FICO now has credit reports and information in Spanish

FICO has introduced a new Spanish version of its website, including credit scores, reports, analysis and more, for the some 34 million native Spanish-speaking consumers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

According to the New York Times, FICO's experience at its call centers convinced it that there was demand for broader availability of information in Spanish.

The fees associated with FICO's services are the same as they would be for the English version. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site where you get a truly free credit report that's authorized and guaranteed by law, but it does not have a Spanish version. Unfortunately, many websites advertise a free credit report, but end up charging you.

Of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion), Equifax does not have a Spanish version, TransUnion offers a print version of credit reports in Spanish, and Experian has online credit-report info sheets in Spanish, and you can request a Spanish-speaking representative if you call Experian, according to reporting by the Times.

The Federal Trade Commission, however, does offer a Spanish version of a website that explains the free credit report offer.

Under current law, you can request a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the nation's three credit-reporting bureaus, but the law does not cover a free credit score. If you want your credit score, you typically have to pay for it. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is calling on Congress and federal regulators to change that, and make a free credit score included in your free credit report.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit arm of Consumer Reports, has a new website with useful information about credit reports, plus a petition asking the government to make a free credit score part of your free credit report. For more helpful tips and information about credit reports check out What to know about your credit report vs. credit score.

FICO Says Hola to Spanish-Speaking Consumers [New York Times]

—Maggie Shader