CreditReportInfo

One Out of Three for Free?

Sep 162010

There are three major credit reporting bureaus that can offer you a free credit report. They are Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, and all can be found easily online. These three bureaus provide credit reports to everyday consumers, but, unfortunately, you are only entitled to have one credit report for free.

In 2003, the Federal Government passed the FACT Act that allows for all Americans to have access to one free credit report each year. That means that in order to get a credit report from the three bureaus, one of them will be free, and the other two you will have to pay for.

Why bother to get a credit report from all three bureaus when only one is free? The answer is simple. Businesses and creditors are not required to report to all three of the credit bureaus. They are not legally required to report to any of them if they don’t want to. However, most companies will report to at least one of the three credit bureaus.

If you are serious about either keeping good credit or improving your bad credit, you as a consumer should request first your free credit report and then buy the other two so that you have a credit report from all three credit bureaus. The reason is given above. You want to have a full and clear picture of where you stand when it comes to credit, so getting a credit report from all three bureaus is just a responsible thing to do.

Once you receive your free credit report from at least one of the three bureaus, you will want to take some time to go over it and make sure that the information is accurate. Even one mistake on your credit report can make a difference in your overall credit score and could get you denied for a line of credit or a loan.

If you do find a mistake, you need to report it right away. Usually, there will be a link on the websites where you can go to so you can at least alert them to the error. After that, you will have to provide written documentation to them that the account is a mistake and they will review your request. Once they decide, if it is indeed a mistake, it will be removed from your report immediately.

To recap, you can get one free credit report from any of the three bureaus in charge of credit reporting. To get reports from the other two, you will be charged a small fee, but in the long run, it will be well worth the money to protect your credit.

One Annual Credit Report for Free

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Sep 162010

On December 4, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) act that provides one free credit report to all citizens of the United States per year. This came about as the result of a rise in identity theft and the need for citizens to able to view and monitor their credit reports to check for accuracy of information.

Now, all United States citizens are entitled to one free credit report each year from any one of the three credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This one free credit report can be very valuable to the everyday consumer as it is used by most lending institutions and credit card companies to evaluate you and decided if you are a good credit risk.

There are various ways you can go about getting your free credit report. You can go to any of the credit reporting agencies’ websites: www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, or www.transunion.com. There will be links there that can guide you through getting your free credit report.

Probably one of the easier ways, however, to go about it is to visit either of the following websites: www.annualcreditreport.com or www.freecreditreport.com. They will guide you through the process by asking a series of questions and asking personal things to help determine that you are who you say you are. Within a few moments, your free credit report will appear on your computer screen and you will be able to save it to your computer and print it out so you can check for any mistakes.

Many people feel that the FACT act is one of the best pieces of legislation to come into effect in a long time. Many years ago, the everyday consumer would have to pay money to see their credit report. The information was almost held hostage unless that person wanted to “pay up”. The FACT Act was written and passed to prevent this.

Legislators agreed that people should have access to information about them and that they deserved to be able to see what the credit reporting agencies have compiled about them. So now, each and every American can get a free credit report each year.

We urge you to get your free credit report right now if you haven’t already. It is how lending companies decide if you can get a car loan, a home loan, or a line of credit. For many Americans, this is very important. So, go get your free credit report and stay on the road toward having a clean credit record.

Annual Free Credit Report

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Sep 162010

As a consumer in the United States, the Federal Government decided back in 2003 that you are entitled to receive a free annual credit report so you can monitor your credit and your credit rating. The FACT Act was passed unanimously so that all Americans could get a free annual credit report and be able to keep track of what the credit reporting agencies were compiling on them.

This is groundbreaking in that people are now able to see what lenders see, correct any errors that are on the report, and keep track of their credit to prevent any blemishes that might damage their worthiness as a credit risk. Before the FACT Act was passed, the only people privy to this information was the lenders and the credit reporting agencies.

There are two ways you can go about receiving a copy of your free annual credit report. First, you can go directly to any of the websites of the credit reporting agencies. These agencies are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Their web addresses are www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, and www.transunion.com.

You will have to answer a few personal questions and provide proof of your identity based on some of the information on the credit report. Then the report appears directly on your computer screen so you can view it, download it to your computer, and/or print it out.

