Shocking news! Credit scores drop as Americans struggle to pay bills

Updated

Americans' credit scores fall as they struggle to pay bills.

That's the headline in a USA Today article that ran today, and while it's an interesting enough story, it hardly feels like news. Of course, credit scores are going to fall when a sizable portion of the population is struggling to pay bills.

The relevant data in the USA Today article is that from the third quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009, the average TransUnion TransRisk credit score (not to be confused with the more prevalent FICO credit score) dropped 6 points to 651. Some states were hammered more so, though. California's average dropped 10 points, and Arizona's, 11.

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