Chapter 1<br > ~:~~u~thiness<br > What you ll find in this chapter:<br > ，，m All about credit bureaus<br > "~ What a credit rating is<br > ~"~ How creditors measure your credit rating<br > ~ Taking a look at your credit s health<br > ，~i， The scoring system<br > Nothing can hurt you financially like having bad credit. Your credit<br > report， the history of your credit activity which credit bureaus keep track of，<br >osF， NmoN could be the best asset--or worst liability--you have. Creditors who subscribe<br > to credit bureaus pay to obtain the credit information contained in those<br > bureaus files. Usually the same potential creditors who receive information<br > about you also provide information to the credit bureaus.<br > How the credit bureaus work<br > When you fill out an application for credit from a bank， store or credit<br > card company， that information is forwarded to the bureau， along with<br > constant updates on the status of your account. But not all creditors report<br > what they know about you to the credit bureaus. And of those that do， not all<br > report the entire contents of their files. For these reasons， it is essential to<br > know what is contained in your credit report.<br >