The second option you have to obtain your free annual credit report is to go to either www.freecreditreport.com or www.annualcreditreport.com. They will eventually be directing you to the credit reporting agency of your choice, but they will be able to easily guide you through the process of getting your free annual credit report.

It is very important that you take advantage of getting your free annual credit report each year and checking it for accuracy. Mistakes can be made, and they can affect the decisions of lenders when you apply for a line of credit or a loan. Just one mistake can make the difference between a yes and a no from the lender.

You will also want to monitor your free annual credit report for any information that does not apply to you. It can alert you to identity theft if you see that there is information on there that isn’t yours such as a credit card you never applied for or a loan that you never sought out.

The free annual credit report is a great tool for consumers to have when it comes to their credit. Not using it is a huge mistake, so go out and get your free annual credit report today if you haven’t already. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.

Equifax Free Online Credit Report

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Sep 162010

There are three credit report bureaus where you can obtain your free online credit report, one of which is Equifax. Equifax could very well be one of the oldest credit reporting bureaus around as they have been providing lenders with credit reporting services for over one hundred years!

Founded in 1899, Equifax has been providing creditors and lenders with credit reports – both online as well as through the mail. They have a proven track record with over $1.4 billion dollars in revenue with 4,600 employees in 13 countries. With the advent of the Internet, Equifax became even more popular as they were able to launch their website where people could obtain free online credit reports with a few keystrokes.

Of course, that wasn’t always the case. Up until 2003 when the FACT Act was passed, regular everyday consumers weren’t able to access their own credit reports. The only people who were privy to this information were credit lenders and even today, the formula for calculating the all-important credit score remains a mystery – with the blessing of the FTC.

After the FACT Act passed, all Americans were given the right to obtain an Equifax credit report online for free – or from either of the other two credit reporting bureaus as well. You can do this in a variety of ways.

The easiest way to get your free credit report online from Equifax is to go to their website directly at www.equifax.com. Once you are there, they will prompt you to press a link button that will take you to an online form that will get you on your way towards obtaining your free Equifax credit report.

You will be asked to provide personal information like your name, address, and social security number among other information. Then they will ask you about something specific that is on your credit report so they can verify you are you. After that, your free online credit report from Equifax will appear directly on your computer screen.

At that point, you can not only view your credit report, but you can also download it to your computer’s hard drive or print it out for further inspection. It is especially important for you to immediately check for errors as mistakes can wreak havoc with your all-important credit score.

Equifax is one of the giants in the credit reporting industry. They have made it much easier for consumers to obtain an online copy of their free credit reports at the Equifax website. Look for them online, do your homework when it comes to how to read your credit report and then use it to your advantage – keeping your good credit or repairing your bad credit.

Credit Report Seasoned Trade Line

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Sep 162010

A credit report seasoned trade line is a method of allowing strangers with bad credit to become authorized users on a credit card account of someone with good credit for a fee. This is also known as piggybacking and can be very helpful to people who have bad credit and fear they will never be able to have good credit. Of course, there is some controversy to the credit report seasoned trade line business.

The benefit to the person with bad credit will have an account with excellent credit history listed on their credit report which will raise their credit score. The cost of a credit report seasoned trade line will run anywhere from $500 to $2,000 depending on the credit history of the new account. The person with the good credit receives from $100 to $150 for this with the rest of the money going to the middle man that set up the seasoned trade line in the first place.

Of course, there is a risk for the person with good credit. The person with bad credit may charge the credit card account and then not pay it back thus causing damage to the good credit person. The brokers who provide the service claim that they never provide the entire account number to the recipient, however they may find it out anyway because the entire number may appear on some credit reports.

A logical question that comes about when exploring a credit report seasoned trade line is whether or not it is legal. The FTC says that what they have been advised about from their lawyers is that it appears to be technically legal. The agency, however, is not saying that it is legal. The credit report seasoned trade line practice could be fraudulent if, as required by the contract, a borrower does not disclose pertinent facts relating to that person’s ability to pay back a loan.

Fair Isaac Company who is the inventor of the FICO score which is your credit rating says they will no longer take into account authorized users when determining a credit score. That means that a credit report seasoned trade line practice may become obsolete.

