U.S. household debt climbed to a record $18.59 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with higher balances across mortgages, credit cards, and student loans.

Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you.

Follow The Texas Tribune’s coverage of midterm election results for governor, attorney general, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature.

Each year, approximately 300,000 students begin eighth grade in a Texas public school. Use our database to learn about the education outcomes of these eighth grade cohorts, including higher education enrollment and graduation rates.

Get The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2022 primary races for governor, attorney general, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature.

The Texas 2022 primary will take place March 1. See the full list of candidates statewide and find out who's on your ballot based on where you live.

This year’s elections will take place using newly redrawn political maps for the state’s congressional, House, Senate and Board of Education districts. Search your address to see how the new districts will affect your community.

If you've ever tried disputing errors on your credit report, then you know it's no easy feat and can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating. Certified consumer credit counselor and president of Credit 360 Consulting promises to do the heavy lifting for you to save you time and money.

Have you done your taxes yet? If not, there are some new tax credits and deductions you need to know about so you get the most money back from Uncle Sam this year.

HOUSTON – If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you know two-day shipping rarely means you’ll get your order in two days anymore. Sure, it’s just $1, but Kyle James of the Rather Be Shopping says you can accumulate those rewards rather quickly. Reload Amazon Gift Card to get $10When you reload $100 or more on to an Amazon gift card balance, you’ll get a free $10 bonus. It only works the first time you reload a gift card. If you know you’ll be spending $100 on Amazon anyway, this one is a no-brainer.

Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneUse our database to learn about Texas public school districts and campuses, including hundreds of charter schools and alternative campuses. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state waived accountability ratings for the 2019-20 school year. [ Read more ]

HOUSTON – Now that we’ve got electricity, many of you are asking If you can get a credit or refund for cable and internet service you couldn’t use this week because of the power outages. Can you get a credit or refund for cable and internet service you couldn’t use when power was out? In some cases, customers may have power but not their Xfinity services because electricity has not been restored in the area of our network that serves their neighborhood. If you had electricity but no cable or internet, you can request a credit. Comcast said though, in some instances, it was the commercial power from Centerpoint that was down that caused the loss of services into customers’ homes even if the customers’ electricity was on.

Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneWhen the 2021 legislative session begins Tuesday, three of every five lawmakers in the state House and Senate will be white and just 27% of seats will be held by women. [ Read more ]

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Only one percent of Americans have the perfect credit score of 850. Your credit score can affect your ability to buy a home, a car, and even whether you land a new job. Payment history and credit utilization, or the ratio of credit being used compared to total credit available, are the two biggest factors in determining your credit score. The next factors that affect your credit score are length of credit history, new credit inquiries, and diversifying your credit with a mix of credit cards and loans can boost your credit. Too much new credit at one time can affect your credit score negatively by adding hard inquiries to your credit report.

Credit: Emily AlbrachtThe Texas Tribune is tracking cumulative early voting and mail-in ballot totals during the 2020 general election in the state’s 10 largest counties. [ Read more ]

I remember in the 2008-2009 recession, it was because of credit that I was able to see myself through, she explained. I actually went and got extra credit cards as a safety measure so I would have food to eat and a safe place to stay.If youve recently seen a drop in your income and your credit history is good, Tiffany suggests applying for a new credit card now. She says that new credit card can help you pay some of your essential bills like utilities, gas, transportation, groceries, medication, medical bills and even insurance. Paying these bills on credit will allow you to keep what limited cash you have for the bills you cant pay with credit. Make sure you keep paying at least the minimum payment on your credit card each month.

HOUSTON – A lot of people are deferring loan payments and mortgage payments during the pandemic. Still, you should check your credit report and score to make sure these deferments are not being reported negatively. The three credit-reporting companies are providing one free weekly credit report until April 2021, instead of one per year ordinarily at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you find an error on your report, you should send a written dispute to each credit-reporting company publishing incorrect information and the lender. The credit-reporting companies must normally respond within 30 days, but the CFPB says it will give them more time if needed right now.