It's always a good idea to be vigilant about your credit score, but even if borrowing loosens up a bit in 2009, you still need to do everything necessary to keep your credit score high.

NEW YORK - The three major consumer credit reporting agencies announced Tuesday that they have created a new credit scoring system aimed at simplifying the loan process for both lenders and borrowers.

Have you heard that bankruptcy will ruin your credit for 10 years? This is a common misconception. The correct information is that the notation of bankruptcy may stay on your credit report for up to 10 years, but your credit score will not suffer that entire time because of it.

Have you heard that bankruptcy will ruin your credit for 10 years? This is a common misconception. The correct information is that the notation of bankruptcy may stay on your credit report for up to 10 years, but your credit score will not suffer that entire time because of it.

Qualifying for a home loan just got trickier. With defaults and foreclosures still plaguing the mortgage industry, lenders are evaluating how risky potential borrowers are by heavily weighing credit scores.

Mike Sullivan has counseled many people who cosigned on a loan in earnest, then paid dearly later. Sullivan is director of education for Take Charge America, a Valley-based credit counseling agency.

Rebecca Warren: If you're planning to buy a home or a car in 2009, the process is going to be a lot tougher without an excellent credit score and a significant down payment.

Students planning to graduate after this school year from an Arizona high school need to be aware of a change approved a few years back for the Class of 2013.

NEW YORK - It seems like the most wonderful time of year for credit card rewards.

WASHINGTON — Banks expect to tighten terms on credit cards in response to a new law that aims to protect consumers from sudden rate hikes, the Federal Reserve said Monday.

It’s a rough time for many credit card borrowers. Interest rates are rising, banks are looking to squeeze extra profit from each account and the industry’s ‘‘grace periods’’ have contracted in very ungraceful ways the past few years.

No matter what time of year, it can be tempting to sign up for a credit card at the register in exchange for an instant 10 or 15 percent off your purchase.

WASHINGTON - Check your holiday credit card bills closely. Some credit card companies are raising interest rates on good customers even if they pay down their balances, on time, every month. The reason they cite is that the customer's credit rating has fallen elsewhere.

A new California law barring most employers from using pre-employment credit checks in hiring could remove another hurdle to work for jobless people in the state.

Students in David Faux's graphic design and digital media production courses at Chandler's Hamilton High School are learning high-end job skills.

Arizona consumers could soon have a new weapon against identity theft.

In Chandler, Frye Elementary School offers students an after-school club where math and reading specialists give them one-on-one attention. And for the last two years, it's all been funded by money from extracurricular activities tax credits.

NEW YORK  — The new credit card law is finally here. Starting Monday, banks will need to abide by new regulations on terms and disclosures. The idea behind the landmark law was to prevent banks from using practices that often dug borrowers deeper into debt.

A Mesa serial burglar faces federal charges, ten counts of commercial theft, and is accused of stealing more than $10,000 dollars worth of property, but he says he’s committed even more crimes than authorities realize.

Gov. Janet Napolitano rated no better than a C on environmental issues this session, according to the Arizona chapter of the Sierra Club.

Dave Tippett was searching for positives after watching his Phoenix Coyotes nearly squander a four-goal lead in the final 10 minutes against Minnesota on Saturday night.

Whether its trade-ins or discount sales, secondhand sports equipment stores are scoring big with bargain-hunting consumers.

According to a survey of student loan applicants by loan provider Nellie Mae, 83 percent of college undergrads use credit cards and the average card debt was $2,327 in 2001. Furthermore, the college students surveyed steadily increased usage rates and balances. From freshman to senior year, the average debt load more than doubled and number of cards held nearly tripled.