Free Credit Report

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has set up a new website (www.AnnualCreditReport.com) where US residents can obtain free copies of their credit reports from the three major credit report bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian). The FTC site was set up as part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act enacted last December. The site was set up in an effort to help fight the increasing threat of identity theft. The credit reports must be ordered from the FTC site to get them for free. If you order your credit report directly from one of the credit report agencies’ sites, you’ll be charged a fee for the report.

While a number of websites on the Internet currently offer free credit reports, these free reports require a credit card be put on file as a free trial membership of their credit report monitoring service. The reports have been free if you remember to cancel the trial membership, but can end up being quite costly if you accidentally forget. The new FTC site is marketing free and no credit card is required.

To request your credit reports, you’ll need to provide your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. In addition, the credit bureaus may ask you for other information to confirm your identity such as your current monthly mortgage payment. Consumers can also order their free credit reports by calling 877-322-8228 (toll-free) or by mail by writing to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

The free credit reports aren’t currently available to all US residents. They’re being phased in over the next year by region to prevent the system from being overwhelmed. Currently residents living in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming can obtain the free credit reports. Residents in the Midwest can get their free credit reports beginning in March, residents in the South beginning in June and residents in the East beginning in September.

Instead of ordering credit reports from all three credit report agencies at once, you might want to consider staggering the three reports so that you receive one credit report every 4 months. This allows you to see how your credit report is changing over time and whether any mistakes you find have been corrected. It will also increases the chances that you will catch any attempts at identity theft more quickly. If, however, you’re considering a large purchase such as a home or car where your credit score will be used to determine your eligibility, you’ll want to get all three right away. This will allow you to take care of any potential problems as soon as possible.

Once you’ve received your reports, review each one carefully. The three credit reporting agencies handle millions of pieces of information each year and some estimates have errors in as many as half of the credit reports with a major error in ever one in four. By making sure that all the information contained in the reports is accurate, you will ensure that you receive the best rates from credit agencies in the future.

Now that credit reports are free of charge, there is no reason not to request them each and every year. Keeping tabs on your credit report is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself against identity theft and make sure that all the information that your creditors are accessing is accurate.

Jeffrey Strain is owner of http://www.savingadvice.com — a website dedicated to saving you money through quality tips and articles.

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American consumers are now entitled to receive one free copy of their credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union are now all required by law to furnish to you a copy of your credit report. This is good news for consumers; please read on for additional helpful information.

As of September 1, 2005, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that the three national credit reporting agencies provide one free copy of your credit report to you annually. You do not need to contact the three reporting agencies separately to obtain your reports, instead you can order them online at www.annualcreditreport.com; or by calling 877-322-8228; or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it in.

The mailing address is:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 105281

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

The online form is available here: www.ftc.gov/credit.

If you need copies more often, you can contact the three reporting agencies and request copies directly from them. You will be charged for any reports over and beyond your one free annual report.

To purchase a copy of your report, contact:

Equifax

800-685-1111

www.equifax.com

Experian

888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)

www.experian.com

Trans Union

800-916-8800

www.transunion.com

What is the best way for you to benefit from the new law? That’s easy: order copies of your reports from the companies on a four month rotating basis. Most consumers will find this method to be adequate as it will allow for you to compare reports from each agency. Naturally, if you already suspect fraud you will want to order all three reports at once and notify each agency to place a “fraud alert” in your credit file.

There are also several private companies who will get a hold of all three copies of your credit report for you as well. There are fees involved, but you may find their services to be less of a hassle than contacting the three companies separately.

In summation, the new law is a bonus for consumers. Published reports indicate that many credit reports contain errors in them; this law gives you the opportunity to correct “their” mistakes by setting the record straight and at no cost to you.

Copyright 2005 — Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

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Equifax is one of the three major credit reporting agencies, along with Experian and Tans Union. All three get information from creditors voluntarily. You may have heard of the agencies, and realize the important of your credit report. If you do, then you may be interested in retaining a copy of your own credit report from Equifax. Your Equifax credit report should be of great interest to you since the contents can have such a profound influence on your ability to make certain purchases. Therefore, it is important to understand what you are going to see on your report and what it means. The contents of your Equifax credit report can basically be broken down into five parts: your personal information, inquiries, your credit history, public record information, and your overall credit score.

The first part of your Equifax credit report is your personal profile. Your personal information is kept in this portion. You name, aliases, spouses name, current and former addresses, birth date, employment history, and Social Security number. When looking at your Equifax credit report, make sure the information is accurate. You can make corrections to the information by talking with Equifax.

Next, you will find the inquiries section. Here, you can see everyone over the last two years that has requested your credit report. You will find two types of inquiry on your Equifax credit report: hard and soft. A hard inquiry is one made by a company and initiated by you, like when you apply for a mortgage or credit card. A soft inquiry does not show to creditors unless you request it and is made by existing creditors who are monitoring your credit.

Third on your Equifax credit report is your credit history and public records. Your history will have a detailed list of your credit debts. It will include how you have done in terms of paying, all late payments, and information about how the account has been paid to date. You records will include bankruptcies, liens, and over due child support type information. Any public records are negative and will lower your overall score. They usually will stay on your Equifax credit report for six to ten years.

Last you will find your credit score. The credit score is a rating that shows how great of a credit risk you are and what the chances are that you may default on a loan. Most lenders will use the credit score as factor in y our loan application. The number of the score is between 300 and 850. The higher the score on your Equifax credit report, the less risky you will be considered by creditors. If the score is lower, you will be seen as a higher risk and while you still may get loans, you will likely be headed toward higher rates of interest.

Your Equifax credit report has a big influence on your ability to make purchases on credit. Many state and federal laws allow you to receive a copy of your Equifax credit report either for free or at a low cost. Take the time to get a copy of your Equifax credit report, as well as ones from the other companies. That way you can be sure that all of the information is correct and have an idea of how risky you are so that there are no surprises when you got apply for any loans.

If you would like more updated information on my credit report resources, or read more articles like the one you just read, please feel free to visit my credit report blog.

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