FICO Program Promises to Give Free Credit Scores Through Credit Counselors

Under changes announced by FICO last week, about a million consumers who work with qualified nonprofit credit counselors and participating government entities will now be able to get their credit scores for free. They will also be able to get a free copy of their credit report from Experian, but not from TransUnion or Equifax.

In the past, counseling agencies were typically prohibited by contracts with the credit reporting agencies from giving consumers the credit report or score that was purchased on the client’s behalf. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this no-sharing policy is common in contracts signed by business users of credit scores and reports, but makes little sense when applied to consumer credit counseling, where the lack of transparency only puts more obstacles in the way for the consumer to improve their credit.

Under the FICO® Score Open Access for Credit & Financial Counseling, as the program is called, qualified credit counselors and participating government agencies can now share the FICO score that they already have purchased on behalf of their client.

In addition to providing access to their credit score in these instances, the CFPB also announced that Experian is updating its policies so that nonprofit counselors will also be able to share the consumer’s credit report. Unfortunately, TransUnion and Equifax have not yet followed suit, though the CFPB is urging them to do so.

As the CFPB notes, these changes are a step in the right direction in increasing consumers’ access to credit scores and reports and empowering consumers to improve their financial lives, particularly for those who need this help the most.

For more tips on how to get your credit report and score for free, see this link.