John Ulzheimer

Credit Expert
John Ulzheimer

About the Author

John Ulzheimer is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and
identity theft. The author of four books on the subject, Ulzheimer has
been featured thousands of times in media outlets including the Wall
Street Journal
, NBC Nightly News, New York Times, CNBC, and countless others.

With over 30 years of credit-related professional experience, including with both Equifax and FICO, Ulzheimer is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. He has been an expert witness in over 600 credit-related lawsuits and has been qualified to testify in both federal and state courts on the topic of consumer credit. In his hometown of Atlanta, Ulzheimer is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Georgia and Emory University's School of Law.

Latest Posts

62 posts written/edited to date

Guide

100,000+ views

5 min read

The Average FICO Score Drops for the First Time in Over a Decade

The Average FICO Score Drops for the First Time in Over a Decade

For at least the last 19 years, the company known as FICO, my former employer and the company that invented credit scores, has published reports... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 5/1/24

Guide

100,000+ views

5 min read

25 Fast Facts About Credit Reports & Scores

Fun Facts About Credit Reports and Credit Scores

The world of consumer finance is loaded with data, statistics, trends, acronyms, and averages. It’s truly a numbers-driven industry. As it... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 4/16/24

Guide

100,000+ views

3 min read

How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Interest Rates?

How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Rates?

The world of mortgage interest rates has been on quite the roller coaster over the last few years. Mortgage interest rates for garden-variety... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 3/14/24

Guide

100,000+ views

5 min read

What Number Does Your Credit Score Start at & When?

What Number Does Your Credit Score Start at?

Your credit score or, more accurately credit scores, are used by lenders to assess the risk of doing business with you. If you have good or great... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 2/12/24

Guide

100,000+ views

5 min read

Americans’ Credit Scores Resilient Against Rising Card Debt & Delinquencies

Credit Scores Resilient Despite Rising Debt

When people are unemployed or underemployed, they often use their credit cards to bridge their income gap. Credit cards offer immediate access to... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 1/22/24

Guide

100,000+ views

7 min read

How to Get an 800 Credit Score (from a FICO Expert)

How to Get an 800 Credit Score

Credit scores are three-digit numbers that are used by lenders to determine whether they’re going to approve your applications, and under what... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 12/14/23

Study

100,000+ views

3 min read

Approximately 31% of Americans Don’t Know Their Credit Score

31% of Americans Don't Know Their Credit Score

Credit scores, those three-digit numbers based on your credit reports, are used well over 20 billion times each year by lenders and others to... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 10/12/23

Guide

100,000+ views

5 min read

How to Protect Your Credit In a Divorce

How to Protect Your Credit In a Divorce

Despite all the optimism and joy that goes with tying the knot, it’s an unfortunate reality that a considerable percentage of marriages fail. And... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 9/15/23

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