This is a double edged sword since it will stop the practice of seasoned trade lines appearing on credit report; however it will negatively affect students who use their parent’s cards and spouses with little credit history of their own. A seasoned trade line can help a person with bad credit show good credit on their credit report, but it may not be legal and we think it won’t even be available in the future anyway.

Credit Report

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Sep 162010

Your credit report is a snapshot of everything you have ever done in your life that has involved your use of credit. It is a very important that you monitor your credit report regularly to make sure there aren’t any inconsistencies or mistakes that could adversely affect your future applications for credit.

There are three credit reporting agencies that compile your credit information into one easy to read report. Not all companies report to all three bureaus and they are not required to report to any of them. However, you will find that many companies will go ahead and report credit transactions to at least one of the three companies.

The three credit reporting agencies are: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. No one company is any “better” than the other. They all have different ways of making credit reports, but they all generally operate in the same way. You can find them easily on the web at: www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, and www.transunion.com.

The FACT Act was passed in 1997 and provided one free credit report each year for anyone who requests one. Although it’s a good idea to get a copy of all three reports, you will only get one for free. You can get the other two by paying a small fee – usually in the $15 to $20 range.

To get your free credit report, you can go to either www.freecreditreport.com or www.annualcreditreport.com. You will have to enter in your personal information and then your credit report will appear directly on your computer. You can then print it out and check it for accuracy.

We can’t stress enough that you should check over your credit report on a regular basis. Often, mistakes can be made and you can take steps to removing that information so that you won’t be denied credit solely because an error was made. The credit reporting companies are often eager to work with you to repair mistakes. You will need to contact them with proof of the inaccuracy and it will be removed.

Since the decision to offer you credit whether it be for a credit card, a home loan, or a car loan is made solely on the information contained in your credit report, you should strive to keep your credit record clean and free from errors. Your credit score is determined by the information on your credit report as well and you want your credit score to be as high as it possibly can be so you can get loans for what you need or want. Just don’t get into trouble with credit. Then your credit report won’t appear so good to a potential lender.

Free Annual Credit Report

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Sep 162010

The second option you have is to go to either www.freecreditreport.com or www.annualcreditreport.com. They will eventually be directing you to the credit reporting agency of your choice, but they will be able to easily guide you through the process of getting your annual credit report.

It is very important that you take advantage of getting your annual credit report each year and checking it for accuracy. Mistakes can be made, and they can affect the decisions of lenders when you apply for a line of credit or a loan. Just one mistake can make the difference between a yes and a no from the lender.

You will also want to monitor your annual credit report for any information that does not apply to you. It can alert you to identity theft if you see that there is information on there that isn’t yours such as a credit card you never applied for or a loan that you never sought out.

The annual credit report is a great tool for consumers to have when it comes to their credit. Not using it is a huge mistake, so go out and get your annual credit report today if you haven’t already. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.

Credit Report Resources

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Sep 122010

Can I tell a credit card company to report positive comments to my credit report?

Discussion 7 Responses »

Apr 202010

I payed off 2 credit cards out of four. Can I contact those two credit card companies and ask if they can report positive comments to the credit bureau to raise my score? Or do they automatically do that? I’m trying to raise my score. If you have any tips please share them with me. Thank you.

Best reply by Steve D:

Most credit card companies report credit history to at least one if not all three bureaus. If they don’t, that usually means they are not members of a bureau and given the expense, probably won’t report.

It’s hard to give tips when we don’t really know what you are trying to raise your score from and what sort of credit you already have.

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Can I tell a credit card company to report positive comments to my credit report?

Best Wrinkle Cream

Which credit reporting agency is best for the credit report?

Discussion 4 Responses »

Jan 272009

I know that i can get my free credit report once a year, but there are like 3 reporting agencies to chose from. Which of those agencies is most accurate, and gives out the most info? I want one, to show all the negatives thing i might have in order for me to fix them, if there are any.

Best reply by mysery0125:

http://www.myfico.com

This is the most used for scores.
As far as the big three, you need to get one from each. Each can contain something different. Creditors are contracted out to these agencies. Sometimes they are not contracted to all three. They might report to one but not the other two. ALWAYS CHECK ALL 3 REPORTS!!!!!

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Which credit reporting agency is best for the credit report?

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