The entire credit scoring system hinges upon lenders reporting information on their borrowers to the credit bureaus. But consumers may be happy to know that there are limits to what a a lender can and cannot tell Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. While lenders typically report information regarding an account’s status, its current balance and accompanying credit limit, there are certain times when additional information may be warranted. But consumers always have a right to respond to such information.

From stockbrokers to tax preparers, more and more seasoned financial professionals are being replaced by software and online tools that can offer the same services and advice through a computer screen at a fraction of the cost. A new tool from one company, SpringCoin, aims to do this in a controversial industry -- credit counseling.

The FDIC reports that banks are doing quite well, despite all the complaining that goes on in the industry. The federal regulatory agency says that if banks were to loosen their credit standards, they could help fuel the recovery. That might not be a bad public-relations move for an industry that takes the brunt of the blame for the recession.

Regardless of who ultimately gets the blame for the financial crisis of 2008, one thing is certain: an American public better-educated about how financial products work would have done plenty to ameliorate the problem. While rising real estate prices made almost any home purchase appear a wise, many Americans failed to do the mental heavy lifting to properly evaluate a financial decision so large. A well-known credit card company would like to see that change. But how much?

Overdraft protection is now a service you must opt-in to, thanks to the Dodd-Frank Act. So it's worth considering exactly what you get for that $30-$35 a shot you pay to avoid bouncing a check. One useful way to think about overdraft protection is as a last-resort line of credit. Overdrawing your checking account is, essentially, asking your bank for a small short-term loan. So, if overdraft protection is a loan, then what's the annual percentage rate (APR)? How does it stack up against other forms of credit?

Renowned banking analyst Meredith Whitney spoke with CNBC Wednesday, and she issued a warning about the trajectory of the American banking industry: it's going to be forced to push out the middle class. Due to new regulations and tightened credit standards, banks are making their business model less attractive to the vast majority of the country.  

Say what you will about our attention spans, but hold your tongue when it comes to young people's approach to borrowing money. Generation Y, Millennials -- whatever you want to call us -- have debt levels far below the national average, according to a new infographic released by Experian, the credit reporting agency. This may be a function of life cycle, to be sure, but it may also be an indication that we really do things differently.

Since 2008, the United States has been stuck in a painful deleveraging cycle; the recession was caused by an overabundance of mortgage debt, and it is perpetuated by the low aggregate demand caused by unemployment and deleveraging, leading to anemic economic growth. A new report from the McKinsey Quarterly, on the deleveraging process in developed nations, reports that the United States is doing better than Spain and the United Kingdom in paying down what we owe -- take that, Europe! Still, there isn't that much else to celebrate.

Last month we took a moment to sit down and talk to Caryn Kaiser, the general manager of Chase Blueprint. After giving us the inside scoop on Chase Blueprint, she gave us the opportunity to ask some pressing questions about the product and money management in general. This article takes a look at the Chase Blueprint tool and whether or not its promise to help track your budget goals is right for you. In preparing questions to ask Caryn, the MyBankTracker.com team had some help from our friends at Money Crashers, Gen X Finance and The Digerati Life, all three are part of MBT Media.

How do you manage your credit card debt if you carry a balance from month to month? Do you pay off the smallest debt first, or the debt with the highest balance? If your plan of attack involves the former then you may be doing yourself a disservice—at least according to a recent study on the subject.