Credit scores are very much a "thing" in many parts of europe. A big difference is a lot of the credit scoring systems outside of the US doesn't take into cons

Credit scores are very much a "thing" in many parts of europe. A big difference is a lot of the credit scoring systems outside of the US doesn't take into consideration positive actions - only negative ones. So paying off a loan won't help you show you are a responsible borrower, but failure to pay it will hurt you. There's also varying definitions of "fine" in "everything works fine." The USA has way more of a variety of financial products and the most qualified borrowers pay much less. One can argue that's a good thing, or a bad thing. (It's a good thing for me, personally.)