[Oliver21]

So you've had a few problems getting the bills paid lately, and you're wondering what you can do to repair the damage.

You've got plenty of company. There are more than 30 million people in the United States with credit blemishes severe enough (score under 620) to make obtaining loans and credit cards with reasonable terms difficult.

Or maybe your credit is OK, but you'd like to make it better. After all, the better your credit, the lower the interest rates you can score on mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

New glimpses into the once-secret process of credit scoring have made it easier than ever to improve your credit -- and reversed some of the advice we personal finance journalists once gave consumers about managing plastic.