10 Things Consumers Don't Understand About Credit Scores  Credit
card experts debunk common misconceptions about credit scores.
Alternative ways to build credit for those who prefer a life
without plastic    To clear up the confusion, several credit
experts spoke at FinCon, a financial conference in St. Louis
last week, and debunked misconceptions about credit scores. Here
are 10 common things consumers tend to get wrong about their
scores.  1. The credit bureaus Experian, TransUnion and Equifax
evaluate my credit score. The three bureaus generate credit
reports, but they have nothing to do with judging your credit
score or advising lenders whether to approve or deny an
application. "The credit report does not rate your credit," says
Maxine Sweet, Experian's vice president of public education. "It
simply lays out the facts of your history." So who determines
what your credit score means? Companies such as FICO and
VantageScore Solutions evaluate your credit risk level – what
lenders use to decide how risky i