• Pay your bills on time; late payments and collections have a negative impact.
• Don't apply for credit frequently. This makes your score worse.
• Decrease credit card balances. A high number in your credit used and a low one in amount available doesn't look good.
• Get more credit if you have limited credit. Having too little credit can impact your score negatively.
• But then, if you have a lot of credit available that you don't make use of, you should probably get rid of some of that. Unused credit can count against you too, if it seems like you can easily borrow lots of money fast that you might then not be able to pay off.

Beyond this, the most common problem is an error on your credit report. If you see one, report it to the credit bureaus right away; each has methods for correcting information promptly. Your mortgage company can probably also help.

You can contact the three major American credit bureas at:

• Equifax (1-800-685-1111)
• Trans Union (1-800-916-8800)
• Experian (1-888-397-3742)