I always assumed credit scores were an integral and historic part of the American financial system.
They were not, they are very recent，most of your parents didn’t have credit scores growing up, and as you can probably tell or at least intuit, it’s mostly just a b******* scheme for those with capital to accrue more capital by invading your privacy.
Indeed. As evidenced by the fact that doing things that are money-smart (in general, stuff that amounts to avoiding debt) is actually harmful to a credit score. The powers that be want you to consume on borrowed funds.