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• Find out what's on your credit report. To order a report, call Equifax at 1-800-685-1111, Experian at 1-888-397-3742; or TransUnion at 1-800-916-8800 or 1-800-888-4213.

• Pay your bills on time. Late payments are a major black mark.

• Keep unpaid balances low. This includes car payments as well as credit cards.

• Think twice before closing unused credit card accounts. The borrowing power helps keep your utilization rate relatively low.

• If your credit history is short, don't open a lot of accounts too rapidly. It will lower your average account age, which makes lenders nervous.

• Having trouble making ends meet? Contact your creditors or a legitimate counselor, such as a consumer credit counseling service. (Find a local service at www.nfcc.org/.)

Note: The rules have changed, according to myfico.com: You don't lose points these days for seeing a credit counselor.

These Internet resources may also help:

• Information from federal regulators, www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-credit.htm

• Tips and general information, myfico.com and click on Understanding Credit Scoring.

• To check out average scores here and elsewhere, www.nationalscore.com/AreaScore.aspx.

— Hank Ezell, Cox News Service

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