Borrow

Your credit reports and scores have an impact on your finances. Our resources can help you better understand them, learn how to correct errors, and improve your credit record over time.

Find help for your situation. Get mortgage help if you're struggling. Take action if you're in forbearance. Get help if you're a renter.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey collects information from households and families on their buying habits (expenditures), income, and household characteristics. The survey data are collected on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This nationwide household survey is designed to represent the total U.S. civilian noninstitutional population. The survey consists of two components, a quarterly Interview Survey and a weekly Diary Survey. In the Interview Survey, each consumer unit is interviewed every 3 months over five calendar quarters.

A report, Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial Wellbeing of Postsecondary Students, has been prepared by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) and describes the state of financial education among postsecondary students.

Building Financial Capability: A Planning Guide for Integrated Services is designed for community-based organizations interested in integrating financial capability services into existing programs (e.g. housing, job training, or Head Start). The interactive tools in the guide walk organizations step-by-step through the process of developing an integration plan, beginning with developing a deeper understanding of clients’ financial circumstances and which financial capability services can help them improve their situations.

The Community Financial Access Pilot (CFAP) began in 2008 and was implemented through December 2009 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) to increase access to financial services and financial education among low- and moderate-income families and individuals, especially individuals who have no bank or credit union account.

The Residential Finance Survey (RFS) was conducted in the year following the decennial census from 1951 – 2001. It is designed to provide data about the financing of nonfarm, privately owned, residential properties. The 2001 RFS was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A representative national sample of about 68,000 residential addresses was drawn from the address file for Census 2000.

The American Housing Survey (AHS) is the largest, regular national housing sample survey in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the AHS to obtain up-to-date housing statistics for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Although the focus of the AHS is on the housing unit (physical space), the survey captures a rich array of information about the individuals and households who occupy those units, including the financial implications of their housing choices.

The CFPB has conducted research over its first five years into what makes financial education effective. We have summed up our findings into five principles that financial educators, financial coaches, and other practitioners can put into practice to help drive financial action and well-being.

Be prepared before a disaster strikes your community or small business. As part of a series of focus groups, the Kansas City Fed has developed an array of materials to help you be prepared before and after a disaster. Toolkit includes financial inventory forms, checklists, resources and Spanish-language resources.