There was only a smattering of news recently about TransUnion losing a lawsuit over illegally selling personal info. As part of the settlement, the credit bureau will be required to give you free access to your credit score and other info for half a year. This decision will affect 160 million people.

Traditionally, people have had to pay for their credit scores. If this TransUnion settlement happened a year ago, Clark would have made a big deal about it. But there a couple of reasons why it doesn't matter as much today.

First, there's the government-sanctioned AnnualCreditReport.com that allows you to get your credit report once a year for nada. Second, there are already a number of ways to get your credit score for free.

Some credit card operators, such as Washington Mutual, will give you your Fair Isaac score every month as part of their marketing efforts. (Editor's note: WaMu is discontinuing this practice effective March 1, 2009.)

You can also use Quizzle.com to get your Experian credit score for free. Other free sites to try include CreditKarma.com and Credit.com.

These 3 "dot coms" all give it away in the hopes that you'll buy the products and services they're trying to market. But there's no obligation to buy anything at all. (Editor's note: Quizzle.com is owned by Quicken Loans.)

Why should you care about your credit standing? Even if you don't need any credit, a mistake on your report or score will trigger higher insurance rates. You could also be turned down for a job. So check it out!