollar I’ve received several emails lately from ‘Creditnetters’ expressing concern about their HELOCs getting frozen without much notice from lenders. Yes my friends, they can do it, and there’s not a whole lot you can do to fight it.

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