Free Credit Report
In the United States, a credit score is a number based on a
statistical analysis of a person's credit files, that represents the
creditworthiness of that person, which is the likelihood that the
person will pay their bills. A credit score is primarily based on
credit report information, typically from one of the three major credit
bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
3 Credit Bureaus
There are different methods of calculating credit scores. FICO is a credit score developed by Fair Isaac Corporation. It is used by many mortgage lenders that use a risk-based system to determine the possibility that the borrower may default on financial obligations to the mortgage lender. The credit bureaus all have their own credit scores: Equifax's ScorePower, Experian's PLUS score, and TransUnion's credit score, and each also sells the VantageScore credit score.
Americans are entitled to one free credit report within a 12-month period from each of the three agencies. The three credit bureaus run Annualcreditreport.com, where users can get their free credit report, normally without credit scores. Credit scores are available as an add-on feature of the report, for a fee.
In some states, such as California and Colorado, a consumer is entitled to a free credit report within 30 days of being denied credit or receiving sub-normal credit terms from a lender, due to their credit rating. The FICO credit score range is between 300 and 850.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_score
