Editorial standards

Where our facts come from

Credit rules come from many places, and they don't all carry the same weight. When we research a page, we go down this list in order and stop at the most authoritative source that answers the question.

1. Statutes and regulations. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681 and following), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Credit Repair Organizations Act, and the rules that carry them out, such as Regulation V, Regulation F and Regulation Z on eCFR.
2. Regulators and the program rulebooks they publish. The CFPB, the FTC, HUD and FHFA, along with the official guides lenders have to follow, such as the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Selling Guides and HUD's FHA handbook.
3. Scoring companies and the credit bureaus. FICO, VantageScore, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, for how their own products and processes work. We name them in the text when a claim rests on what they say.
4. Reputable press. A last resort, used mainly for very recent events before the primary document is public, and labeled as press in the source list.

When two sources disagree, the higher one wins. When we can't confirm a detail, such as an exact date, a dollar figure or a statute subsection, we leave it out or describe it in general terms. We don't guess.

How every guide is built

Every guide opens with a short answer to the question in its title, so you get the answer before the explanation. A few key points follow, then the full explanation, written for someone reading on a phone between other things.

• Recommendations come with the reason behind them, and the arithmetic is shown.
• Examples are labeled as examples ("Say your card has a $5,000 limit") and use round numbers we check twice.
• Every number that isn't simple arithmetic is tied to a source, and the text says who it comes from ("FICO says", "Under 15 U.S.C. 1681c").
• Every guide ends with its sources, linked, and we list only sources we opened and confirmed say what we claim.
• Guides are published under the name ScoreTuner Editorial. We don't invent authors, credentials, testimonials or customer stories.

Mortgage guides are general education. Lenders can set stricter minimums than the program rules (the industry calls these overlays), and we say so where it matters.

Why we never predict points

FICO and VantageScore don't publish point tables. The formulas are proprietary, and the same action moves different files by different amounts. Anyone quoting an exact gain from paying down a card or removing a late payment is guessing.

So we don't. When a guide gives a number, it's one the scoring company published itself, such as FICO's own illustrative examples, and it's cited. Our tools work with things that can be calculated exactly: dates, percentages, dollar amounts and the score bands each model defines.

What we will and won't teach

We teach you to dispute information that is inaccurate, incomplete or can't be verified, because the law gives you that right. We won't suggest disputing accurate information as a tactic, claiming identity theft that didn't happen, using a credit privacy number (CPN), or mailing boilerplate "609 letters" as if they were a trick. Those approaches can backfire, and some are illegal. Where people are likely to run into them, our guides explain why.

Updates and reviews

Every guide and reference page shows the date it was last updated near the top. We review a page when the rules it covers change: a statute or regulation, a regulator's guidance, a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or FHA policy, or a scoring model. The updates timeline lists the major changes from 2025 and 2026 with links to the guides that cover each one.

An updated date means we changed or re-checked the page on that date. We don't change the date without reviewing the page.

Corrections

If we get a fact, number, date or instruction wrong, we fix the page, update its date, and record the correction in the log below with what changed. Typo and formatting fixes aren't logged. To report an error, email [email protected] with the page address and what's wrong. The contact page has the details that help us fix it fastest.

How we use AI tools

We use AI tools to help research and draft. Every claim is checked against the sources listed on the page before it's published. The rules on this page, including what counts as a source and which claims we refuse to make, are set by people and apply the same way to every draft.

Conflicts of interest

ScoreTuner earns money from ScoreTuner Plus subscriptions. We may later earn commissions from partner offers, and none are live today. If we add them, they'll be labeled where they appear.

Neither of those changes what a guide says. We don't accept payment to cover a product, to rank one above another, or to leave something out. Tool results never steer you toward a product. How we make money has the full picture.