Free Credit Reports Your Free Credit Report
Requesting
Your Fee Credit Report
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Obtaining Your Free Credit Report - Find Out How You Rate! Companies that gather and provide credit report information are called "consumer reporting agencies" (CRAs). A CRA collects information about credit activities, stores that data in computer databases and supplies most the recently collected date for a fee. The information supplied to creditors, employers, insurers, and other businesses are called "consumer reports." Your local credit bureau is the most visible and common credit reporting agency.
To obtain a free credit report you must generally write to the credit bureau and request a copy of your credit history. If you have been denied employment based on derogatory credit reports, are unemployed (but planning to seek employment within the next 60 days), a welfare recipient or victim of fraud, you can receive your free credit report as a service from the bureau. Your credit report is also available online through Consumer Info which is part of the Experian organization.
A request for your credit report should include your full legal name (including Jr., Sr., II etc.), your date of birth and social security number, a copy of a current utility or some other bill, a copy of your valid driver’s license, current and previous addresses within the last five years and current home telephone number, your current employer (if employed) and should be signed.
Make sure you apply for the copy of your credit report at least two to three months before applying for a loan, lease, credit card or service that requires credit information such as a cellular phone. This gives you the opportunity to review your credit history for errors and have those errors corrected in advance of making your application.
Obtaining a secure credit score can leave you free of higher interest payments and debts. By utilizing the services from the bureau you can receive your free credit report and be up to date on your credit rating. A less than satisfying credit score can be avoided with regular monitoring of your credit report information.
NOTE: In a recent release the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes how you can access Free Credit Reports in accordance with new regulations just introduced. At the time of this writing not all areas are eligible. The FTC report indicates which jurisdictions are currently applicable.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues , visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel ...a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
All consumer reporting agencies (credit report agencies) must adhere to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The purpose of the FCRA is to ensure the accuracy and privacy of credit information contained in consumer reports. Recent amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act expand your rights and place additional requirements on consumer reporting agencies. Businesses that supply information about you to consumer reporting agencies and those that use the consumer reports also have new responsibilities under the amended law.
For more information about a Free Credit Report, or to choose from a variety of related products
and services, choose from the following:
Reports | Monitoring | Scores | 3-in-1 | Debt Help
Last Updated: 01-Sep-2008
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