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Stamford, CT (PRWEB) May 6, 2005 — On top of the free annual credit report that U.S. citizens are now entitled to by law, members of AP9 PrivacyMatters, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, can look to the program for comprehensive information about their credit report scores and how those scores affect their lives.

Recent federal legislation that provides consumers with a free annual credit report highlights the importance of those reports in today’s economy. However, because even savvy consumers may be unfamiliar with credit reports and credit scores, many of them turn to the benefits offered by AP9 PrivacyMatters via DealPass to better understand the impact of credit scores on their financial decisions.

As a short primer, AP9 PrivacyMatters offers a few insights into credit reports and what your credit score can mean:

- There are three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each agency can use different figures, based on input from different financial providers, to determine your credit score. Generally speaking, a score of 750 or higher is very good; a score of 450 or lower is bad.
- Your credit score is an assessment of how well you’ve paid your credit accounts over time. Late payments, bankruptcy filings and other bad financing factors will bring your credit score down. Any recent financial activity can have an immediate effect on your credit score.
- Lenders, credit card companies, landlords and even employers can and will use your credit score to help determine whether you qualify for a loan, a credit card, an apartment or a job.
- Banks and credit card companies also use your score to determine the interest rates on your loans and credit card balances. One late payment can trigger higher rates — not just on the late-payment account but on other accounts as well.
- Monitoring your credit report every month can help you identify possible instances of identity theft. Your credit report lists all of the financial activities attributed to you; if you see a credit card account that you never opened, look into it immediately.

AP9 PrivacyMatters members can log on to their members-only website at DealPass.com for immediate access to a wide range of benefits designed to help them protect their credit scores, including triple bureau credit reports, credit monitoring, credit alerts, discounted FICO scores and more. Members also have access to safeguards that can help them if they’re victimized by identity theft.

About AP9 PrivacyMatters

AP9 PrivacyMatters is a leading membership security program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC. Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Adaptive Marketing is a category leader in both membership and loyalty programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security and personals. Members may access their benefits at DealPass, an online portal for Adaptive Marketing member programs. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs, such as AP9 PrivacyMatters.