In the aftermath of the housing meltdown, there's been a lot fingers pointing at Fair Isaac. Lenders have been griping that the supposedly all-important FICO credit score has failed to accurately predict the possibility of default on loans of various types. So there are new initiatives in the works to come up with better ways to figure out who's going to pay and who's going to skip out. Dow Jones Newswires reported that the new models involve looking at bounced checks, utility bill history and the ability to pay your rent in a timely manner. It turns out there's a very real correlation between bouncing checks and default on loans.

Clark previously told you about the trend of people with no traditional credit benefiting from "expanded scoring" models. But this latest wrinkle is where even if you have traditional credit, other things are still being brought into the mix to give a better overall picture of your financial health. So if you're in your 20s and bouncing checks, you've got to realize that kind of behavior can really harm you. Your reputation is on the line.