In the hunt for cheaper housing, politicians and analysts are digging everywhere they can to strike gold. One critical aspect is also increasingly getting its turn in the spotlight: credit pricing.

The traditional standard, the tri-merge, utilizes information from all three major credit bureaus. It gives lenders a fuller picture to make decisions, and it helps borrowers by making sure one bad report doesn’t tank their chances. If you’ve been paying your bills and managing your money responsibly, it gives you the best shot at getting credit.