Credit Scout
Consumer credit, explained slowly

How we work

Revised August 12, 2026

Credit Scout is written by two people. This page describes what we do before publishing something, and the things we have decided not to publish at all.

Who writes it

Dana Reinholt spent nine years in consumer lending operations, most of it in disputes and adverse action notices, and writes most of the reporting and dispute material here. Marcus Ople came from collections compliance and writes the account-level pieces. Neither of us sells credit products and neither of us takes commission on anything.

The checking step

Every article is read by the person who did not write it before it goes up. That is a modest process and we describe it accurately rather than calling it an editorial board. Where an article makes a claim about a deadline or a notice requirement, the checker’s job is to find the provision that sets it and confirm the article does not overstate it.

Things we do not publish

How it is paid for

Out of pocket, and it is not expensive to run. There is no advertising, no affiliate arrangement and no sponsored content. If that changes we will say so here first and mark it on the corrections page, because a funding change is a change to the site’s reliability and belongs in the same record as a factual one.

Age of the material

Every article carries the date it was published and, where relevant, the date it was revised. Credit reporting practice moves — medical collection thresholds are the obvious recent example — and an unmarked page from two years ago is a hazard. If a page here has no date, tell us and treat it as unverified until it does.

Credit Scout · How we work · Corrections · Glossary

We are not a lender, a broker, or a credit repair organization, and we take no payment for placement.