Identity Theft

• In the wake of the Equifax breach, many took action to protect themselves, and faced some frustration. In case you haven’t taken action yet, here is what you can do. Oh, and apparently the breach was worse than initially reported, according to Consumer Reports.
• Is CFPB continuing their Equifax probe? Reuters reports they are putting it "on ice." 
• Oops, the I.R.S. forgot to notify almost 500,000 taxpayers that their information was being used by others for employment purposes. 
• Here's a new term to get familiar with, synthetic identity theft. It's fast growing and targets minors according to The Hill. 

Credit History

• No credit history?  It can be impossible to get a credit card.  There is one company that is targeting this segment.
• Bad credit history? Can’t get a credit card? Here is some advice on which ones to try.
• Lending Point’s acquisition of Loan Hero gives more credit options to the estimated 145 million people with subprime credit.
• What are the credit reporting agencies saying about you?  The CFPB suggests how to monitor that.  Meanwhile many start-ups are trying to wrest control from the three credit bureaus by coming up with their own algorithms to measure creditworthiness. 
• Which generation has the worst credit scores? (Hint - it’s not millennials.) and what state has the highest credit scores (Hint - think midwest)?
• And millennials shy away from credit cards also, probably after seeing their parents struggle with them.  Maybe they should reconsider this strategy.
• Need to improve your credit score?  Follow these steps to move it in the right direction.

Managing Debt

• If you thought filling out the FAFSA was the hard part, once you graduate you must learn how to successfully manage your debt.  Here is some good information to get you started off on the right foot.  
• Credit card debt has reached record levels.  Read why this may be signs of trouble.
• Forbes offers some suggestion on how to avoid getting into too much debt yourself.

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Check out NGPF's Managing Credit resource page for lots of ideas on how to bring this topic to life for students. Here's a favorite activity, Interactive: FICO Credit Scores where students get an opportunity to predict credit scores given certain student profiles. 

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