How credit scores are evolving to improve access to credit

NEW YORK (AP) — A low credit score can hurt your ability to take out a loan, secure a good interest rate, or increase a credit card spending limit. Some reasons for a low score are out of your control — such as unexpected medical debt or a lack of credit history. But credit agencies are working to improve access to credit by giving people more time to pay medical bills before the debt appears in reports, and by removing other debt completely. They’re also making it easier to count rent, utility payments, and other recurring bills — a boon for those who need credit the most.