Build US Credit

A semester-by-semester plan for F-1 students: open a bank account, get one account that reports, add your SSN when it arrives and keep your…

You may be able to join a family member’s card before you have an SSN. Here is what issuers ask for, when the account…

A denial for no credit history is common for newcomers and usually fixable. Read the notice, check your report, ask for reconsideration and start…

Your US credit file stays behind under your SSN when you return to India. Here is what stays, what fades, which card to keep…

Your CIBIL score does not move to US credit reports. Here is why, the narrow Nova Credit exception, and how to protect your Indian…

Six months in and still no credit score? Check FICO’s minimum rules, which bureaus your lender reports to, ITIN or name mismatches and which…

Your US credit clock starts with your first credit account, not your arrival. Here is the newcomer timeline, why VantageScore shows up before FICO…

Yes, you can build US credit with an ITIN. Here is what an ITIN allows, which credit types to ask lenders about, how to…

Online credit report forms ask for an SSN, but you can still request your report by mail. Here is what each bureau needs, a…

Your ITIN credit history does not follow your new SSN on its own. Update every lender, write to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, check the…