(RECAP: FICO scores are used by nearly every major lender to assess the creditworthiness of credit card and loan applicants. But these scores are mostly invisible to consumers, unless you go to FICO’s website and sign up for a subscription of $14.95 per month — a service you need to cancel within 10 days if you don’t want to be charged anything. That’s going to change, however. FICO announced Monday it plans to allow any lender using FICO scores to make the scores available to consumers for free through a program called FICO Score Open Access. Barclaycard US and First Bankcard are the first to sign on, with free scores being made available to credit card customers starting today.)